Some of the members have been asking about the Braided Bread.
I already gave the recipe in another Post.
So I thought Id put in a Photo Tutorial on shaping the dough.
Other members do it a lot neater but the taste is there.

Don't worry about Greek ,Italian, Jewish, Etc., they are basically all the same.

I'll post the Recipe next.
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Here is the dough after it has risen once and is cut in half.

Then cut each into 3 pieces. Each piece is rolled out to about 12 inches long.
The ends are wet with the egg, milk mix and stuck together.
They are twisted about 8 times each and spread apart at the other end.

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While keeping the dough from untwisting, it is Braided .The end is basted with egg and stuck together.

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The Dough is braided , in the pan, Sprayed with Pam and waiting to rise.

Out of the Oven:
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Baked in a Loaf Pan:

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Here is a bread I made for Easter. I stacked one braided on top of the other.
Flattened the first one a little and basted it with egg milk wash, then put the other on top.

LOU

Everyone has their own way to do this, which is better.
But! I like to cook and bake using easier ways,
long as the end results are the same.

I've used this recipe since I got out of the Army, a very long time ago
and converted it from Army Baking (Large amounts )to Home Baking.
It wasn't easy going from 4 Quarts to 4 cups , etc.
But I worked it out.

I got the results that I wanted and I'm passing it on to
everyone
.
Here is the recipe:

Luigis - - - Braided, Plaited Bread or Dough for Cinnamon Buns Etc.
2 cups of milk, (warm ) - - Sometimes I sub Powdered Milk
1 1/3 cup of Sugar
3 large eggs- beaten (save ½ egg w. a little milk for basting )
1 tablesp.+ of Vanilla - -
½ cup + of oil - -
½ teasp. Salt
2 packs of Fleischmans Active dry yeast
AP Flour - 3 cups to start ( probably about 6 total )
enough to knead into a soft ball that doesnt stick to your hands.
I now substitute a cup of WW Flour. Makes it more tender.
Stir the yeast in a 1/3 cup of warm water w. ½ spoon of sugar, to test it for raising.

In a large mixing bowl, or (KA mixer) place the warm milk ( not hot )
add the sugar ,vanilla , salt & eggs
Beat until the sugar is dissolved and add the Yeast and mix well.
Add 1 cup of WW flour and 3 cups of AP flour and mix with mixer a few minutes.
Add flour until you make a " soft " Ball of dough that doesnt stick to your hands.
Dont make it too stiff , try to keep it a "soft dough."
On the Work Top, Sprinkle some flour under the ball and Knead it until smooth.
Place it in a large bowl, Rub some oil on top.

Cover with a damp towel and place in a warm spot ( until double.) I usually turn my oven on for a few minutes to warm and shut it.
Place a pan of hot water on the bottom shelf.

Then place the dough bowl in the oven to rise.
When ( doubled ) deflate and put it out of the bowl onto a floured worktop.
Punch it down and knead the dough again. Then cut into 2 pieces ( 2 loaves ).
Divide each piece into 3. Roll each of these 3 pieces into the shape
of a sweet potato ( about 12 in long ).
With the basting ( egg ) mixture and wet the tips of the 3 pieces
and stick them together at one end .
Then spread the other end the shape of an arrow While keeping the stuck ends down and away from you ,
twist each piece clockwise about 8 times and
lay them down so you can Platt or Braid them and
stick the other ends together
There are other ways to Braid ( 6 Strands ) but I take the fast easy way to do things.
Place the 2 shaped loaves on lightly oiled cookie tins, or in loaf pans.
Preheat the oven to 400 deg.
Spray some Pam on the loaves or brush with oil. This will keep them from drying while raising.
When doubled in size (about 20 min.) place in the oven , top shelf and bake until slightly tan.
Baste them with the egg mix and rotate them back into the oven and
( Turn temperature down to 325 deg.)
Baste again when they are a dark tan. Cook till a rich brown, mahogany color.
Take them out of the pans onto a rack to cool. Control yourself !!!! Let them cool !!!

