Fair warning: Jump past my rant about television to the bread recipe & video if that’s all you want to see.
I’m not a fan of food ‘competition’ shows. In fact, I find them somewhat distasteful and disturbing on many levels. Food and cooking are basic human needs that everyone should enjoy regardless of skill level or whether there’s a camera pointed at the pan. If you want to compete, go play tennis or yard hockey or race camels but stay out of my pantry. Despite my curmudgeonly attitude toward kitchen gladiators, I might have found one example that I can bear, perhaps even enjoy. A bit. If I have to.
The argument for this genre of ‘entertainment’ television is that it encourages people to get into the kitchen but I suspect that while a few hobbyist do get inspired, just as many if not more viewers see cooking elevated to unattainable heights, turned into sport, and put further out of reach for the everyman trying to feed themselves. It adds peer pressure, perhaps even despair, when someone at home makes a perfectly lovely and simple casserole then says “well the judges would laugh at this.” I can almost see the queue of people being driven to mass-market convenience food and the erosion of food education on a level that would make sense for most home cooks who need to eat well before they worry about spun sugar decorations. Food heritage is an endangered species if it doesn’t look pretty on television. In short, those shows do less to educate and more to alienate most people struggling in the kitchen. And this is on top of the fact that people everywhere are going hungry while some muppet on television is slinging around an entire year’s worth of ingredients to beat a ticking clock for fun or bragging rights.
OK, rant over. With that out of the way, I was challenged to try watching one specific show that has reached cult status. It’s become ingrained in the country’s culture and been exported around the globe. It even has a comedic follow-on show each week of people talking about the latest episode (named “An Extra Slice”, hosted by comedian Jo Brand). Yes baking fans, I’m talking about The Great British Bake Off. I sat down with season one in front of me and even I have to admit I enjoyed the experience. In true BBC form*, they managed to make a gentle programme that neither shouts nor panders (much) like American equivalents would tend to do. Most importantly, it features talented home amateurs instead of polished professionals. They make mistakes, lots of them, just like someone fighting a treacle tart or pork pie would at home. Towards the last show or two of each series it gets more monotonous and filled with fake editorial tension but you can count on the first half dozen episodes each year to be packed full of learning by example of what to do – and not to do.
* The new season for 2017, its eighth, has moved to Channel Four in a storm of controversy and change of (most) on-air personalities. I’ve watch one new episode and I think all that was a tempest in a teacup. The overall tone of the show has remained the same. Also starting with season 5, the show has been edited and exported to America under the title “Great British Baking Show” for PBS. Other spinoffs have been made under various country banners (Australia, Ireland, et.al. – and airing soon, Canada). BBC site for series 1-7
Starting with twelve contestants who progress through the entire year’s series, each episode has three segments, two of which are the contestants showing off their own recipes. Recipes they’ve presumably practised beforehand (although some mavericks say they’re experimenting on live national television). The last and most interesting to me is the third segment named the “technical challenge”. Here these competent bakers are given a surprise assignment and a bare bones recipe and told to make the best of it. They’re then judged blind so only the results show through. No easy rides for more gregarious or likeable entrants. Again, just like a home cook might be doing when faced with a brand new recipe and less than kind housemate judges.
The biggest hurdle for late comers seeking the older series is accidentally discovering spoilers on the web. Don’t even glance at Wikipedia if you don’t want to ruin the surprise of who wins each year. I’ll leave the rest of the GBBO for you to discover on your own but it was one of their technical challenges that inspired me, or in fact informed me there was such a thing, to try my hand at plaited bread with an octopus worth of strands. Instead of easing into the method with three or four strands, I thought to myself “How hard could doing eight like they did on GBBO really be?” Ha. Famous last words.
Throwing caution to the wind yet again, I wanted to test exactly how strong my Canadian-sourced ‘all-purpose’ flour really is in practice for bread. Regular readers will know that our supply here is made from hard rather than soft wheat which gives it a slight gluten structure edge by way of higher protein present in the grain. Certainly we have strong bread flour available to us as well but it’s literally 40% more in cost so I often don’t bother. It works a treat for my pizza dough and if any bread will test its limits, it would be a tightly braided bread like this one.
So I submit to you my very first ever Eight-Strand Braided Loaf. All by hand, no upright mixer used. This video is literally my first ever attempt. Boy do I need practice. And a bigger counter top. I won’t be appearing on any Bake Off shows in the near future.
Eight-Strand Braided Loaf (plus a bonus Boule)
500 g *Canadian* all-purpose flour (roughly 13.3% protein)*
8 g fast-acting yeast (aka “rapid rise”)
12 g fine sea salt
310 g water (310 ml but weight is more accurate), slightly warmed
2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil (dough)
3 – 6 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil (kneading & forming)
1 egg from a happy chicken
flake salt for finishing (optional)
* You may need to labels that say “strong flour” aka “bread” or “high-gluten” flour in your neighbourhood. I’m talking to YOU America.
Yield: One 15″ loaf sure to get attention
In a large mixing bowl, add the flour, yeast, & fine sea salt. Using your fingers for the whole process, stir together to incorporate then add half the water plus the oil for dough. Roughly stir again to combine. Add the remaining water and mix to form a sticky dough ball.
Turn out the dough onto a work surface covered with half the remaining oil. Turning to coat the dough well in the oil. Begin to knead slowly by hand until a more manageable ball forms and you can work the dough more vigorously. Knead firmly for at least ten minutes adding oil only as necessary to work the dough and form a smooth dough with good gluten development. Place in a large oiled bowl, covered, and set in a warm spot to double in size (proof) for 60-80 minutes.
Turn out the dough onto a very lightly floured surface. Knock (“punch down”) any air remaining in the dough then split into eight even portions. Roll each portion into a long strand at least 50 cm (20 inch) in length without adding any extra flour to the surface. The tension will help form the strands. Make each uniform in diameter starting in the middle and rolling towards the ends.
Fan the eight strands out (see video) and pinch together at one end. Perform the braiding technique with the following eight strand sequence:
Number the strands 1 to 8 from left to right. Every time you move a strand, renumber the new arrangement again 1 to 8, left to right.
Step A: place 8 under 7 and over 1
Step B: place 8 over 5
Step C: place 2 under 3 and over 8
Step D: place 1 over 4
Step E: place 7 under 6 and over 1
Repeats step B-E, until all the dough is braided.
Pinch off dough from the braids to form a neat ends.* Turn over and place on a lightly floured sheet pan. Cover with a domed box or similar to allow to rise for 60-80 minutes. The braided loaf will not rise as much regular loaves but will nearly double. Preheat the oven to 200C (400F) for at least twenty minutes prior to baking.
* Knead the surplus dough into a tight round on the same pan for a bonus Boule baked at the same time.
Brush the top of the loaf just before baking with egg wash made by whisking the egg with 2 tablespoons water. Dust with optional flake salt as desired (it’s delicious and next time I’m definitely working some rosemary in there somehow). Bake for 21-28 depending on how dark you like your crust. The bottom should have a ‘hollow’ sound when thumped while you burn your fingers trying to juggle hot bread. Allow to cool on a rack before cutting FOR AT LEAST AN HOUR as the bread is still baking internally. Wait patiently with your butter at the ready.
