Ingredients

Step by step

1. Tip the flour into a large mixing bowl and add 1½ tsp salt and the yeast. Mix well with your hands, then add the butter to the bowl and rub it in to the flour, using just the tips of the your fingers, until it disappears. Make a well in the centre of the mixture.
2. Mix the honey with the lukewarm milk and water and pour into the well. Using your hands gradually work the flour into the liquids – if there are dry crumbs at the bottom of the bowl work in more water, a tablespoon at a time. As soon as the dough comes together into a ball, leave it to rest in the uncovered bowl for 5 minutes so the flour can fully absorb the liquids. Wholemeal flours take longer than refined or 'white' flours to become hydrated and it's easier to tell if the mixture needs a little more flour or a little more water (to get a dough that feels soft but not sticky) if the dough sits for a few minutes before you start kneading.
3. Once you are happy with the feel of your dough, turn it out onto a worktop lightly sprinkled with flour. Knead the dough thoroughly for 10 minutes until it feels very elastic (you can also knead the dough in a stand mixer with the dough hook for 5 minutes at a low speed).
4. Put the dough back into the bowl and cover it tightly with clingfilm. Leave on the worktop until doubled in size – 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes. Uncover the risen dough then lightly flour your knuckles and punch down the dough to deflate it.
5. Spread half the honey multiflakes on the worktop in a rectangle about 20cm x 25cm then turn out the dough as carefully as possible on top. Press out the dough to a neat 20cm x 25cm shape. Scatter the rest of the honey multiflakes on top and gently press them onto the surface of the dough. With a sharp knife cut the dough lengthways into three wide strips leaving them attached (about 2cm) at one short end of the rectangle. Plait the three strips then neatly fold the ends under the plait and lift it onto a baking tray lined with baking paper. Scatter over any honey multiflakes that have fallen off and then slip the tray into a large plastic bag (or just cover loosely with clingfilm). Slightly inflate the bag so the plastic doesn't stick to the dough then close the ends. Leave on the worktop until the loaf has doubled in size – about 50 to 60 minutes. Towards the end of the proving time preheat your oven to 220°C, fan 200°C, gas 7 and put a roasting tin inside.
6. Uncover the tray and put the loaf in the heated oven. Quickly add a handful of ice cubes or a jug of water to the roasting tin to create steam. Bake for about 30 minutes until golden brown and the bread sounds hollow when tapped underneath.
7. Transfer the plait to a wire rack and leave until completely cold before cutting.