Braided Bread

A soft loaf of white bread perfect for sandwiches or topping with butter and honey at dinnertime. This braided bread is easy to make and looks impressive enough to serve to company.

Homemade Italian bread

This is a simple white bread dough recipe that's made extra fancy by braiding the dough before it's baked.

This is a three-strand braid that just adds a beautiful finished look to the bread. You could always skip the braiding and just form it into a loaf too.

Perfectly soft with a beautiful crumb, this braided bread goes perfectly with dinnertime. Serve with pasta to wipe up any extra sauce or with a bowl of soup or a salad.

You only need a little butter and honey or this homemade whipped honey butter. This would also be delicious topped with roasted garlic butter! You'll also want to try my homemade bread dipping oil. It's perfect with this loaf!

I mix and knead the dough entirely in my stand mixer. However, it can easily be mixed and kneaded by hand too.

As easy as it is to braid with three strands, I initially had some challenges when braiding this bread. It came out uneven and just didn't look pretty! I found a few tricks to make perfectly braided bread! All of my tips are included in the detailed instructions below.

You can't go wrong with this loaf of homemade bread.

Key ingredients

• Flour - I use regular, all-purpose flour
• Active dry yeast - You'll need one packet or 2 ¼ teaspoons
• Honey - Adds just a bit of sweetness to the dough. Granulated sugar could also be used.
• Sesame seeds - You could also add poppy seeds or leave plain

How to make braided bread

• Add water, yeast, and honey to a mixing bowl. Stir to combine
• Letthe mixture rest for 5 minutes until bubbly
• Add one cup of flour, oil and salt

• Continue adding flour ½ cup at a time until dough begins to form a ball
• Knead in stand mixer at a low speed for 5-7 minutes

• Form the dough into a ball and place it in a greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in size.
• Gently deflate the dough and divide it into three equal pieces
• Form each piece into a long rope between 12-20 inches long. The longer the ropes, the thinner the loaf. The shorter the ropes, the fatter the loaf. My ropes were approximately 16 inches long.

Braiding the dough

There are two methods for braiding a three-strand loaf. I show both methods in the video below, or one of the methods in the images. Either method can be used for this loaf.

• You'll be focusing on the center strand. However, the actual piece that is in the center changes positions each time.
• Start braiding in the middle, rather than working just from top to bottom
• The pattern will be left over center, right over center, and then left over center...
• Place three strands of dough parallel to each other with a bit of space between each strand
• Begin with the outer left strand and place over the center strand in the middle of the strand (not at the top of the strands)

• Alternate bringing the outside piece from the left and then the right over the center strand
• Once you are at the end, pinch strands together
• To work on the other end of the strands, flip the strands upside down from top to bottom
• Begin braiding with the remaining strands

• Move finished braided loaf to a sheet pan lined with parchment paper
• Cover with plastic wrap sprayed with a nonstick spray
• Allow loaf to double in size
• Just before baking, brush loaf with an egg white was and sprinkle with sesame seeds

• Bake in a preheated 400°F oven for 20 minutes

Recipe tips

• Try to keep the strands as evenly sized as possible
• If the strands shrink after rolling, just let them rest for 1-2 minutes and reroll
• When braiding, keep the strands fairly loose. If you braid too tightly, the loaf will become uneven as it bakes.
• The egg wash helps the bread turn a lovely golden color. You could also use oil or melted butter if you prefer. Learn all about different types of bread glazes.
• Sesame seeds are optional. Other options include poppy seeds, chia seeds, everything bagel spice or leave plain.
• Bread is best if it is fully cooled before slicing

Recipe Faqs

Ways to use leftover bread

We don't usually end up with any leftover bread that is just getting too stale to eat. But when we do, we don't let it go to waste! Try using leftover bread in the following recipes:

• Baked French Toast
• Strawberry French Toast
• Salad Croutons
• Dried Bread Cubes

If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear about it! Leave a comment below and snap a picture and tag me on Instagram @beyondthechickencoop

Be certain to check out all my delicious homemade bread recipes!