Swabian Hefezopf (Updated - v2)

 

 

For two small Hefezopfs (literally "yeast braid")

Attention! Preparation time is three hours (don't worry, most of the time is just waiting (ᵔᴥᵔ))

Ingredients for the dough 520 g flour 2 eggs 80 g sugar (do not use xylitol here, the yeast does not like it). 3 pinches of salt 160 mL tepid milk (60 and 100) 20 g yeast 80 g soft butter Ingredients for the Zopf 1 egg yolk Decorating sugar Flaked almonds or almond slivers
Preparation of the sponge Put 520 g flour into a large bowl, make a dent into the middle of the surface. Crumble 20 g yeast into the dell, add 60 mL tepid milk and dissolve the yeast. Add some icing sugar and stir the liquid, mixing in some of the flour, until you get a pulpy sponge. Place the bowl into the oven for 15 minutes at 30℃. Place 80 g butter in a small bowl in the oven as well.
Preparation of the dough Add the remaining ingredients (2 eggs, 100 mL milk, 3 pinches of salt, 80 g sugar, the 80 g soft butter from the oven) to the sponge, mix well and knead for 15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 40℃. Cover the dough with a damp cloth and turn off the oven. Leave to rise for at least one hour; the volume of the dough must approximately double. Then carefully divide the dough into 6 parts (for approx. 950-960 g dough, this should be 6x just under 160 g), do not work and especially do not knead. Then carefully work the pieces round and let them rest on a lightly floured surface for another 10 to 15 minutes.
The Zopf Grease baking tray. Roll out the dough pieces on a lightly floured work surface to approx. 30-35 cm long strands. Braid 3 strands into a plait as shown in the pictures. Repeat with the other three strands of dough. Place the two plaits on the baking tray and let them rise in the running oven at 30℃ for about 10 minutes. Remove the baking tray with the yeast plaits, preheat the oven to 150℃ and leave the plaits to rest for another 10 minutes. Now whisk the egg yolk with 1 teaspoon of water in a small bowl and brush it onto the plaits so that none of it collects in the grooves (i.e. more on the sides). Finally, generously sprinkle with almond pieces and sugar crystals. Push the baking tray into the oven (middle shelf) and bake at 180℃ (top and bottom heat) for about 20 to 30 minutes until the desired browning is achieved.