Hefezopf
Ingredients
- 4 cups flour
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 package regular yeast
- 1 cup warm water
- 4 Tbsp melted butter
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp salt
Egg wash:
- 1 beaten egg yolk
- 1 Tbsp milk
Directions
- Mix the yeast and the warm water and let stand for several minutes until bubbly.
- In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, and salt. Add the yeast mixture, butter, and eggs. (I like to beat the eggs with my hand beater and add the other things for a final whip before combining with the dry ingredients.)
- Knead for 4-5 minutes in a stand mixer, or at least 15 minutes by hand. This is a wet dough. I like to dust the dough ball with flour before covering the mixing bowl with a towel for about 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
- Punch down the dough and divide it into 3 equal pieces. Roll each into a rope 16" to 18" long. Braid the ropes together and pinch the ends together before tucking them under.
- Place the braid on a baking sheet with parchment. Cover with the towel for another 30-60 minutes, until puffy.
- About halfway through the second rise, preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Brush with the egg wash before baking. Bake 30-35 minutes. If the bread is getting darker than you like, tent it with foil after 20 minutes.
- Cool on a cooling rack.
Notes
- I like to egg wash a second time halfway through baking to keep the color more consistent.
- The original directions say to mix the yeast with "milk," but the ingredient list has warm water and no milk for the dough. I used the warm water. The 1 Tbsp milk is for the egg wash.