Poppy Seed Twist Bread

You're probably going to need a drop sheet and a toothbrush for the clean up, but it'll be worth it.




Poppy Seed Twist Bread
slightly adapted from BBC Food

550g "00" flour
100g stoneground wholemeal flour
2 teaspoons fine sea salt
1 x 7g sachet dry yeast
2 tablespoons honey
350-400ml warm water (40 - 43 C)
1 tablespoon sesame oil
50 poppy seeds

Line a large baking sheet with baking paper. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook, mix the flours, salt and yeast briefly to combine. Add the honey and 350ml of the water and mix to incorporate. If the mixture is a little dry, add the rest of the water. Mix on low speed for about 6 minutes, until smooth and elastic.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead briefly. Place a tea towel over the dough and leave it to rest for 5 minutes. With a rolling pin, roll the dough out to a rectangle that measures 40 x 24 cm.

Use a pastry brush to brush the sesame oil all over the surface of the dough. Sprinkle with the poppy seeds and then, using a sharp knife, cut six 4cm wide strips down the length.

Twist each strip like a cheese straw, laying them back down beside each other as you go. Keeping the ends together, stack the twisted strips up and twist the whole lot together like one large rope. Bring both ends together to make a wreath shape and squash the ends together firmly. Gather up any escapee poppy seeds (there will be plenty more where they came from) and sprinkle them over the loaf.

Preheat the oven to 200 C.

Place the loaf on the prepared baking sheet. Spray some cling film with cooking oil spray and cover the loaf oil-side down. Leave in a warm place for about 30 - 40 minutes to rise.

Bake for 35 minutes, until it sounds hollow when the base is tapped.