Slow, slow, quick, quick slow how to make a five braid loaf...So soda bread is the super fast bread on the dough stage, but when more time is available, I find making bread incredibly therapeutic. Its the kind of thing which can be done in between tasks, so the actual time spent on it only equates to around 20-25 minutes, which for me is perfect.One of my favourite loafs, and one of the most beautiful, is the plaited loaf. Long slender strands of springy dough bound together to make something like a work of art. There are many tricks when making bread and once you have those nailed youll be plain sailing. Its always good to have a packet of fast action dried yeast in the cupboard and a good strong white and wholemeal bread flour. For me these are a store cupboard must, so whenever I get the urge, I can just bake away.Baking with fresh yeast is also a joy. The bread will have a better flavour and crumb, but will take a lot longer to make with two risings. Its also near impossible to find, so Im more than happy with the fast action dried yeast.In this recipe, I have used a combination of white flour to make it nice and light and wholemeal flour for some nuttiness and depth.Take the white flour in a bowl, then sift in the wholemeal. Most flour has already been sifted numerous times so there is no need to sift again. Originally flour was sifted to remove any foreign bodies from it. The wholemeal flour gets a good sift as the bits of bran left in the bottom of the sieve are good for sprinkling on top of the bread. I usually throw 2/3 back in to the flour and keep the remainder for the top. Admittedly the faff factor has increased slightly, but for lazy weekend days when there's a little bit of time to spare, there is nothing better than a hand baked loaf.1. Lovely bits of bran.2. Then cut the dough in to five equal bits (so much easier to do with a sharp knife rather than pulling it).3. And roll the dough into five long slender sausage fingers about 30cm long. If they keep springing back and are difficult to roll just cover them with a tea-towel for 5 minutes to allow the gluten to relax a little. Then give it another go.4. Put them together at one end so they are all connected, a touch of water may help them to stick. Put three strands on the right side and then two strands on the left as per the picture.5. Take the strand from the far outside right. Then put it over the two nearest it, so it is now in the centre. Then squidge it up a bit to meet the other two, as per this picture. Now there are three strands on the left and two strands on the right.6. Now take the strand from the far outside left, and put it over the two strands over it, so it is in the centre. Then squidge it up a bit to meet the other two as per this picture below. Now there are three strands on the right and two strands on the left.7. Keep doing this until you come to the end of the strands. As the dough will expand a little when it is left to rise, the strands need to be quite loosely folded together to give them room to grow.8. Then when it comes to the end, which looks a bit messy, just tuck the messy bits underneath (no one will ever know) and lift the bread on to a baking tray. Cover it loosely with some oiled cling film and leave it for about 30 minutes in a warm kitchen.9.The loaf will become pillowy and soft and will have grown almost twice in size. Sprinkle with some flour and the remaining bran for that artisan bakery look and bake.10. And the finished loaf!Recipe: Five braid loaf.300g strong white flour150g strong wholemeal flour(both bread flour)2 tsp salt (not sea salt)1x 7g packet of fast action dried yeast250-300ml waterTo start, Preheat the oven to 200c.Put the white flour in a bowl and sift the wholemeal flour in to the bowl. Put two thirds of the bran left in the sieve back in the bowl with the flour, saving the remaining third.Add the salt and the yeast. The right amount of salt in the bread is the difference between a good tasting loaf and a bad one, so this part is really important.Pour in the water and mix together the dough with a wooden spoon. Aim for a really light springy dough, the wetter the better. Although its not as easy to handle, the resulting loaf will have a better texture if you can put the whole 300ml of water in. Then get your hands in and bring the dough together.To knead the dough, roll it around and squash it down for 10 minutes. Measure the time on the clock, as then it will be perfectly kneaded. If using a mixer, fit the machine with the dough hook and mix it for 5 minutes on a medium speed.Once the dough is well kneaded, divide it into 5 equal portions. For optimum results, weigh the whole dough then divide it by 5. Roll each ball into a long sausage about 30cm long. If the sausages keep springing back, leave them covered with a tea towel for 5 minutes to allow the gluten in the bread to relax a little.The easiest thing from here is to scroll up to the pictures and follow the recipe that way. I find it much easier to follow instructions when there are pictures attached. For the braiding follow steps 4-8. Once the bread is braided leave it to rise in a warm kitchen covered loosely with cling film for around 30 minutes, until it has almost doubled in size and is soft and pillowy.The best way to test if it has risen enough is to put some flour on your finger, then prod the side of the bread gently making a small dent. The dent should spring back - not all the way, but about half the way. When this happens the bread is ready to bake.Sprinkle on a bit of flour and the remaining bran and cook for around 40minutes, or until the bread is golden brown and is hollow when tapped underneath.A stunning looking loaf!