Dishbeginnerdraft
Zopf (Swiss braided bread)
Also searched as: Zopf, braided loaf, Sunday bread, butter plait
In short: Zopf is a rich yeast dough: butter and milk make it tender and golden brown, but slow the yeast.
Picture it
A bread in its Sunday best: softer, sweeter, shinier.
The decisive moments
- 1Knead the dough well until smooth
Butter weakens the network, so it needs kneading in order to rise all the same.
Gluten development - 2Let it prove a little longer than bread
Butter and sugar slow the yeast down.
Yeast fermentation - 3Braid and let it prove briefly again
The strands relax and rise.
Resting time - 4Brush with egg and bake
Protein and sugar brown and shine.
Maillard reaction
Related entries
Sources
- Harold McGee: On Food and Cooking (2004)