The art of bread making can become a consuming hobby, and no matter how often and how many kinds of bread one has made, there always seems to be something new to learn.

– Julia Child.

Boy, do I love making bread. It’s my favorite thing to bake, with pastry being a close second. The endless varieties of what you can make, the tactile joy of working with dough, the warm, feel-good aromas … it’s all beautiful and feels somehow essential. There’s a reason it’s called the staff of life, right?

Speaking of which, I’m wondering how many of you saw this piece about the discovery of a 14,000-year-old piece of bread. Given that this ancient bread predates the advent of agriculture by 4,000 years, it’s looking like our ancestors were bakers first, not farmers, turning a long-held theory on its head. There’s a team analyzing the bread and partnering up with a chef to try and recreate it, and best believe I’ll be looking out for that recipe. Who wouldn’t want to try their hand at making the oldest bread recipe of mankind?

Until then, we’re going to focus on this beauty, the eight-strand plaited loaf, which is a bread that just begs to be shared. Several years ago a friend of mine had a bat mitzvah when she turned 65, having missed out on the experience when she was 12. One of my favorite features of the ceremony was the blessing and passing around of a beautiful, shiny, deep golden-brown challah loaf. As the bread passed from hand to hand, I was amazed at how simple it was to become friends with complete strangers when you’re literally breaking bread together.

Reality Bakes

Don’t be intimidated by the fact that there are eight strands of dough to work with in this loaf. Just pay close attention to the steps and try not to get interrupted. The hardest thing is not having your strands of dough get all stretched out so give yourself plenty of room to work, if you can. 

Print Pin

Eight-Strand Braided Bread

This beautiful woven loaf is much easier to make than you think. And the flavor and crumb are delicious, perfect for pairing with cheese, or dipping in oil and vinegar.

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Proofing Time 2 hours hours 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 2 hours hours 55 minutes minutes

Servings 1 loaf

Author Jen Leigh

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup warm water (105°F-110°F)
• 1 packet active dry yeast
• 3 tbsp sugar, divided
• 3 eggs
• 1/3 cup olive oil, plus more for greasing bowl
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup water, at room temperature
• 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

Instructions

• Dissolve 1 tsp of the sugar in the warm water in a large bowl and add the yeast. Stir and let sit until foaming, about 5 to 10 minutes.
• Into the yeast mixture, whisk 2 of the eggs, the oil, the salt, the water and the remaining sugar. Add the flour one cup at a time until the dough comes together in a sticky bunch. Keep adding the flour gradually until dough comes away from sides of the bowl and is soft and a little sticky. You may not need all of the flour.
• Turn the dough onto a work surface and knead until smooth, about 5 to 8 minutes. Shape into a loose ball.
• Place the dough into a lightly-oiled medium bowl, then flip it to coat both sides. Cover with a towel and let rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours.
• Once risen, gently press down on the dough to knock it back, then cover and let rise for another 45 minutes.
• Divide the dough into eight equal pieces then roll out each piece into a strand about 14 to 16 inches long.
• Lay the strands out on a lightly floured surface, fanning out from one central point at the top. Pinch all the ends together at the top and press down to stick them to the table.
• To braid, number the strands of dough 1 through 8 from left to right. Every time you move a strand it will take the new number of its new position in the row.
• Preliminary move - this move is not repeated: place 8 under 7 and over 1
• Step 1: place 8 over 5
• Step 2: place 2 under 3 and over 8
• Step 3: place 1 over 4
• Step 4: place 7 under 6 and over 1
• Repeats steps 1 through 4 until all the dough is braided then tuck the ends underneath.
• Place the braided dough onto a parchment-lined baking tray, cover with plastic wrap, and leave to rise until doubled again, about an hour.
• Preheat the oven to 375°F.
• Beat the remaining egg with a pinch of salt. When loaf has risen, brush with the egg wash and bake in the oven for 25 to 35 minutes.
• When done, bread will be a deep golden brown and sound hollow when knocked on the base. Cool on a rack before serving.

Course Bread

Cuisine None

Keyword challah, eight-stranded bread, food playlist, plaited bread, weaving dough, woven bread

Middle Eights Playlist

Sometimes the connection’s a little more conceptual: what better match for eight-stranded plaited bread than songs with great middle eights? Enjoy.