Dough Art Basket

Directions

1. 1
   Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. 2
   In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Mix in water, stirring constantly, until the dough pulls together. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and firm, about 7 to 10 minutes.
3. 3
   Invert a medium sized mixing bowl and cover tightly with aluminum foil. Turn up the edge of the foil to make a shelf around the outer rim of the bowl. Roll a piece of dough out to 1/2 inch thickness and cut out a 3 inch circle. Place this circle on top of the inverted bowl to form the base of the basket.
4. 4
   Roll dough out into long ropes. Braid the ropes together and coil them around the mixing bowl starting at the circle. Wet the dough slightly where you want it to stick together. To make a smooth transition from one braid to the next, snip the ends off square and press together with a bit of water. Stick each new row to the one before it. Continue until the bowl is completely wrapped in dough. When you reach the top of the bowl, finish it off by wrapping a single rope of dough around the rim. Brush the basket with egg white.
5. 5
   Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until basket is firm. Remove from oven, slip basket off of the bowl and bake until hard and golden, this takes about 30 to 40 minutes depending on the thickness of the basket.