Ingredients: |
Ingredients: 1/2 c. water, 1 tsp sugar and 2 Tbsp yeast
3/4 c. butter or margarine
4 c. milk
8 c. flour, then 1 c. or more to finish dough
2 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp salt
1 egg, for brushing Zopf before baking
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Directions: |
Directions:Heat the water to good and warm, stir in the 1 t. sugar, then sprinkle with the yeast. Let stand while you get the other ingredients together. Stir yeast with a small whisk after 5 min.
In a large bowl, put in the 8 c. flour, the 2 T sugar and 1 T.salt. Make another cup of flour ready to add if it is needed.
Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Then add the milk and heat on med-hot, stirring often, til good and warm (it shouldn't be hot when you test it with your finger, but warmer than warm)
Stir down the yeast mixture, add it to the flour, then add the warmed milk.
Mix all your ingredients together using your hands, making sure you incorporate all the flour before deciding if you need to add more. Work the dough for a bit, then sprinkle some flour onto the table and dump the dough onto it. Clean out the bowl, adding the scrapings to the dough. Knead the dough til smooth an elastic, about 10 minutes.
Return dough to the bowl. Wet your hand with water and run your wet hand over the dough, dampening it all around. Wet a fresh towel, ring it out and cover the bowl, let it rise approx. 1 hour til doubled.
Cut the dough into 4 pieces, then cut each piece in half again. Each braid needs 2 equal pieces, rolled out into thin ropes about 65 cm long. Braid into Zopf.
Let the Zopf rise 30 - 40 min, the preheat oven to 375º F (200º C). While the oven is preheating, beat the egg then brush the Zopf with it. Be careful to get into all the crevices.
Bake the Zopf for 40 min at 350º F with Convection oven, or 375º F with regular heat.
Remove from the pans and cool on a wire rack. |
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