Braided Bread / Hefezopf

Braided Bread is normally baked during Easter in Germany. in German it is called "Hefezopf" . You can eat for breakfast or like a snack. It can be eaten with or without butter, or with fruit jam.

I have baked here with and without raisins .

Ingredients:

Milk: 250ml

Plain Flour:  475 g (Type 405)

Sugar: 60 g

Fresh yeast: 21 g

Butter: 50 g 

Salt: a pinch

Egg: 1

Raisins: 50 g

Decorating sugar (Hagelzucker) to sprinkle

Method :

Yeast Mixture:

In a small bowl add milk (lukewarm, about 34°C).

Add 1 tablespoon sugar into it.

Add the yeast.

Dissolve the sugar and yeast in the milk 

Wait for 10 minutes. The yeast will start activating, you will see small bubbles.

Dough preparation:

Sieve the flour into a mixing bowl and add the yeast mixture into this.

Add egg, sugar, salt and using electric hand mixer knead the dough on a low speed for 3 minutes.

Again knead the dough with high speed for 5

  

Add butter bit by bit and keep kneading dough using the hands for at least 5 minutes.

Raising the dough:

Cover the dough with a thin cotton cloth and keep in warm corner in the room and let it raise for 1 hour.

The dough should be double the size afterwards.

Making the braid using dough:

Sprinkle some flour on a wooden board or countertop. 

When the dough has risen, dump it out of the bowl on the countertop. 

Shape the dough little flat, and add the raisins/cranberries.

Fold the dough over the raisins and knead them in to distribute.

Cut the dough into 3 equal pieces.

Each piece should be rolled into a 40 cm long strand.

Now make a braid using the 3 strands.

Transfer the braid on baking paper in a baking tray 

Cover the braid with a cloth and let it raise for another 45 mins 

Now remove the cloth , brush the bread with little milk 

Sprinkle the decorating sugar ( Hagelzucker ) 

Baking the braided bread :

Preheat the oven to 200 degree conventional mode ( top & bottom heat )

Bake the bread for 15 to 20 minutes

Let it cool down completely and then slice it to enjoy .