Zopf (Züpfe) – Swiss braided Bread

Zopf (Züpfe) – Swiss braided Bread by DK on Jun 12, 2009

Most of my weekends will include me baking an yeasted bread. Weekends are meant to be relaxing and baking such breads are so therapeutic and unwinding for me from all those hectic weekdays. I keep the quick breads for the weekdays in case I get the baking bug. Anyways one such weekend found me baking this utterly beautiful and delicious Swiss white bread. Zopf translates to braid and this is exactly what this bread is all about. White flour, butter, eggs and yeast constitute the bread - There is nothing about this which you cannot like and this recipe which I noted from 'God knows where' has been my friend for last 2 years. It comes out perfect every time I make and tastes like your local professional baker's bread.

For me nothing beats out the feeling of having some beautiful breakfast - Some fruits, fresh beautiful looking breads and some tea is my kind of royal breakfast.Any bread goes - be it wheat, rye or sourdough. I resort to whole grains most of the time, but on rare cases I don't mind homemade white breads too. Last weekend was one such Bed and Breakfast for us :) Refreshing and enticing.

Few months back when I treated a friend to this bread, she loved it and also asked me how I make the braid. I explained but she wanted me to do it my style - through the blog with step by step pictures. Every time, I am informed how useful someone finds my blog, it gives me unprecedented joy. This post is for you Aaliyah.

Cook time: 30 min to 1 hour
Prep time: 30 min to 1 hour
Yields: Makes one large braid (and two knots)

Ingredients

3 and 3/4 cups bread flour (see substitutes)
1 tsp salt
1 egg (see substitutes)
1 tbsp active dried yeast
1 tsp honey
1 cup lukewarm milk
4 tbsp melted butter

Method

1. Combine the wet ingredients along with the yeast (except the egg). Stir and let it stand for 15min until dissolved

2. In a large bowl, mix together the flour and salt. Make a well and add the egg and the yeast mixture.

3. Combine well to obtain a rough dough

4. Transfer to a floured surface

5. and knead until smooth and elastic

6. Place in a clean bowl, cover with plastic wrap

7. and let it double about 2 hours (depending on climate you enjoy)

8. Grease a baking sheet. Punch the dough and divide into 3 equal pieces. Roll each into a long thin rope.

9. Bring one of the ends together.

10. Start braiding by bringing right end across the center rope. Now the right rope comes to the center and the center ones goes to the right hand side.

11. Now bring the left most rope on top of the center one.

12. Repeat the process

13. till you reach the end of the rope

14. Tuck the ends beneath the braid.

15. I had some more dough left over and I thought I will make them into small knots. I rolled the dough into a long rope.

16. I brought the ends together to form sort of a circle

17. Stretch one end and put it into the circle

18. and pull it from the other side to form a knot.

19. Cover them loosely

20. and let sit for another 30 min until risen

Preheat Oven 375F. Now brush the braid and the knots with egg yolk and bake them for 30-45min or until golden. Let them cool and slice them.

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10 Member Reviews

By Adrian on Apr 18, 2013

I followed this text but varied incrediants from another recipe. It's lovely. On a Sunday in Zurich my son and I aid around £7 to £9 depending where we bought them. So lovely to make one thing so good

By Matthew on Aug 4, 2012

This recipe is perfect! The texture is just right and I made some delicious sandwiches. I can't believe how simple it is.

Read All 10 Reviews →

98 Comments

By Eleanor on Jan 20, 2020

Made this using your recipe for our family get together on Sunday. Boy was this a hit with the family. Very tasty, light bread. Have had many requests for the recipe. Thanks, for sharing.

By Mel on Mar 17, 2018

Great, easy recipe. Do you need 2 eggs for this? 1 for the dough and one to brush on before baking?

Oh yes. You are right. I need to update the recipe. Thanks for the pointer Mel. --DK

By Moira Murphy on Oct 25, 2017

Will try this as advised by my Swiss daughter inlaw

By Sara on Mar 21, 2017

I love this recipe. I have been using it for years and still refrence this same page. Amazing every time.

Thank you so much Sara :) --DK

By Sally Edstrom on Aug 30, 2016

A few weeks ago I had a lesson in making this Swiss bread. I used your recipe today to attempt my own! It is on its final rise and about to put it in the oven!!

