Whether you’ve made lots of bread in the past or are completely new, you can create some lovely loaves this holiday season. Don’t be shy about doing something creative.
You can make a braided loaf of bread by rolling out three long skinny ropes and then laying on the counter and braiding just as you would braid a person’s hair.
The braid in the picture below was actually my very first attempt several years ago. Of course, I noticed the fact that one end was bigger than the other, but our dinner guests simply raved about how pretty it was.
Here is a simple French bread recipe that you can use to make baguettes, rolls, or a braid like the one in the picture.
Ingredients
3 cups warm water (bath temperature)
2 tablespoons yeast
2 teaspoons salt
6-7 cups of unbleached flour
Instructions
Mix all the above ingredients together. (If using a mixer, be sure to use your dough hook).
Start with just 6 cups of flour and add additional flour a 1/4 cup at a time, if the dough is still sticky.
Cover your bowl with waxed paper or a damp towel and let the dough rise for between 45 and 90 minutes until it has doubled in size.
Separate your dough. If you’re making regular loaves, this will make two or three, so cut into thirds and shape into a ball, a baguette, or skinny ropes to make braids, etc.
After braiding or placing on a baking stone or pan, bake at 400 degrees F for 20-35 minutes, depending on the thickness of the loaves. A skinny little baguette will only take 15 minutes, whereas a larger ball will take 35 minutes.
Keep an eye on the how brown the bread is and check for doneness when it looks nicely browned. You can tap the bottom of the bread to see if it sounds “hollow,” or you can stick a thermometer in the loaf, and if it reads 200 or more, it’s done!
* This recipe makes three standard sized loaves of 16 slices each. 1 serving here equals one slice of bread.
Can you hold back/save some of it for later? If so how?
Yes! You can put bread dough in the fridge and use it later. Just remove it about half an hour before you plan to use it so it can start to warm up to room temp. You can use it straight out of the fridge, but it won’t rise as much. After a few days, it starts to get a delicious sourdough taste! 🙂
You can also do the second ‘rise’ in the fridge overnight. Just prepare as you would normally and place in the fridge, heat the oven in the morning and move it bread straight into the oven to cook.
It doesn’t say to let rise again once shaped or braided. Does this type of recipe skip that step?
Sorry about that! You should let it rise for 20-30 minutes before baking. I have skipped that step when in a hurry, and it works, but it doesn’t rise as much as it would if it had a little time to do so before baking.
Does this recipe require kneading?
There is really nothing special about no-knead bread recipes. You can choose to knead or not. By the time you’ve added enough flour so that the dough is not sticky, you’ve usually done a fair amount of kneading. Feel free to knead — or not — to suit your schedule and desire to pound something. 🙂