Braided Loaf with Poppy Seeds

A very simple yeast bread dough is divided into four strands and braided to form an elegant loaf. Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with poppy seeds before baking. It is crispy and flaky on the outside and soft tender on the inside. Braiding 4 strands of dough can be tricky, but the technique isn't hard to master and it's actually easier than you think. Here is a video on How to braid a 4-strand loaf.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=llhB1eNh580[/embed]

7 g Dry yeast
2 tsp Coconut sugar or raw brown sugar
200 ml Warm water
350 g All-purpose or bread flour
1 tsp Sea salt
4 tbsp Olive oil
1 Egg, lightly beaten
1/2 tbsp Poppy seeds
1 tsp Sea salt

Place yeast, sugar and warm water in a jug. Whisk with a fork until yeast has dissolved. Stand in a warm place for 10 minutes or until frothy.
Sift flour into the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Stir in salt, yeast mixture and olive oil. Mix on low speed to form a soft dough. Increase the speed and knead the dough until smooth and elastic, about 7 minutes.
Turn out the dough and shape into a ball. Lightly grease the mixing bowl and return the dough to the bowl. Cover and set aside in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
Using your fist, punch dough down. Knead until smooth.
Line a pullman pan with parchment paper. Divide the dough into 4 even portions. Roll each portion into a 35-cm strand, slightly tapering the ends. Form into a plait, tucking the ends under. Place it into the prepared loaf pan.
Cover with lightly greased plastic wrap. Set aside in a warm place for 50 minutes or until dough has almost doubled in size. Preheat oven to 200C/180C fan-forced/400F.
Brush dough top with egg. Sprinkle with poppy seeds and salt. Bake for 25-35 minutes until nicely golden and crunchy. Cool on a wire rack, then serve with poppy seed spread or butter, if desired.