Oh how exciting! Would love to know how it turned out for you :) --DK

By William on Aug 3, 2016

I baked a milk twist. 50% water, 50% milk, salt, pkt dried yeast, but I can't recall how much STRONG flour. To bake you plait it as shown here, dividing into small portions

By Switzerland: Zopf – cooktheworld2016 on Jun 22, 2016

[…] the shop, but the name still didn’t make me think about the process. You’ll see in the recipe and my pictures how it’s done, but to explain a bit…it’s super easy. You take […]

By Monika Rust on Apr 8, 2016

THANK YOU SO MUCH! I am Swiss and I love my Swiss bread. I moved to the Caribbean and ever since miss my beloved Sunday bread. Finally I have a recipe with cups and Fahrenheit to use in my new home as well! Hugs

By Cp cheah on Mar 17, 2016

I followed your recipes and it was success at first try . Gave me confidence to do it a second time and after that I fell in love with yeast baking. Thank you!

I am glad to hear that. Thank you :) --DK

By Julie on Mar 5, 2016

I make a very similar dough, but I dont use egg. I feel the bread stayes fresher longer without. If anyone does find a need to store bread, I recommend freezing it. You minimize staleness that way. I am excited to make this bread aND the know rolls. Thanks for sharing!

By Jennifer on Feb 29, 2016

Thankyou so much for posting this recipe. I made zopf for the first time this morning and am so pleased with the result. It was a good size for my small family. Previously my Swiss relatives were only able to give me recipes that required fresh yeast. I live in an area in Australia where it is hard to get fresh yeast so had never made it before. I also can't read German so it was good to have an English recipe. In Australia to get zopf you have to travel to a specialist deli or Swiss baker, there are not many of them and it is expensive. I plan to surprise my Swiss father by making it for him this weekend. I also hope to use the recipe to make cute animal novelty breads for Easter. Sorry I can't seem to load a photo.

By Nilufer on Feb 14, 2016

Oh hello' This recipe is amazing. I ate before in Switzerland actually but, after making this, I couldn't be more happier. It's almost same. I also shared on my blog with my own photos and linked your web site. Thanks a lot for sharing this amazing recipe. Have a nice day.

By taylor on Jan 28, 2016

Hi there! I'm wanting to make this bread for the family and im wondering if there is a substitute for the lukewarm milk? Thank you for your time! Taylor Norris

By Katelyn on Jan 23, 2016

I love this recipe. It's a crowd pleaser. I let it knead with the dough hook in my kitchenmaid for around 10 minutes.

By Micky on Oct 5, 2015

Is this like challah bread?

By Madiha on Aug 27, 2015

Me and my husband are huge fan of this recipe. it is a must in our breakfast. Thank you for awesome recipe :)

Thank you :) –DK

By Clare on Aug 2, 2015

Hi, I used your recipe to make Zopf for National Swiss Day. I use fresh yeast is I proved the yeast in 50 to 60 mls of warm water first, otherwise I followed your recipe. I made the dough one day and put it in the fridge overnight and made the bread the next morning. Just took it out of the oven and it looks and smells wonderful. I look forward to eating.

By Andrew on Jun 12, 2015

My Great Great Grandparents came over from Switzerland and my Great Great Grandma Ammann made this recipe and started calling Christmas Bread because our family has had it at Christmas time. My great grandma made it and now my grandma makes it but modifies it in a bread machine, but my great grandma made it the long way, and we use sugar instead of honey, but we had no idea it's real name was Zopf.

By Anne on Dec 7, 2014

For the people who struggle with crumbliness, which I also had (I normally use my own zopf recipe, but tried this one for a change), try 2 dL milk and 1 dL water and no egg. I learned that from a Swiss friend. I also normally use 1 tsp sugar in stead of honey but that might not make a difference to texture. And 2 tsp salt. For the rest exactly the same amounts and methods! The egg yolk brush works brilliant. I always used a whole egg.

By Zopf (Swiss Braided Bread) | Not for Coco on Aug 23, 2014

[...] adapted a little bit from Zopf (Zupf) – Swiss Braided Bread over at Chef in [...]

By Carmen on Jul 4, 2014

What kind of milk did you use? Whole? 2%? Or did it not matter? We tried this recipe today and while the taste seemed right the texture was more biscuit like. Any ideas on why? Thanks for any help!

By Chocolate Toffee Crunch | Not for Coco on May 31, 2014

[...] tackle my ever growing list of breads and pastries (my sister’s BF has sent me a recipe for Swiss Braided Bread that will be my first port of call). This does result in an excess of baked goods but I take care [...]

