Zopf (Swiss 2-Strand Braided Bread)

Zopf is a soft bread that tastes delicious hot out of the oven. It is usually eaten with honey or jam. But when freshly baked it tastes great by itself.

It is braided with just two strands in a simple repetitive pattern. I think I may have rushed things a little and allowed the braids to cross over. That broke the even weave pattern but of course it did not affect the taste. They were so good we finished one of them right out of the oven.

Recipe adapted from here
You will need
480 gm bread flour
8 gm yeast
1 tsp. salt
1 egg yolk
2 tbsp butter, melted
1 1/3 cup milk
1 egg white
1 1/2 tsp. water

Sift the flour into a mixing bowl and add the yeast to it. Now add the egg yolk, butter and milk to the flour and form into a soft dough. Knead until smooth and elastic. Cover and keep aside until doubled in volume or about an hour.

Roll the risen dough into a rectangle and cut into four strips. Work with one strip at a time. Fold it over lengthwise and roll to form a smooth strand.

Repeat with the other portions. Place the strands at 90 degrees as in the picture below.

Fold the left arm of the lower arm over the strand above it. Repeat for the right arm.

Do the same for the vertical arms.

Continue to work the braid until you reach the end. Tuck the ends together and seal. Repeat for the second braid.

Cover and keep aside for 30 minutes or until the braid doubles in size. Meanwhile preheat the oven to 425 F. Combine the egg white and water and brush the top of the braid.

Bake for 30-40 minutes until the bread sounds hollow and is brown on the top.

Best eaten fresh out of the oven.