Swiss Sunday Bread (zopf)

i made a fresh bread baby for my hunny bunny's birthday

Posted by bittyandbunny

About

my boyfriend is swiss, and he adores this bread so i decided to bake him some for his birthday. i had never baked bread before, and this wasn't very hard at all. i would recommend this for a beginner's project. i found a few recipes online and sort of took bits from each that i liked best :)
sorry, i didn't take pics along the way...

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You Will Need (8 things)

  • 3 ½ cup Bread Flour
  • 1 Egg Yolk
  • 1 Egg(s) White
  • 2 tbsp Butter softened
  • ¼ oz Dry Yeast (1 packet)
  • 1 cup warm Milk or soy milk
  • 1 tbsp Salt
  • 1 tsp Sugar

Steps (9 steps, 180 minutes)

  1. 1

    in mixing bowl combine the yeast, warm milk, and sugar and mix well. let sit until foamy (about 10 min)

  2. 2

    add egg yolk, butter, salt, and 2C flour; stir well. then add remaining flour, 1/2 C at a time, stirring well

  3. 3

    when dough is soft, and slightly sticky, begin to knead on a floured surface for about 15 minutes

  4. 4

    place dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover w/ tea towel and let sit in a warm area to rise; about 1 hour (should be doubled in size)

  5. 5

    gently deflate dough and divide into 3 equal pieces. roll these into long cylinders, and braid tightly. tuck the ends under for a more uniform and professional appearance

  6. 6

    once braided, cover again and let rise again until doubled in size - about 40 minutes

  7. 7

    place on a baking sheet lined w/ a silicone mat or parchment paper. preheat oven to 425 F. in the meantime, prepare egg wash by combining the egg white w/ a splash of milk (*note - i used soy milk in substitution of all milk in this recipe and it came out great)

  8. 8

    brush the loaf liberally with the egg wash. bake for about 20 min or until golden brown and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the side.

  9. 9

    cool, take pictures, post for me to see, and enjoy!