By Laura on Dec 17, 2013

:!: best bread recipe ever! Thank You

By Billie on Dec 6, 2013

Excellent post! Love the Zopf Brot :)

By Caitlin on Aug 26, 2013

Just made (and tried) this recipe! Amazing! I didn't make any changes and only baked it for 30 minutes. Thanks for sharing. I will definitely be making this again (:

By Zopf (engl. braid) | Tasty Tooting on Aug 23, 2013

[...] bread: the bread is traditionally braided with two to four strings, instructions for example see here. If you find this too complicated, just make a loaf, or if you have children you can also make it a [...]

By susie on Jun 24, 2013

did this a while ago! was an amazing recipe quite salty but a very nice bread i enjoyed it with all my family! :-P thank you very much :-D susie x

By madhu on May 10, 2013

i want to now whether i can put the oven in conventional mode to bake the bread

By David on Jan 28, 2013

Hiya I used to buy bread at a swiss bakery in Melbourne. The crust was crunchy and rich in flavour, however, my most vivid memory was the inside was deliciously moist and tasted similar to a ciabata. Every bread I try to make comes out dry inside. How can I make the baked bread crunchy outside and moist inside?

By Jay on Jan 8, 2013

My dough was kinda of crumby is that normal

By Beancean on Dec 28, 2012

Awww...am actually baking dis bread nw. I can't wait 4 it to be done.....hope it turns out grt....so glad I finally decided to give it a try.... :lol:

By Range Kleen Blog » Celebrating Kwanzaa- Braided Bread and Cinnamon Honey Butter Recipes! on Dec 27, 2012

[...] Directions: 1.Combine the honey, milk and butter with the dried yeast. Stir and let stand for 15 minutes until dissolved. 2.In large bowl combine flour and salt, make a hole in the center of the flour and add the egg and the yeast mixture. Mix to form dough. 3.Place dough on floured surface for easy kneading and smoothing. Once the dough has an elastic and smooth form shape into ball; place in bowl covered with plastic wrap to allow the dough to double in size. Allow at least 2 hours. 4.Grease baking sheet, divide dough into 3 equal parts. Roll each part into long thin rope. 5.Bring one end of each rope together. Start with the rope on the right and bring across the top of the center rope followed by the left rope repeating process until you reach the end of your rope. 6.Let the braid sit about 30 minutes to rise. 7.Pre-heat oven at 375°F; brush the braid with egg yolk and bake for 30 – 40 minutes until golden brown. Braided Bread Recipe: http://chefinyou.com/2009/06/zopf-braided-bread/comment-page-1/#comments [...]

By Deb on Dec 21, 2012

Dear AK. To avoid an egg wash, bursh the dough with mild after braiding the bread and it is rising. Brush again with butter before and after baking.

By Claudia on Nov 22, 2012

I've made this bread twice now, and have to hide it from my family so I can eat it! I am an extremely unexperienced teenage cook, and even this was simple enough for me not to screw up (unlike previous bread attempts) Thanks for making me look like a culinary genius!

By Alicia on Nov 22, 2012

I was so excited to find this recipe, my sister-in-law makes a bread just like this every year and I don't think she has it written anywhere. She offered to show me how to make it someday but now I don't have to! The pictures are super helpful! I made this last year and I'm making it again today for Thanksgiving. Thank you for this post, it's our fav bread!!

By Mick on Nov 17, 2012

Milk, egg, honey and butter are all not vegan :roll: PS Bacon is life.

Oh yes, they sure are not. PS Bacon sure seems to be yours :) --DK

By AK on Sep 6, 2012

Hi DK Beautiful bread. Would like to know how to get the glaze without using egg wash? I am a vegan. Thanks

By Dan on May 10, 2012

Thank u sir or maam!

By Braided bread (Swiss Zopf Bread) « jennyrambles on Apr 6, 2012

[...] I went in search of something more my speed (read: easier and requiring no skill) and I found it here. Simple ingredients, not very much hands on time . . . yeah, this was the recipe for [...]

By Lindsey on Feb 9, 2012

I've made this bread for years I grew up in Switzerland. There is a better way to braid this bread that we've always done. Take only 2 long pieces of dough make a cross or t. Then take 2 opposite sides and cross over. Next take the other 2 sides and cross over again, Keep alternating till you've done the whole thing. Then tuck the ends under. :-D

By Rosalee on Jan 6, 2012

You can make what my maternal grandmother made in addition to her loaves of this lovely bread, 'taube' which means 'little dove' in German. She was from Berne Canton of Switzerland. Twist some of the dough similar to a pretzel, pull out a bit of one area of it to create a little head and pull a bit more for a beak and use two raisins for eyes and let it rise.......... It is lovely way to delight a child.

