5 and 6 strand plaited loaves

Plaited loaves are so pretty, aren't they? And so impressive. I'm ok with 3 plaits as I can plait my hair quite easily. But braiding bread dough with more than 4 strands is a challenge.

Here is my attempt to make five and six strand plaited loaves. I actually tried an 8 strand plaited loaf as well, but I couldn't make the shape which I expected. So, I'm not quite ready yet to post the 8 strand plaited loaf in this blog.  But, work is in progress. :) 

All the loaves of bread were made with my basic loaf recipe.

5 Strand Plaited Loaf

Let's start the with 5 plait loaf. I found very clear instructions for a 5 strand plaited loaf.
It wasn't as complicated as I thought. I think it was because I got very good instructions ..... without it, it could have been a mess. However, as you can see the shape changed when it was baked ... hmmmm....
... not quite perfect yet.



Next is the 6 stranded plaited loaf.

6 Strand Plaited Loaf

Ah, this looks so much better, doesn't it?  Thanks to the very good instruction video I found on youtube. (see below)  It tasted as good as it looks and was good fun to make. :)
Now, an 8 Strand plaited loaf is the next challenge.