Braided sweet bread and the techniques to make it. Our very own food stylist Beatrice Prada had fun using her own sourdough starter to make this recipe, which was a bit complicated in the “braiding” phase. But don't worry: Giandomenico Frassi photographed every step to create a tutorial, so you won’t miss a thing! Ready? Let’s make some sweet bread braids!
The Recipe: Braided sweet bread
Ingredients:
1 lb flour
4 oz sourdough starter
5 oz butter
4 oz granulated sugar
½ oz salt
3 eggs
Honey
Lemon
Method:
Work the flour, sourdough starter, sugar, 1 tablespoon honey and softened butter (cut into pieces) in the kneading machine. Incorporate the eggs one at a time, followed by the salt and lemon zest. Knead the mixture for a few minutes until smooth. Turn the mixture over on a pastry board and work it by hand for another five minutes. Form a ball with the dough and let it rest in a covered bowl for about 2 hours.
After two hours, knead the dough quickly. Divide the dough into eight portions – all more or less of the same weight. Create long, thick strands (about 2 cm in diameter and 30 cm long) that you will braid four at a time. Start braiding as shown in the example:
Continue braiding as shown below:
Tuck the ends under the braid like this:
Repeat the process with the second braid. Place the sweet bread braids on a baking tray lined with baking parchment and let them rise again for at least half an hour covered. Bake in the oven at 350°F for 30 minutes. As soon as they are out of the oven (and still very hot), brush them with a syrup made from water and sugar.