ULI'S HEFEZOPF (YEAST BRAID)

facebook share image   twitter share image   pinterest share image   E-Mail share image



Uli's Hefezopf (Yeast Braid) image

I received this recipe from a German baker who owns his own bakery and cafe. This is a delicious recipe, although according to my German husband, it doesn't even touch the Hefezopf that his 90 year-old Oma (grandmother) doled out when he was a child! Oh well, it only encourages me to keep on trying! Oh, and please excuse the Metric measurements- although I'm sure it's also possible in the US to use them!

Provided by Love2bake2

Categories     Yeast Breads

Time 3h

Yield 1 Hefezopf, 20-25 serving(s)

Number Of Ingredients 10

1000 g flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
100 g yeast
250 g softened butter
180 g sugar
350 ml milk
3 eggs
dried cranberries or raisins
1 egg yolk
slivered almonds

Steps:

  • Place the flour in a large bowl and make a well in the center. In the well, place yeast and 1 teaspoons sugar. Pour in a little lukewarm milk and stir until a liquid yeast batter forms. Cover and let rest 20-30 minutes.
  • Slowly add the rest of the lukewarm milk, softened butter, sugar, eggs, salt, and cranberries. Beat with electric mixer (kneading attachments) until bubbles form and the dough pulls away from the bowl. Or knead until dough is smooth. Cover and let rest until double in size (about an hour).
  • Punch down dough and on floured surface, separate dough into 3 balls and form 3 long ropes. Braid the 3 together into one long braid. Let rest about 15 minutes.
  • Brush with egg yolk. Sprinkle with slivered almonds. I don't know what it's called in America, but we have what's called Hagelzucker (hail sugar). It's like tiny rocks of sugar. I also sprinkle this on top.
  • Bake at 350°F for about an hour, or until browned and no longer 'doughy'. This produces a pretty large Hefezopf--so share with your friends!

Nutrition Facts : Calories 345.1, Fat 12.4, SaturatedFat 7.2, Cholesterol 70.3, Sodium 152.4, Carbohydrate 50, Fiber 2.4, Sugar 9.2, Protein 8.8

There are no comments yet!