Recipe adapted from Notre Passion (2012).
Makes one round loaf of bread.
Contains: egg, milk, wheat

Instructions:

1. Add the flour and salt to a large bowl and whisk until blended. Make a well in the center of the mixture. Set aside.

2. Gently heat the milk over the stove in a small saucepan until it is very warm. Remove from the heat and dissolve the yeast in the warmed milk.

3. Once the yeast has dissolved, pour the mixture into the middle of the bowl with the flour and salt. Add the softened butter. Still until a dough forms.

4. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes until it becomes smooth and elastic. Return the dough to the bowl and cover it with a towel or plastic wrap. Let it rise for at least 40 minutes.

5. When the dough is ready, use a kitchen scale to measure out 360 grams of the dough. Use this to form the outer ring of the bread. Form a large cylinder and place it on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper and connect the two ends to form a ring.

6. With the remaining dough, divide it into 10 pieces of equal size. Take four of these pieces and form long cylinders. Braid the four strands together (here’s a video, if you need some guidance). Place the braid inside the ring of dough that you already prepared. Each end of the braid should be touching the inner edge of the ring.

7. Form the remaining 6 pieces of dough into shorter cylinders and then shape them into curlicues or “S”-like shapes. Place three on either side of the braid inside the dough ring. It should look something like this:

8. Cover the shaped dough with plastic wrap and let it rise for another hour.

9. When it’s done rising, whisk together an egg in a small bowl and then lightly coat the top of the bread with the beaten egg using a pastry brush (or the back of the spoon works too!).

10. Make 4 cuts into the outer ring of the bread with a very sharp knife (use the photo above as a guide).

11. Bake for 25-30 minutes at 210°C (410°F). The bread should be nicely browned and sound hollow when you tap it on the bottom.