Good Cooking since 1995
Basic Steps in Braiding Bread!
Examples from The Bakers' Manual, Third Edition, Joseph Amendola, ISBN 0-920745-06-7; Ahrens Series, J. Williams Book Company 1972
Braiding bread is a basic skill in a bakery, it's like braiding hair. Once you learn how to do it and do it well with sufficent speed, a production of 36 loaves will only take 15 minutes or so. In a bakery you are making hundreds of loaves of bread a day on a time based schedule. Commonly known bread like Jewish Challah and Italian Scali are good examples of a three piece braids. If you are really good you might even try a seven braid loaf. Bear in mind that not just any bread dough can be braided with perfection. Recipes/formulas are specific to hydration, lean or richness, mixing times and elasticity of the dough.
