Best 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!

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.

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.