Dye your dough in the early stage of the bread making, if you want bread in bright colors. There are 2 ways to do this: add the dye with the wet ingredients at the beginning, making a small batch of dough for each color, or knead the gel dye into the dough, which allows you to make 1 batch and cut it into smaller pieces for dyeing.
Shape the dough after it has finished the first rise. Punch it down, then cut and shape it into ropes for braiding or balls for using as you would clay. Keep in mind that the dough will go through a second rise, so the details and shape will alter slightly before baking.
Cut details into the dough with a sharp knife before the second rise, if desired.
Decorate the surface of the dough with dried fruits or nuts before the second rise.
Cover the shaped dough, and allow it to rise for an hour.
Brush the dough with a well-beaten egg. For colored egg wash, use egg whites tinted with gel food dye, and brush it on the dough like paint. The color will darken during baking.
Add embellishments to the bread art after baking by laying a stencil over the bread and sifting flour or powdered sugar on top to make a design, or by carving the crust with a sharp knife. You can also construct small pieces of baked bread into larger sculptures using wooden skewers to hold the pieces together.