Swiss Sunday Bread Food

SWISS SUNDAY BREAD

Steps:

• Place flour into a bowl, creating a small hole in the center. Sprinkle salt around the edge and place yeast and sugar into the hole.
• Mix egg and egg white together in a 2-cup measuring cup. Add enough water to reach the 1 1/4 cup mark. Stir in milk. Add melted butter. Pour into the center of the flour. Mix thoroughly, adding more milk or flour as needed until dough is smooth and elastic. Cover the bowl with a damp cloth and let rise for 30 minutes.
• Cut dough in 1/2. Form each 1/2 into a long roll. Lay rolls out in front of you on a work surface in an 'X' shape. Braid bread by constantly switching the ends. Place bread onto a baking sheet, cover with a damp cloth, and let rise for 15 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Brush bread with beaten egg using a pastry brush.
• Bake in the preheated oven on the middle rack until golden, about 30 minutes.

ZOPF (TRADITIONAL SWISS PLAITED BREAKFAST BREAD)

Steps:

• Mix together all ingredients except egg yolk to make a soft dough. Knead 10 minutes or so.
• Divide into 4 and make long sausages with the dough.
• Form the sausages into 2 square crosses.
• Plait each cross, using a 4 strand plait, so that you end up with two loaves of plaited bread.
• Put in the fridge until ready to bake- overnight, for example.
• Paint the loaves with a little of the egg yolk.
• Place a water bath under the oven shelf. Bake in the bottom half of a 220 degree Celcius preheated oven for 10 minutes, then turn the temperature down and bake at 200 degrees for 40 minutes.

ZOPF

Steps:

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm milk. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes. Add the egg yolk, butter and 2 cups of bread flour; stir well to combine. Stir in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, beating well after each addition. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes.
• Divide the dough into 3 equal pieces and roll each piece into a 14 inch long cylinder. Braid the pieces together and place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
• In a small bowl, beat together egg white and water. Brush risen loaf with egg wash and bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25, until golden.