This sounds like a lot to do but it is easy and should take only 10 minutes to mix and shape.
The most time is in the waiting for the dough to rise and for the bread to cool .
But it do look great !!! & Professional
This dough can also be used for Cinnamon Buns .
I use it for Bagels too. I like the Hardly Noticeable, sweet taste.

I braid three ropes of dough that all weigh about the same amount. I lay them out on a parchment lined baking sheet parallel to each other. Starting in the middle of the ropes, I braid to one end just like you would braid hair sections. When I get to the very end, I take the three end pieces and smoosh them together so they stick to each other and fold the last couple of inches, tucking it under the loaf. Next, I turn the baking sheet around 180 degrees so that the three unbraided ropes of dough are now facing me. Then I braid those three strands until the end just as before. Smoosh those ends together, tuck them under, and voila! you have a lovely braided loaf of bread.

My Challah loaves:

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We make Challah every week. I can braid 3, 4, 5 and 6 braids. 3 braids are super easy, as described above, just like breading hair. 6 is the most complicated but results in a really impressive and big loaf. You can cheat and put one smaller three braid loaf on top of a larger one. When you bake it, the dough all melds together on the inside and you get the same look.

I always weigh my dough and divide that weight by braids per loaf and loaves to be made. I find that by weighing the dough, all the strands are the same length and the loaves look better. Look how nice Teresa's are :)

My 9 yr old twins made all these. It was their first time on their own and I think they did a great job. On the bottom left is a cheat loaf - a small 3 braid on top of a a larger one

Here are my 6 braid loaves about to go in the oven:

and I forgot to take a photo of the finished product LOL

That 275° temperature must be a misprint. No bread is baked at 275.

I've been making braided breads my whole life (I'm Czech so hoska is a staple!) and I've never had a problem with 3 or 4 strand braids, but I always had trouble with a 6 strand braid. (Not Top Challah which would be two seperate three strand loaves stacked, larger on the bottom and smaller on the top, but a true 6 strand. It is very easy to get mixed up trying to braid 6 strands!) I got a copy of "Secrets of a Jewish Baker" several years ago and finally learned how to braid 6 strands! I would recomend checking a copy out from your local library or buying a copy , there are a number of very good recipes. He explains 3, 4 and 6 strand loaves in a way that makes it really easy to follow. I still pull out my copy for a refresher before making a 6 strand braid. My favorite braid is the 4 strand, I think it looks the prettiest.

A quick guess on the problem you had based on your description is that you braided the strands too tight, then when the bread expands in the oven, you end up with bread that was not washed with egg making a pale pattern on your bread. As for the ends, I always pinch them together real well, and then tuck them under the bread so they can't unravel.

Here is a link to some bread braiding diagrams. The diagram for the 6 strand braid is similar to the ones in Secrets of a Jewish Chef, but the book is much easier to follow since he also explains each move. I do my 4 strand differently, I start my strands in a cross shape.

Joanne

You know, I thought the temperature was a mistake too. But the recipe calls for actually starting out at 275 and then turning the heat down to 250. Maybe it should have read 375 turned down to 350?

I've made braided loaves before and not had as much trouble getting a good looking final baked product. I think my dough was much softer this time around. Does the dough consistency make a difference? And should the strands be tightly woven?

Loves 2:
There was a Post on Braiding about a year ago.
But I still do it the same way, as you know .
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I said in the tutorial, I do things fast, not as neat

But I thought they looked good enough to eat.

Everyone here loves the Bread, with some butter.
So I don't think I'll do the other.

I'm going out to eat a piece right now.
If you hear some munching , that not a cow.

Hey! I'm a poet and don't know it !!!
Lou

LOL LOU!!!

Your bread looks good too. In fact after day 7 of Passover I am ready to grab the loaf of the screen and devour it whole.

Hey, off topic but have you seen this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY

It's the perfect reason why you should never judge by looks (If you decide to watch it, grab Kleenex first!!) and I apologize if I implied your bread wasn't good enough to eat - I am sure it is outstanding. For all I know it tastes better than anything I have ever tasted before.

What an interesting thread! I always wondered how to make Challah.