Hefezopf Recipe
Category: German Bread,
German Easter Traditions, German Foods and Recipes
Servings: 1 Loaf
Ingredients
·
1 Cup Milk
·
500 gr / approx 4 cups All Purpose Flour
·
50 gr / 1/4 cup Sugar
·
2 tsp Rapid Rise Yeast
·
1 tsp Salt
·
Lemon Zest- approx 1 lemon worth
·
6 TBL Butter at room
temp.
·
1 Egg
·
1/2 cup
Raisins/Cranberries
·
For Finishing-
·
1 Egg Yolk
·
1 tsp Whole Milk
·
Few Tbl. Hagel Zucker / Pearl Sugar
·
OR
·
Few Tbl. Sliced Almonds
Instructions
·
Warm the milk up a
little. (I stuck my finger in it, it felt warm, and it worked. You don't want
it too hot, it will kill the yeast)
·
In your mixing bowl,
combine the flour, sugar, rapid rise yeast, salt, and the lemon peel.
·
In another bowl (I
just used a measuring cup) combine the milk and eggs..
give them a quick mix.
·
Add the milk/egg
mixture to the flour/sugar mix... then slice in the room temperature butter.
·
Mix until it all comes
together in a sticky dough.
·
Dump the dough blob
out onto a floured surface.
·
Now comes the work.
Don't cheat!
·
Knead the dough for 10
15 minutes, until it is smooth and elastic. (Note- even though I have a dough
hook on my mixer, I did this by hand. I presume it can be done on the dough
hook as well, I just chose to use it as a work out). Add a sprinkle of flour if
the dough is too sticky.
·
Put the kneaded dough
into a clean bowl, and cover with a dishcloth or plastic. Let rise 1 hour in a
draft-free warm spot. It should double in size.
·
When the dough has
risen, dump it out of the bowl and onto the counter.
·
Shape it a little
flat, and add the raisins/cranberries.
·
Fold the dough over
the fruits, then knead them in to distribute.
·
Cut the dough into 3
equal pieces (I actually weighed them out... )
·
Roll the pieces into
16 inch strands.
·
Lay them next to each
other, squish them together at one end, then braid the length of the strand.
Press the other end so they stay together, and tuck up under the end.
·
Cover a baking sheet
with parchment paper
·
Place the braided loaf
on the parchment paper, cover with a cloth, and let it rise for 20 minutes in a
warm, draft-free space.
·
Preheat the oven to
350 degrees Fahrenheit.
·
When the dough has
risen, check to see if any of the raisins/cranberries are sticking out. Poke
them in a bit, or remove them if they are.
·
Combine an Egg Yolk
and 1 Tbl. Milk in a small bowl... really mix it until
its not separate looking. Use a pastry brush, and
brush the whole braid.
·
Sprinkle with Hagel Zucker/Pearl Sugar or Sliced Almonds.
·
Bake for 25 minutes,
then check. If it's getting too brown at this point, lay a piece of foil over
the loaf.
·
Bake an additional 5
minutes.
·
Cool on a rack
·
Best served the same
day, but you can wrap it tightly to store for another day.
Notes
I baked the bread
using 2% milk, and regular American butter. (I used what I had in the
refrigerator). The original recipe calls for WHOLE Milk and European HIGH FAT
butter. I imagine the flavor would be richer, and the taste moister with the
addition of the extra fat. And it would be better the next day