Swiss Zopf Bread

Ingredients

• 3.5 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole milk, warm
• 2.25 teaspoons instant yeast
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 whole egg, beaten (for egg wash)

Instructions

1. 1

   Pour 1 cup of warm milk (110°F—test with your finger; it should feel comfortably hot, not scalding) into a large bowl.

2. 2

   Sprinkle 2.25 teaspoons of instant yeast and 2 tablespoons of sugar into the warm milk, then wait 5 minutes until the surface becomes foamy and smells yeasty.

3. 3

   Add 3.5 cups of all-purpose flour, 2 tablespoons of softened butter, and 1 teaspoon of salt to the yeast mixture.

4. 4

   Stir the mixture with a wooden spoon until a shaggy dough forms and no dry flour remains visible.

5. 5

   Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled work surface and knead by pushing the dough away from you with the heel of your hand, folding it back over itself, rotating a quarter turn, and repeating for 10 minutes until the surface is smooth and springs back when poked.

6. 6

   Shape the kneaded dough into a tight ball, place it seam-side down in a lightly oiled bowl, and cover with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel.

7. 7

   Place the covered bowl in a warm spot (75–80°F—an oven with the light on works well) and let it rise until doubled in size, about 60 minutes; the dough should feel puffy and spring back slowly when poked.

8. 8

   Turn the risen dough out onto a lightly oiled work surface and divide it into three equal pieces by cutting with a dough scraper or knife.

9. 9

   Roll each piece into a rope about 12 inches long and as thick as your thumb by pushing and stretching with your hands on the work surface.

10. 10

    Lay the three ropes parallel on a sheet of parchment paper, pinch them together tightly at one end, then braid by crossing the left rope over the center, then the right over the new center, repeating until the braid reaches the opposite end; pinch and tuck the final ends under.

11. 11

    Cover the braided loaf with plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm spot until visibly puffy and springs back slowly when poked, about 45 minutes.

12. 12

    Set the oven to 400°F and wait until the indicator light or beep signals it has finished preheating, about 12 minutes.

13. 13

    Brush the entire surface of the braided loaf with 1 beaten egg, using a pastry brush in smooth, overlapping strokes to coat evenly.

14. 14

    Place the parchment paper with the braided loaf on a baking sheet and slide it into the preheated 400°F oven on the middle rack.

15. 15

    Bake for 30–35 minutes until the surface turns deep golden brown (the color of warm honey with darker edges) and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.

16. 16

    Remove the baking sheet from the oven using oven mitts and transfer the zopf to a wire cooling rack.

17. 17

    Cool the zopf for at least 15 minutes before slicing so the crumb sets and stays tender.

Tools you’ll need

• large mixing bowl
• wooden spoon
• dough scraper or bench knife
• parchment paper
• baking sheet
• plastic wrap or damp kitchen towel
• pastry brush
• wire cooling rack
• oven mitts
• instant-read thermometer (optional, for milk temperature)

More recipes like this

• 

  Vietnamese Chicken Curry (Cà Ri Gà)

  28 min

• 

  Chocolate Hazelnut Croissant

  25 min

• 

  Patatas Bravas

  25 min

• 

  Quick Chicken and Leek Pie

  28 min