A simple way to take bread-machine bread to the next level. I’m not much of a baker, it’s too specific and fussy for me.

Instead, I used the dough mode of the bread maker, and took a basic bread-machine recipe, braided the bread, and baked in the oven. Turns out looking quite fancy, and only takes an extra 5-10 minutes of work, and being attentive to rise time and baking time.

Simply put the dough onto a floured surface, divide it into three equal parts, roll each out to a long thin loaf, and braid all three together. (Sorry – perhaps a picture at this stage would have been handy). Once braided, I tucked each end under. Allow to rise for an hour. I then applied an egg wash to the bread – using the back of a spoon since I don’t have a brush – and baked at 190C/375F for 30minutes until golden.