"Wow" bread that can prove overnight? Help please :)

[HuevosRancheros]

For some reason I have an urge this year to make some kind of "wow!" bread for Easter Sunday. I have no idea why as we are not remotely religious
I was thinking maybe one of those 8 stranded plaits that Paul H likes to do on Bake Off.
(I do realise that this is not "wow!" for many people, but it would be for me, I usually just use my bread machine )

But I don't want to be up at the crack of dawn doing this, so I was hoping I could make it all the night before, then pop it in the fridge for its final prove. But how do I make sure it doesn't overprove? Do I need to reduce the yeast? And if so, by how much?

I did read, after a quick google, that I could part bake it the day before - anyone done this? Does it still taste like properly fresh bread?

Thank you :)

I make my dough in my bread machine, leave it overnight in the machine and then when i come down, turn the machine onto 'bake'. It makes a much better loaf than just using the machine's bread settings. I also make the dough, take it out and then let it prove outside the machine and cook it the next day. The problem with modern bread is it is a quick loaf, not a slow one.

So yes you can make your douhg, let it prove overnight in the fridge, bring it out to warm up and shape and then let it rise and then cook.

Or make it in advance, freeze it after shaping and before the final prove, then take it out the night before to defrost/prove overnight and bake in the morning?

That's interesting Alternative about baking it the next day. Must try that some time, though I do love that it's ready when I get up :)

What I'm looking for here is to do the final rise overnight - I think if I shape, then rise, then bake all in the morning it's going to take too long.

Costa that's a fab idea - the defrosting then proving should be about the right time, shouldn't it?

Thank you both :)

Yes it works well, good luck!