Born in The Netherlands, I grew up with bread at breakfast and bread at lunch-time. Simple sandwiches like cheese, cold-cuts or sweets like marmalade, peanut butter, Nutella or chocolate sprinkles. Over time, as everything else, things changed, breakfast and lunch became a little more diverse, but bread is still an important part. May be that’s why there are so many small bakeries in Holland, most selling a darn good variety of breads.

Most Dutch grocery stores have their own bread counter with almost the same variety as the smaller bakeries and the packaged, pre-sliced bread is not awfully popular. When I started baking my own bread, most of the time, I was trying a type of bread that I was not so familiar with, like this Braided Bread with Poppy Seeds, very similar to a challah bread. Baking bread is for me about the flavors, the smells, the satisfaction that the dough becomes a bread. It is often not a perfectly looking creation.

Top view of a partially sliced braided bread with poppy seeds

A perfect bread? Can you give a definition? I cannot. I am far from perfect, so how the heck would I be able to make a perfect bread. One thing I know, I am perfectly me, with all the flaws and imperfections. The photo above shows how imperfect the loaf is. It has a little belly, off center, but it is well-braided, it stays together and it has a wonderful light interior. That is good enough for me. It does not taste any better when it has the perfect shape.

Key Ingredients in This Recipe

You’ll find the complete list of ingredients and exact quantities in the recipe below.

All-purpose flour
Sugar – or honey
Yeast
Eggs
Butter
Poppy seeds – or sesame seeds

How to Make Braided Bread with Poppy Seeds

Step 1 – Mix flour, sugar, yeast, salt, eggs, butter, and water in a bowl. Use a stand mixer or wet hands to incorporate all the flour. Knead the dough a little bit, create a ball. Cover bowl and allow to rest and rise in 1-2 hours. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Step 2 – Dust your counter with flour and knead the dough a few times. Cut in 5 equal pieces and roll each out, forming a rope with a length of approx. 12 inches. Each strand has the same length. Push the 5 strands together at one end and start braiding.

Step 3 – 5 strands makes for a more complicated braid. Take the right strand and pull it over 3 strands, so it becomes the 2nd from the left.

Step 3 - Take the right strand and pull it over 3 strands, so it becomes the 2nd from the left.

Step 4 – Move the left strand to the right, over 2 strands, so it becomes the middle one. Now move the 2nd strand from the left and pull it over the middle strand. At this stage you will end up with a braid on the left side of the strands.

Step 5 -Now repeat the process. Pull right strand over 3 strands, then pull 2nd strand from the left and pull over the middle one. Etc. At the end push the strands together.

Step 6 – Place the bread on the baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to rise for about 1 hour or until doubled in size. Make the egg wash by mixing egg with water. Brush the bread with the egg wash and sprinkle with poppy seeds.

Step 7 – Place bread in the oven of 350 degrees F and bake for approx. 35 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool before you cut the loaf.

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