By Lucy on Jan 5, 2012

Thank you for this recipe, it is so easy to follow. I made it this afternoon and the smell from the kitchen is gorgeous! Here is mine – http://www.flickr.com/photos/lucyfeltlikeit/6645661705/in/photostream

By Regan on Dec 21, 2011

It is close to Christmas and I follwed your recipe last year to make Greti Bentzs. If your parents are Swiss you may know what they are, bread men. They are very cute and the bread is delicious. I have pics if you would like. They make perfect gifts for get togethers. We usually give on St Nicholas Day (12/6) but in the US it is great for Christmas.

Oh pleaseeeeeeeeeee! I def. need the pics. If possible do add them in the "I Made This" section so that all of us can look at them and drool :) Thank you so much for the feedback.

By April on Dec 14, 2011

I am making bread tonight to serve at a dinner part tomorrow night. Any suggestions for how to store it until then. Also if the crust is a bit hard, does it really work to throw it in the oven for a bit to soften it?

The only reason I can think for the crust getting hard is overbaking/too much heat. Try investing in Oven thermometer cos that's a boon when checking if your oven maintains the same heat throughout. Reduce the temp and bake for little longer or if keeping the same temp, check to see about 10-15minutes before the completion time. If its the rich brown color that you have been trying for on top, then brushing the dough with melted butter/ Egg yolk will give you that color. The egg yolk gives it the richer brown glossy finish that you see in the bakery. As for storing, I usually place mine in zip lock bags if its going to finish in a day or two. More than that, I keep them in my fridge them and warm them up in oven for few minutes. At times even M/W them for few seconds gets them fresh. Hope this time your rolls turn out spongy and soft :)

By sonu on Nov 2, 2011

hi dk can you please answer to my previous query regarding the yeast thanks again

By sonu on Oct 30, 2011

hi dk got my hands on instant yeast but its different from active dry yeast so what would be the quantity for instant yeast if i use it to make any breads. pls help i would like to make this bread today. thank a ton

By Rosalee on Sep 27, 2011

When I was a child my dear grandmother, maternal, who was from Switzerland, regularly made this at Christmas including the little doves for children. They had raisins for eyes. I look at this bread and it all comes back to me so clearly. I have shared it with my sister too.......I miss my dear grandmother and each Christmas we talk about her bread. BTW she used a wood stove to bake it and to this day I am in awe how she managed to keep the heat at correct amount. Her bread was stellar.

By bananas on Sep 15, 2011

You should be excited! it's delicious!!!

By Angela on Sep 15, 2011

Thanks for the recipe, waiting for the dough to rise now! Am all excited! :lol:

By Sana on Aug 10, 2011

I miss eating this bread so much, i want to follow a low carb diet, so everytime i eat bread i feel bad, now i feel i cant control anymore :-|

By Ivy on Aug 10, 2011

The only thing I can't seem to understand is when you say combine all wet ingredients excepting the egg. Does this mean yeast as well?

Yes I mean that Ivy. I noticed that I have not been very specific about that. Have updated it likewise. Thank you :)

By Alesha on Aug 7, 2011

Hi!!! This was absolutly amazing and the first succesful bread I have made in my life. I made it because my friend, Raphael, was visting from Swizerland and was really missing his mom's fresh out of the oven bread! Thank you so much!! It turned out absolutly amazing and I have made it about 5 or 6 times now! For the egg-wash on top I mixed one egg with a teaspoon to a tablespoon of honey for a sweet glaze. My swiss friend also said that it was a little harder crust then he is used to, so I just made the next loaf on 350* instead and that worked out well! Thank you so much for putting in the time to create this recipe!! -Alesha :)

By Tina on Apr 14, 2011

I am letting the bread rise now. My daughter's class is reading Heidi and asked parents to provide a small treat for the class to share that was common food they would enjoy in Switzerland. I immediately thought bread. I am excited to see how it turns out and my husband is already asking for a loaf to keep at home. We shall see how I did and maybe make it again this weekend! Thanks for the great step by step instructions and pics. That helps alot. Oh, and the american version of the ingredients helped too! :-P

By yasmine on Feb 18, 2011

love the recipe, however its not quite like swiss bread when i make it. it still tastes good but im not sure what im doing wrong, apparently it might just be different active yeast that they use in switzerland

By modiebug on Jan 1, 2011

I love making this bread. As for the braid...When living in Switzerland I learned a much easier way to braid this bread with only 2 rols of dough. this technique is best explained by the website http://www.about.ch/culture/food/zopf.html It also has another variation of the recipe but I dont think it is as good as this one... not as sweet.

