Treat your friends and family to a traditional Swiss, Sunday breakfast and make them a Braided Butterzopf. Zopf is a type of Swiss bread, baked in the form of a braid, that is brushed with egg yolk before baking to give it a nice golden crust.
Instructions
1. Combine yeast, milk and sugar. Mix well and let sit for 10 minutes.
2. Add egg yolks, butter, salt and some flour together, using a mixer or spoon. Add the remaining flour and mix well.
3. Check the consistency of your dough. It should be soft and sticky. If it's not, add more flour a little bit at a time.
4. Knead the dough in a mixer for 10 minutes or by hand for 15 minutes. After kneading, the dough should be smooth and elastic.
5. Put the kneaded dough in a lightly greased bowl and cover the bowl with a damp towel. Set the covered dough in a warm spot and let rise until it doubles in size. Meanwhile, get two baking sheets and line them with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
6. Divide the dough in half. Divide each half into three equal pieces and roll each piece into the shape of a long rope. Put three ropes on a baking sheet, braid and tuck the ends underneath. Cover the loaves and let rise again until doubled in size.
7. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. After the loaves are doubled in size, brush the tops with the whisked egg. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool your finished Swiss Braid Butterzopf loaves on wire cooling racks.
Tags: Braid Butterzopf, doubled size, dough should