Zopf Zupfe Swiss Braid Bread Recipes

ZOPF

Steps:

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm milk. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes. Add the egg yolk, butter and 2 cups of bread flour; stir well to combine. Stir in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, beating well after each addition. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes.
• Divide the dough into 3 equal pieces and roll each piece into a 14 inch long cylinder. Braid the pieces together and place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
• In a small bowl, beat together egg white and water. Brush risen loaf with egg wash and bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25, until golden.

ZOPF - GREAT TASTING SWISS BREAD!

Steps:

• Put the flour into a bowl. If you are using a Kitchen Aid you can put it into that mixing bowl.
• Mix 2 teaspoons of salt with flour.
• Make an indentation into the middle of flour.
• Pour 1 dl milk into a cup (microwavable)
• Add 2 tsp sugar into the milk, stir well.
• Heat milk for 30 seconds in the microwave.
• Add 21 grams yeast into the milk and stir well.
• Pour yeast into the indentation in the flour.
• Let the yeast sit for 10 minutes.
• Cut butter into small pieces.
• Put pieces into a pan and melt on medium heat.
• Add 6 dl milk to the melted butter; make sure butter is lukewarm.
• Go back to your flour and yeast and now put the bowl into the mixer and mix on the lowest setting.
• Add the melted butter to the dough while mixing.
• Let mix for 10 minutes.
• Loosen the dough from the bowl and put a wet cloth over the dough. Make sure it is loose to allow room for rising.
• Let sit for one hour.
• Pre heat oven to 425(f).
• Separate dough into two pieces. Each piece will make a single loaf of bread.
• With one of the pieces, separate it into two sections and roll them out and a floured surface. You want to roll them so the middle is the thickest and the ends are slightly narrower.
• Fold dough --
• *start by putting one roll vertically and one on top of it horizontally.
• *fold top part down to bottom (left).
• *fold bottom part to top (right).
• *fold left part to right (top).
• *fold right part to left (bottom).
• *repeat- at end, join parts together.
• Separate an egg yolk from the egg white.
• Break the yolk and add a drop of half and half or heavy cream (optional).
• Use food brush to spread yolk on dough- avoid crevices.
• Put dough into oven with small bowl of water. Put dough on wax paper to prevent the bread from sticking.
• After 10 min., set temperature of oven down to 395(F) for 20 minute.
• Take out of oven. The bread is done.
• Let cool on a cooling rack and enjoy!

ZOPF OR BRAIDED BREAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl mix the warm milk, sugar, salt, butter, egg yolk and 200 g flour.
• Mix with the hook for 1 minute.
• Add the yeast and mix for 2 minutes again.
• Add the remaining 300 g flour and work with the hook.
• When the dough has pulled together and becomes smooth and elastic (after about 5 minutes) you can form the braid.
• Divide the dough into 2 equal pieces and roll each piece into a 60 cm long cylinder (or 3 pieces of 30 cm). Braid the pieces together and place on a lightly greased baking sheet. This is the method that I use: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcPnB0Sgc-Q.
• In a small bowl, mix egg white and water and brush the bread with this mixture.
• Let the dough rest after forming for 90 minutes until it doubles in size.
• Bake in the preheated oven at 180°C for 20 to 25 minutes (heat and timing are basing it on convection oven), until golden.