Decorative Bread

Rita Hill added some country charm to her kitchen with a plaited, bread wreath.

You’ll need

• 4 cups plain flour
• 1 cup salt
• 1-1/2 cups water
• poppy seeds, sesame seeds or rock salt
• ribbon, fabric or raffia, to decorate
• varnish
  

Making the wreath

1. Combine the flour and salt in a bowl. Add the water slowly, mixing well to form a stiff dough. Remove from bowl and knead on a well-floured board for at least 5-10 minutes. (Tip: dissolve a teaspoon of instant coffee in the water to make the bread look brown and more authentic.)

2. Cut the dough into three evenly sized pieces. Roll each piece out into a snake approximately 60cm long. Press the three ends together, then plait the dough. Turn each end of your plait in to form a circle, and press the ends firmly together. Carefully pick up your wreath and place on a tray lined with baking paper.

3. Brush the wreath with a wash of 1 egg mixed with 1 tablespoon of milk. Bake at 200°C until it does not give at all when pressed with the fingers (this could take a few hours, depending on the size of the wreath). When done, remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.

4. To ensure that your wreath doesn’t deteriorate over the years, apply three coats of varnish (Rita used Wattyl Estapol Gloss). Allow to dry thoroughly between coats. Add poppy seeds, sesame seeds or rock salt to the wet varnish. When the wreath is dry, decorate with ribbon, fabric or a raffia bow.

Cheat’s method: buy a loaf from the baker, leave it in a warm place until it dries out, then coat with varnish and decorate as above.

Further information

Wattyl Estapol Gloss costs about $19 for 1 litre.
Ribbon costs $1-$6 from haberdashery or craft shops.

Copyright 2003 CTC Productions