Eight-Strand Plaited Loaf

Equipment

• Large mixing bowl
• Baking tray lined with baking paper
• Roasting tray for steam
• Clean plastic bag
• Wire rack
• Kitchen scale

Method

1. Mix. Put the flour in a large bowl with the salt on one side and the yeast on the other. Add the butter and three-quarters of the water and turn it with your fingers, adding the rest of the water a little at a time until all the flour is picked up. You want soft dough, not soggy, so you may not need all of it, or you may need a little more.
2. Knead. Oil the worktop lightly, tip the dough out and knead for 5 to 10 minutes, until smooth and silky.
3. First rise. Put it back in the lightly oiled bowl, cover with a tea towel and leave until doubled. At least an hour, but it can take 2 or 3 depending on how warm your kitchen is.
4. Divide. Line a baking tray. Scrape the dough onto a lightly floured surface and roll it into a long oblong to knock the air out. Cut it into 8 equal pieces (weigh them) and roll each into a sausage about 40 cm long, using the whole length of your hands.
5. Set up. Lay the strands side by side and press them together at the top, tacking them to the worktop, so they look like an octopus. Number them 1 to 8 from left to right. Every time you move a strand, renumber them 1 to 8 as they now lie.
6. Plait. Once only, to start: take 8 under 7 and over 1. Then repeat these four moves until the plait is finished: 8 over 5. 2 under 3 and over 8. 1 over 4. 7 under 6 and over 1.
7. Prove. Pinch the ends, lift the plait onto the tray, put it in a clean plastic bag and leave for at least an hour, until doubled and the dough springs back when lightly prodded. Heat the oven with a roasting tray in the bottom, and boil a kettle. Oven: 450°F / 230°C (210°C fan)
8. Bake. Dust the loaf with flour and pour hot water into the roasting tray for steam. Bake for 30 minutes, until it sounds hollow when you tap the base. Cool on a wire rack.