Zopf — Print Recipe — The Culinary Codex

A golden, buttery braided bread with a glossy egg-wash crust, the centerpiece of every Swiss Sunday breakfast table.

Ingredients

500g bread flour
10g salt
7g instant yeast
80g butter, softened
250ml whole milk, lukewarm
1 egg yolk for glaze
1 tbsp milk for glaze

Instructions

1 Mix flour, salt, and yeast. Add softened butter and milk. Knead 10 min until smooth and elastic.
2 Cover and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour until doubled.
3 Punch down and divide dough into two equal pieces. Roll each into a 50cm rope.
4 Cross the ropes at the top and braid by alternating strands. Tuck ends under.
5 Place on a lined baking sheet. Cover and let rise 30 min.
6 Beat egg yolk with milk. Brush the braid generously.
7 Bake at 200°C (400°F) for 30-35 min until deep golden and hollow-sounding when tapped.

Did You Know?

In Swiss folklore, widows once cut off their braids and placed them in their husbands' graves. The bread braid eventually became a symbolic substitute for the real thing.