German Hefezopf – Recipe

For a traditional German coffee table there is no way around a fresh German Hefezopf, whether it is plain or comes with a nut filling or a typical Quark filling. We love it for breakfast, afternoon coffee, midnight snack and receptions with a glass of prosecco! 😂 With our very versatile bread mix EINBACK you can make this traditional braided sweet bread like grandma. We bet you will love it!

In Bavaria, a southern German state and Austria this type of sweet bread is also called ‘Striezel’, pronounced ‘Strietzl’. Usually we enjoy the plain version only slathered with a good butter and sometimes with homemade jam. Some like it as is and dunk it in their cup of coffee, similar to the traditional EINBACK itself.

There are many ways how you can braid your milk bread. We go here with the traditional 3 strain option, but feel free when you’re advanced and go with 5 or 6 strains.

How to make German Hefezopf

We recommend making this dough with a kitchen machine and the dough hook to ease the longer kneading process. NOTE: Use a digital scale to measure ALL ingredients in gramm (oz NOT fl.oz)!

Dough:
1/2 bag of EINBACK bread mix

200 g / 7 oz – Milk, divided (whole or 2%)
3 TBS / 45 g – Cane Sugar, fine

2 Eggs, large – whisked
5 TBS / 65 g – Butter, unsalted + softened (Irish, French or from New Zealand)
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Topping:

Eggwash – 1 small Egg whisked with 1 TBS Milk or Half-Half

Hagelzucker – German Pearl Sugar

(this is finer and smaller than Belgian Pearl Sugar)

Almonds – sliced or slivered

Instructions to make a fluffy German Hefezopf

STEP 1.1 – In a small skillet warm up ca. half of the milk on very low heat. If it gets too hot, let it cool a bit to only lukewarm.

STEP 1.2 – Prepare the dough in a kitchen machine to ease the handling. – Weigh out half of the EINBACK mix into the bowl, add sugar and stir together. Make with a fork a little well in the middle, add slowly the warm milk and whisk a little muddy batter together. Cover & rest for 20 min.

STEP 2 – Add the eggs, rest of the milk and start kneading on low until everything is just combined and the dough starts coming together. (~2-3 min). Now add the butter in small steps, wait until 90% incorporated before you add more while kneading with increased speed by 1. (level 2-3)

When all butter is added, increase speed to level 3. Total kneading should reach 15-20 min. The dough should be smooth, even and slightly tacky. Perform a Window-Pane-Test to see if the dough holds up the stretch or if it easily tears apart. Knead further 2-3 min if needed.

Take the dough out onto the lightly floured counter, knead it 2-3x, shape it round, put it back into the bowl, cover it with cling wrap/dump kitchen towel and let rise for 70-80 min until 2-3x the size.

STEP 3 – Divide the dough in 3 equal pieces. Pre-shape each piece into a log, rest ca 2 min, roll it further to another pre-shape, rest ca 2 min. Now roll the pieces into ropes, ca. 12-15 inches long, depending how thick you want to have your finished product.

STEP 3.1 – Braiding – Fold the very ends together and tuck it under for a nice round edge.

STEP 4 – Place the finished braided Hefezopf on a parchment lined full size baking sheet.

Give it the first egg-wash. Cover loosley with a cling foil and let rest 20-25 min. Then pre-heat the oven to 200°C/410°F for 10-15 min, make sure the right temperature is reached. While pre-heating, give the Hefezopf another egg-wash and sprinkle some Hagelzucker (Pearl Sugar) and your almonds on top.

NOTE: The dough is ready to be baked, when your fingerprint springs slowly back. If not give it a couple more minutes, if the print stays – HURRY! Bake for ca. 18 min until nicely browned. Rotate the sheet towards the end for even browning and keep an eye on it!

STEP 5 – As tempting as it is, let the German Hefezopf completely cool on a rack before you slice and enjoy it. When it is too fresh, the taste will be a bit flat. It will taste best after a couple of hours.

TiP 1: You can easily freeze the 2nd half after cooling if it ended up to big. Thaw it in the freezer bag to keep it soft.

TiP 2: After 3 days it has the perfect consistency for French Toast. Cut thicker slices and follow the steps for our Brioche French Toast recipe.

Serve the German Hefezopf with butter + jam

Whether you want to serve it for brunch, afternoon coffee or reception treat, our German Hefezopf is a great companion for every occasion. Make it hours ahead to have the full flavor to enjoy. One braided Hefezopf is made with 1/2 bag of the EINBACK bread mix, means you could make some fluffy Cinnamon Rolls with the other half 😉

Don’t forget to tag us when you’ve made it! @breadista.world on Instagram and Facebook