Hefezopf
With this recipe you can make a fabulous German Hefezopf. Be aware that the making of this delicious bread takes around three hours.
In Europe itself there are different characteristics which can be found in the Hefezopf. In Bavaria for instance, particularly in the Upper Palatinate region, as per a local custom of Spitzlschenkens where by a Godfather, during the baptism gives an Allerheiligenspitzi, a large plait to his Godson. In Rhineland pretzel shaped bread plaits are served which carry fillings of almonds and granulated sugar. Saxony has its own tradition where there is a dish that goes by the name of Brötchentei. It also involves both sweet yeast plaits and regular yeast plaits along with poppy fillings. In the upper Franconia region you can find Hefezopf usually in the form of a round egg shaped ring. It is a speciality during Easter in the region. (lots of information can be found here and you can even find another recipe there - feel free to compare them and try both)
Hefezopf: The German Braided Bread
Ingredients
For the yeast dough:
- 400g flour
- 180ml milk (slightly warm)
- 20g fresh yeast
- 60g sugar
- 1 egg
- 75g soft butter
- a pinch of salt
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla sugar
To finish:
- 1 egg yolk
- 20ml milk
Preparation
Place the flour in a large bowl. Make a deep well in the middle with a spoon. Crumble the yeast into 50 ml of the lukewarm milk, add 1 teaspoon of the sugar, stir and dissolve. Pour the yeast milk into the well. Stir in a tablespoon of flour from the edge and leave the pre-dough covered in a warm place for 10 minutes.
Add the remaining milk, sugar, egg yolk, soft butter, salt and vanilla sugar to the bowl. Mix all the ingredients together and knead (for approx. 10 minutes) until the dough is smooth and comes away from the sides of the bowl.
Cover the yeast dough with a cloth and leave to rise in a warm place for approx. 1 hour.
When the dough has approximately doubled in volume, place it on a lightly floured work surface.
Knead again briefly with your hands. Divide the dough into three equal pieces and shape them into strands. Braid the strands into a plait. Place the plaits on a baking tray lined with baking paper, cover with a cloth and leave to rise for another 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 175 degrees top and bottom heat. (Jacob, we are talking about degrees Celcius here :) )
Whisk the egg yolk with the milk and brush the plaits with it.
Bake for around 35 minutes until golden brown.
