Swiss Zopf Bread - Braided Bread
With this braided bread recipe, you'll master the art of baking a fluffy Swiss Zopf Bread, perfect for a Sunday treat, in no time!
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Servings : Bread
Calories : 98kcal
Ingredients
Poolish
- ⅓ cup + 1 tbsp (100 ml) dairy-free milk room temperature
- ½ tsp fresh yeast (3g) or ¼ tsp instant yeast
- 1 ¼ cups (150 g) all-purpose flour see notes
- ½ tsp salt
Dough
- ⅞ cup (210 ml) dairy-free milk lukewarm
- ½ tbsp fresh yeast (8g) or 1 tsp instant yeast
- 2 ¾ cups (350 g) all-purpose flour see notes
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp sugar
- ¼ cup (60 g) vegan butter
Vegan Egg Wash
- 2 tbsp dairy-free milk
- 1 tbsp maple syrup or agave syrup
- 1 pinch ground turmeric optional
Instructions
Poolish
- Evening: Pour dairy-free milk into the bowl of a stand mixer and dissolve the yeast in it. Add flour and salt, knead briefly into a dough. Cover the poolish with plastic wrap, let it rise for 1 hour at room temperature, and then let it rest overnight in the refrigerator. → If the bowl doesn't fit in the refrigerator, put the poolish in an airtight container and cover it with plastic wrap.
Dough
- Next Morning: Take the poolish out of the refrigerator and let it rest for 1 hour at room temperature. Dissolve the yeast in lukewarm milk and add it along with the flour, sugar, and salt to the poolish. Knead, with the dough hook attached, at the lowest speed for 10 minutes.
- Add butter and knead for another 5-10 minutes until you have a smooth dough. Cover with a damp kitchen towel and let rise for 1.5 hours at room temperature.
- Divide the risen dough on an unfloured work surface into 4 equal pieces. Form them into balls and let for 10 minutes.
- Divide the dough into 4 equal heavy pieces (take the kitchen scale for this). Form into balls (don't flour the working surface) and let them sit for 10 minutes.
- Roll each ball into a long rope (~18 inches). → If the dough is not elastic enough, let it rest again briefly.
- Braid each two ropes into a braided bread (see video & blog post tutorial) and place them on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
- "Egg" Wash: Mix milk, maple syrup, and turmeric in a small bowl and brush the bread with it. Let them rest for another 30 minutes at room temperature.
- Preheat the oven to 395°F (200°C).
- Brush each bread again with the egg wash and bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes until golden brown. Let them cool on a wire rack before slicing.
Notes
- Dairy-Free Milk: The recipe works best with unsweetened soy milk. You can also use sweetened soy milk or oat milk, but then I'd recommend reducing the sugar in the recipe a bit.
- Flour: In Switzerland, we use Zopf flour to make this recipe. You can mix it at home by using 90% all-purpose flour and 10% spelt four. The recipe also works with 100% all-purpose flour.
- Tip: This recipe makes two small or one large braided bread. You can freeze the second bread right after baking, as soon as it has cooled down, and then thaw it for 15 minutes in a preheated oven (200°C/395°F) when needed. This way, you only have to do the work once!
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Nutrition
Serving: 1slice | Calories: 98kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 0.4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Sodium: 46mg | Potassium: 39mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 0.1g | Vitamin A: 28IU | Calcium: 20mg | Iron: 1mg