SCHWEIZER ZOPF

                          I got requests for this recipe from my brother Heinz who is living part time in the Canary Island and is not able to purchase this  particular bread there. It is readily available in every bakery in
Switzerland and one of his favorite.

                          It is simple to make, but you have to follow the instruction exactly to get a constant quality product.

Here it is:

Your ingredients

              ( Fur Heinz in deutsch)                      (For everybody else)




                        1 kg Mehl                                                                   36 oz flour

                        4 dl Milch (23 grad)                                                    14 oz milk (75 degree)

                        40 gr Hefe dry                                                             1.5 oz dry yeast

                        50 gr Zucker                                                                2 oz sugar

                        200 gr Butter                                                                7 oz butter

                          2 Eier                                                                         2 eggs

                         50 gr Rahm                                                                 2 oz heavy cream

                             ------                                                                        -------

                                                            1 egg for egg wash



                         1. Place flour in a large bowl and make a hole in the middle of the flour. Mix milk, sugar and yeast together and pour in the flour hole. Sprinkle a little flour on top of the mixture so it is covered and let
stand for 15 minutes.

                         2. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix with a wooden spoon and then use your hands to knead until it comes off the bowl and forms a dough. Remove from bowl and continue kneading on your work table until dough is smooth. This takes about 5 to 6 minutes of hard work. Place dough back in the bowl, cover with a moist towel, and let rise in a warm place until double the size.

                         3. Remove from bowl and work over again and cut into 4 pieces. Roll two pieces into long strings with leaving the middle thicker and getting thinner towards the end. Bread the two pieces to form the Zopf. Place on buttered sheet pan and let rise again.

                         4. Carefully egg wash the Bread and place in refrigerator for 10 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400 degree Fahrenheit (210 degree Celsius). Bake for 20 to 22 minutes .Remove from oven and place on rack to cool.

Schweizer Zopf

Rolls

         Tip:

                       Heat the milk to about 75 degree F (23 degree Celsius), all other ingredient should be room temperature. Place a container with a little bit of water in the bottom of the oven and do not open the oven door for the first 15 minutes.

                      With the two remaining pieces of dough you can make a second Zopf or cut 2.5 oz to 3 oz pieces and form rolls. You can also cut the recipe in half.

Next project

"The perfect pizza"

Let me know if anybody is interested?