Bernese plait

Preparation time: approx. 40 minutes
Rising time: approx. 2 hours
Baking time: approx. 40 minutes
Makes 1 loaf of approx. 1.5 kg or 2 loaves of approx. 750 g

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Ingredients

1 kg white flour
1 tablespoon salt
1 cube yeast (approx. 42 g), crumbled
1 tablespoon sugar
500 ml milk, lukewarm
140 g butter, soft, in pieces
1 small egg, beaten
3 tablespoons single cream

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Preparation

Sift white flour and salt into a bowl, make a well in the centre.
Pour yeast mixture (yeast, sugar and lukewarm milk) into the well, stir to a thin liquid consistency, sprinkle with a little flour. Leave till the liquid froths (approx. 10 minutes).
Add butter to bowl, mix, turn onto work surface and knead for approx. 10 minutes to make a soft, smooth dough. Cover and leave for approx. 1.5 hours at room temperature until doubled in size.
Mix 1 tablespoon of single cream with the beaten egg, cover and chill. Put 2 tablespoons cream in a small bowl.

Shape
Divide dough in half, shape each half into a roll approx. 70 cm long, thinning slightly towards the ends. Lay one roll crosswise over the other on the work surface, plait (see photos). Transfer plait to a baking sheet lined with baking parchment, brush with cream, leave to rise for approx. 30 minutes, glaze with egg-cream mixture.

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Bake
Approx. 40 minutes on the bottom shelf of oven preheated to 200 °C. Remove, cool on wire rack.

Tips

Make it easier: halve the dough before kneading. Knead, and leave to rise, in two halves.
For 2 plaits, the rolls will be shorter, approx. 50 cm long. Reduce baking time by approx. 5 minutes.

Keeping time: yeast bread is best eaten fresh.
Per 100 g: 10 g fat, 10 g protein, 49 g carbohydrate, 1387 kJ (332 kcal)

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