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A round, braided loaf of golden-brown bread on a wooden cutting board with a serrated knife beside it.
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5 from 1 vote

7-Strand Braided Bread Wreath

A 7-Strand Braided Bread is a show-stopping loaf with intricate weaving and a soft, fluffy texture. Perfect for special occasions or as a stunning centerpiece, this bread is as beautiful as it is delicious.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Proving Time1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time2 hours 10 minutes
Course: Bread
Cuisine: British Inspired
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 227kcal
Author: Laura

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 3 3/4 cups bread flour or all-purpose, plus a little extra if your dough is too soft
  • 2 1/4 tsp rapid rise or instant yeast see the post for what to do with regular yeast
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 11 1/2 fl. oz warm water this is roughly 1 1/2 cups with 1 TBSP taken out
  • 1 1/2 TBSP olive oil

Instructions

  • mix the flour, yeast, and salt together in the bowl of a stand mixer
  • add 3/4 of the warm water
  • run the mixer with the kneading hook until the dough just starts to come together
  • then pour in the remaining water and the olive oil
  • let the mixer knead the dough on low for about 5 minutes until the dough is soft and pliable, if while you're mixing you see the dough is very soft you can add another 1-4 TBSP of flour to the dough
  • once the dough is soft and silky smooth add a little oil to the bowl and turn the dough to coat it
  • cover and let the dough double in size
    A risen dough in a square plastic container on a wooden surface.
  • line a large baking sheet with parchment paper, set aside
  • once it's double gently knead the air out of the dough
  • weigh the dough and divide it into 7 equal pieces, if you don't have a scale divide as best you can, cover the dough piece to keep them from drying out
  • take one piece of dough and roll it into one long strand, about 22 inches in length, cover the strand with plastic wrap or foil
    Seven elongated pieces of dough resting on a wooden surface.
  • repeat with the remaining pieces of dough
  • lay the 7 strands of dough on a clean counter or table
  • about halfway down the strands divide the dough and lay three strands to the left of you, and the remaining four to the right, with a big space between them,
    Unbaked dough rods are neatly arranged on a wooden table, illuminated by sunlight.
  • working from the midldle of the strands take the farthest right strand and cross it over the three pieces and lay it the middle angled to the left
  • then take the dough on the far left and cross over the three strands of dough (including the one you just put there from the right) into the middle of the dough angled to the right
    Several elongated dough strands lie on a wooden table, arranged in a fan-like pattern.
  • repeat with all the strands until you get to the end, you will have half of the braid done
    Twisted ropes of white dough are laid out on a wooden surface, partially overlapping each other in a loose braid pattern.
  • pinch the ends of the dough together
  • the gather the braid in one hand, the strands in the other and flip the WHOLE THING over, putting the braid away from you, and the strands towards you
  • make sure the strands are not tangled
  • beginning again on the right take the far right of the strands and bring it to the middle angled towards the left
  • take the far left strand and bring it over the three strands on the left (including the one you just put there from the right)
  • repeat with strands until you come to the end, pinch the dough together
    A braided dough strand rests on a wooden surface.
  • trim off each end straight
  • bring the two ends together and fix the dough to the corresponding strands as best you can, it won't be perfect, adjust the wreath so it's as even as possible
    Braided dough shaped into a circular wreath on parchment paper.
  • cover the pan and let the wreath almost doubled in size
    A circular braided dough ring sits on a sheet of parchment paper, ready for baking.
  • preheat the oven to 425°
  • beat the egg with a spalsh of water until mostly smooth
  • when ready to bake remove the cover from the wreath
  • use a pastry brush to paint the wreath with egg the wash
    Close-up of a red brush applying egg wash to a braided dough on a baking sheet.
  • bake at 425° for 25 minutes or until the the bread sounds hollow when thumped on the bottom
    A round, braided loaf of bread with a golden-brown crust on a parchment-lined surface.
  • cool, slice, enjoy!

Notes

About braiding this bread. If you watched the episode then you SAW Paul Hollywood braid half the loaf, then flip it completely over, and continue you braiding.
On the website it says just braid this as one long braid, no flipping it over.
 
So I think you can do it EITHER way.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 227kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 0.4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 149mg | Potassium: 59mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 0.2g | Vitamin A: 1IU | Calcium: 10mg | Iron: 1mg