Zopfgreattastingswissbread 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 (TRADITIONAL SWISS PLAITED BREAKFAST BREAD)

Steps:

• Mix together all ingredients except egg yolk to make a soft dough. Knead 10 minutes or so.
• Divide into 4 and make long sausages with the dough.
• Form the sausages into 2 square crosses.
• Plait each cross, using a 4 strand plait, so that you end up with two loaves of plaited bread.
• Put in the fridge until ready to bake- overnight, for example.
• Paint the loaves with a little of the egg yolk.
• Place a water bath under the oven shelf. Bake in the bottom half of a 220 degree Celcius preheated oven for 10 minutes, then turn the temperature down and bake at 200 degrees for 40 minutes.

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!

GRANDMA'S SWISS NEW YEAR'S BREAD (ZUEPFE)

Steps:

• Pour yeast into 1 cup water and set aside.
• Heat heavy cream in a saucepan over medium heat until scalding, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in butter to melt; add remaining 2 cups warm water. Add eggs and salt; mix until all butter is melted. Pour in yeast mixture and stir.
• Beat 4 cups flour into the cream mixture with an electric mixer until well combined, adding more flour as needed to make a very stiff dough.
• Turn dough out onto a heavily floured surface. Knead in about 4 more cups of flour until it is smooth, elastic, and no longer sticks. Turn into a large greased bowl and let rise until doubled in size, about 2 hours.
• Knead down and let rise again, about 30 minutes.
• Divide dough into 6 long strands. Overlap 2 strands at a time into an upside-down "U" and braid. Place onto an ungreased baking sheet. Combine beaten egg and 1 tablespoon water in a small bowl; brush loaf with wash. Let rise for about 20 minutes more.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden, 30 to 40 minutes. Let cool slightly before eating.