A Braided Loaf

 I've been trying to harvest as much from my garden as possible before the cold, wet weather sets in.  Yesterday I gave the chives a "haircut" and made a  double batch of Sour Cream & Chive Potato Bread.  I made one large braided loaf to take to a Friends of the Umpqua Hiking Club potluck last night and baked one round loaf to keep at home.  I shaped the remaining dough into four hearth loaves and refrigerated them overnight.  The last two are in the oven now and the house smells sooooooo good.

For the braid, I started with 2 lbs. 4 oz. of dough and divided that into six equal pieces of 6 ounces each.  Then I rolled them long and thin, let them rest 10 minutes to relax, rolled them a bit more and then made a six-strand braid and placed it on a parchment-lined sheet pan.  I brushed the finished braid with an egg wash, covered it with plastic wrap, and refrigerated it several hours so I could bake it later in the afternoon, just a few hours before the meeting.