There are few things I like better than bread and one of them is a stuffed bread. With a delicious filling and a pretty braided bread there is little else I would ask for. I would recommend this for a beginner bread baker. It looks pretty and makes you confident of being able to achieve such tasty results. Good right?

Why I love this Braided Bread?

I love this one because it is so simple and easy. It gets done in a jiffy and produces some excellent results. This bread needs only one raise and so it gets done quicker than usual breads which need a second proof.

Since it is a braided bread it does not require very gentle handling. That makes it perfect for a beginner baker who would find handling the dough difficult at first. To add to it all this is such a pretty looking bread that it would make a lovely centre piece for any meal during the holiday season.

To top it all, the pretty braiding makes it popular with kids. It is a good way to hide in vegetables they don’t like or do finish up leftovers. I guess I have more than made a case for why you should be attempting this braided bread right now! Let me know how it goes!

Substitutions and Variations

• Let’s start with the obvious one as always. Yes, we can replace this with whole wheat flour. But I like to have around 70-75% of all purpose flour and the balance as either oats flour or raagi (finger millet) flour or some other healthy flour.
• I have used milk and water for this bread. You can use either one or both in varying proportions. Milk makes the bread softer. So that is the main criteria you need to remember. If you do not have milk then add around 25-30 gms of milk powder.
• The filling inside the bread can be modified or replaced limited only by your imagination. The usual suspects that work well are paneer, potato and eggs. I have also made this with leftover mixed vegetables. The main point is that the stuffing should not be runny. You can also make this into a sweet bread with a stuffing of coconut mixed with sugar and some nuts.
• I have made this one as one large bread. You can divide the dough and make it into two breads with different stuffings. You can also make mini braided breads and give a small one to each person. Just keep in mind the size of your oven tray before making this too big.

If you like such fun bakes other recipes you can check out are this Sunflower Bread, Hasselback Potatoes, Sweet Potato Fries and Potato Skins

I have updated this post with better pictures and a recipe card as part of a group of like minded bloggers at Foodies Redoing Old Posts

I am sending this to Bakeathon by Srivalli