I love Great British Bake Off. Every now and then, I see an episode and boldly think, “I want to try doing that,” and sometimes I actually follow through. This Braided Beef Plait using Homemade Puff Pastry is the result.
This is an original recipe that I cobbled together from multiple sources, including a study of the 2025 episode where the participants had to make savory plaits. As part of my unusual braveness, I also decided to make a from-scratch puff pastry, something I tried to do years ago in Arizona and failed because my kitchen was always too warm. Minnesota is a bit different!
I lead with the puff pastry recipe below, but you can also skip that and go with store-bought stuff. It’ll still be delicious, I’m sure, and a whole lot easier.
But if you’re masochistic like me and want the full Bake Off experience (minus the ridiculous time constraint and a leering blue-eyed judge), do the whole thing from scratch.
I planned to do this for Christmas, and therefore, I first made it in early December to experiment and see what I needed to change before the big holiday. This ended up being vitally important, as I changed the recipe in various little ways and also learned that gravy is essential for serving.
Bready or Not: From-Scratch Puff Pastry
Equipment
- plastic wrap
- Rolling Pin
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks) cold and cubed
- 1/2 cup ice water
- 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar or white vinegar
Instructions
- In a large bowl, stir together flour and salt. Cut in the cold butter, and use either fingers or a knife and fork to break he butter down into pea-sized pieces. Add the water and vinegar until it just comes together as cohesive dough.
- Flour a large, clean surface. Roll out the dough to a 12×18 rectangle. Fold it in thirds like a letter. Rotate the dough 90 degrees. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill 30 minutes.
- Repeat this process 3 more times: roll out to 12×18, fold, place in fridge, wait at least 30 minutes, rotate dough, do it again. (There are videos on YouTube for visual guidance!) There will be a total of 4 roll-outs.
- Once this is done, wrap up dough again to begin baking process in 30 minutes or sometime soon, or wrap well and freeze for up to a few weeks.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not Original: Braided Beef Plait
Equipment
- skillet
- parchment paper
- ruler
- knife
- digital thermometer
Ingredients
- puff pastry homemade or store-bought
- cooking oil
- 21 ounces lean ground beef
- 1 large onion finely diced
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
- 1/2 cup beef stock or broth
- 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 green onions sliced
- 4 ounces shredded melting cheese such as cheddar, colby, or jack
- 1/4 cup panko bread crumbs plus more
- 1 large egg room temperature, for egg wash
- additional gravy for serving
Instructions
Prepare filling
- Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet. Add ground beef and cook until browned and broken up into small pieces. Carefully drain off fat.
- Add diced onion and garlic, cooking a few minutes, until distributed and browned. Stir in thyme, basil, paprika, pepper, and salt. Add beef broth and tomato paste. Cook about 5 minutes to season and thicken.
- Stir in the green onions. Add 1/4 cup bread crumbs to absorb extra moisture. Grab a spoon and do a taste test. Add more seasonings and spices to preference.
- Transfer the filling to a medium bowl and place in fridge to chill for at least 30 minutes.
Create the plait
- Preheat oven at 375 degrees. Roll the puff pastry to a 12×16 rectangle, about 1/4-inch thick. Move it to a large piece of parchment paper.
- Eye the center of the pastry, figuring on about 4-5 inches needed down the middle to hold the meat. Use the ruler to gently mark this area. On either side of this, gently mark where strips will be cut at a diagonal, each about 1 1/2-inches wide. On the two ends, leave flaps of about 2-inches. Now, use the knife or bench knife to cut the strands using the marks.
- Bring out the cooled meat. Fold in the shredded cheese. Return to the prepared puff pastry. Sprinkle extra panko bread crumbs down the center; this will help absorb moisture and hopefully prevent a soggy bottom. Spoon the meat in a big long row atop the panko.
- Fold over the two flaps left at either end, then begin doing the braid. Bring over one strand, then bring in one from the other side to hopefully overlap. Continue going back and forth. The meat may be visible in patches or totally covered. Tuck the pastry or pretty up as needed, which may mean clipping an extra strand or two. (Bake any extra pieces along with the plait! Waste nothing. But remember any spare pastry will cook much faster than the entire plait.)
- Use the parchment to carefully transfer the heavy plait to a large rimmed baking pan. If the meat is totally enclosed, cut 3-4 slits for venting. Crack the egg into a bowl and add a touch of water. Beat the egg. Use a pastry brush to fully coat the outside of the braid (plus any extra pieces of pastry to the side).
Bake!
- Bake for about one hour. Check on it at about the 45 minutes point and cover with foil if it is browning too quickly. Add about 5-10 minutes to the hour if needed; the braid should be golden all over, and a digital thermometer should read over 165 degrees in the middle.
- Let plait set for at least 10 minutes. Use this time to prepare a veggie for the side and heat up some beef or brown gravy.
- Cut pieces of plait between the braids. Serve with gravy. Take pride in this literal showstopper you have created. Refrigerate any leftovers and heat in oven.
