Wow, this is good bread. I have been dying to share this recipe with you! Imagine slathering a warm, fluffy piece of white bread with sweet honey butter. I came up with this whimsical recipe for Disney Dinners: Tangled and let me tell you, you will be the hero of your homestead if you bake this.

Since this was intended to look like Rapunzel’s braid, I wanted it to be as long as possible. I braided the bread into three 12″ loaves, which put together, look like one 36″ loaf. This would positively delight children and it delights me because the bread freezes perfectly. Thawed Rapunzel’s Braid Bread tastes like you just baked it. So you can easily bake three cute loaves and put any leftovers in the freezer.

Without freezing, this bread stays delicious for three or four days, which is pretty damn good for homemade bread! This bread also makes for a delightful grilled sandwich. I’m hungry just thinking about it! I cannot rave enough about this recipe. It’s so easy. I think you’ll want to bake it again and again!

I have three tips for bread baking before I let you loose on the recipe:

1. Heat the water to 105 degrees to activate the yeast. Anywhere between 100-110 will do, really. Use a thermometer. If the water is too hot, it’ll kill the yeast and if it’s too cold, it won’t rise properly.
2. You want the the correct consistency before letting the dough rise. Things like the atmosphere and elevation affect bread baking so it’s hard to say exactly how much flour you’ll need but look closely at my photos to see the consistency you’re shooting for. If you can’t touch the dough without it getting all over your hands, it needs more flour. Add it before you start  kneading, before its first rise.
3. Warmth helps bread rise so I either bake bread the same day that I do laundry so I can put the bowl on top of my dryer or I bake it on a warm day and keep it on a windowsill or you can pop it in the oven (turned off, obviously) with the oven light on. This emits just enough heat to help bread rise.

Rapunzel’s Braid Bread
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups water heated to 100-110 degrees Fahrenheit
1 packet Active dry yeast
1 tsp salt
1/2 Tbsp olive oil
1 egg white, lightly beaten

1. Whisk active dry yeast, salt, and olive oil in warm water until yeast is dissolved.
2. Add yeast mixture to 3 cups of flour in a stand mixer fitted with a bread hook. Add additional half cup if dough is still sticky. Knead with the bread hook attachment for 8 minutes in the mixer. Drizzle a bit of olive oil over the dough, turning once so that the bowl is oiled. Place in a warm place with a slightly damp towel covering the bowl and let rise for one hour or until doubled.
3. Punch down dough. Knead for 3-5 minutes. Divide dough into 3 equal parts and let rest for 5 minutes. Roll dough out to 36″ ropes.
4. Grease a baking sheet. Braid dough into three separate braids, about 12″ each. Braid as you would one large braid right on the cookie sheet, cutting the dough when you reach the end of the sheet. You should have three 12″ loaves. Let rise for 45 minutes or until doubled.
5. Brush loaves with beaten egg white and bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes. Arrange the loaves together for one continuous braid. Serve with honey butter!

Honey Butter
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 Tbsp honey

1. Combine softened butter and honey.

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Read more about my Tangled party here. Watch the Tangled episode of The Rose Table:

Happy baking,

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