By Tobi on Dec 23, 2010

Forgot my last tip. While in my house the bread tends to last only minutes, If you would like it to last a few days without going stale, use whole milk and real butter. It's higher in fat but it keeps several days longer, and if you are like me, then this bread is a once a month treat so it's okay to indulge sometimes :) happy baking!

By Tobi on Dec 23, 2010

Love this recipe. I lived in germany for several years and this is as good as the bakeries there make it! My tip is bake it on a pizza stone. The first few times I baked it on a greased cookie sheet and found the bottom always a little too dark. I notice the same thing in the second last photo here. If you bake it on a pizza stone, the bottom ends up much nicer! also for substituting if you don't have or don't want to use bread flour: I use 85% all purpose and 15% light spelt. that comes out in this recipe to roughly 3 1/4 cup all purpose and 1/2 cup light spelt. Awesome recipe! thanks :)

By Rebecca on Nov 27, 2010

Thank you for this recipe. I am trying it now. My family has a similar recipe for Swiss bread and I misplaced it. I googled "Swiss bread" and your great page came up. Just a variation though, our recipe has you divide the dough into 6 ropes and make two braids. You then lay the two braids on top of each other when baking. This makes the bread very easy to just pull apart when serving.

By najma on Jun 14, 2010

hi,your website is just great.ive tried the kerala prata and my familyloved it.would love to try this bread,but where i live,its diffucult to get bread flour.can i substitude it with plain flr...

Oh yes you def. can. I have also provided the link to make substitutes in the ingredients section. Do take a look when you can :) --DK

By Laura Zucchetti on Feb 7, 2010

Oh and here's a photo if you'd like to see. http://twitpic.com/11ve9j

Wow! It looks amazing! :) Thank you so much for sharing it with me --DK

By Laura Zucchetti on Feb 7, 2010

Hello there What a beautiful website you have. Thanks for posting in such detail. I just made this bread (to a different recipe from a book I have) and I found your website when I googled for the bread because I wanted to see how others had made it as I was short of one ingredient. It turned out lovely. :) I'll definitely make this bread again. I made it with a mix of Milk and Yoghurt - very moist and soft result.

Thanks Laura :) I am glad you liked it! I love this bread a lot myself :) --DK

By Tupper Cooks on Feb 2, 2010

I'd bookmarked this a while back, and well, I forgot about it. What a pleasant surprise to revisit-I'm starting it right now-I'll let you know how it comes out!

By Sana on Dec 23, 2009

I made this bread twice both times it turned out fntastic but the next day it turns out harder and drier and crumbly with a hard crust. Could u plz tell me where am i going wrong

Hi Sana - It depends mostly on the humidity of the place. Usually in cold places, the bread would harden considerably in few hours. But if you reheat it either in the oven or for few seconds in the m/w you will find that the bread gets softer once again...Hope this helps --DK

By Michele on Nov 27, 2009

Thanks for the braiding directions! I have a recipe very similar from my mom who is Swiss. This is traditional "Sunday" bread, but she just makes it for Easter. I decided to try my hand at it, but have never seen her braid it! Here's her recipe: 500 grams all purpose flour 1 package dry yeast 50 grams butter (1/2 stick) 1 egg 1 dash salt 1 grated lemon rind 1/4 liter milk (just a hair over 1 cup) All ingredients have to be room temperature. Sift flour & yeast together into cuisinart (I did it in Kitchenaid...we'll see how it turns out!), cut butter into small pieces on top of flour, add next 4 ingredients, turn machine on to mix everything well, then add lukewarm milk slowly. Mix for 3 min. If dough is soft or sticks to bowl, add 1-2 tbsp flour & mix again. Let rise in warm place till doubled (about 45 min) Braid. Put on greased cookie sheet, brush with egg yolk. Bake in center of oven for 30 min. at 400 degrees. Enjoy!

Thanks Michele for this recipe! I will sure try this one out :) --DK

By Sana on Nov 12, 2009

I tried the bread today and had it for our supper thnk u soooo... Much. :wink: :) i am very happy

By Sana on Oct 23, 2009

Wow... That loooks beautiful... Have never baked anything but u really got me interested... I shall try it soon and. Let u knw :wink: wish me luck :)

By Keerthana on Jul 9, 2009

Browsed through a lot of your recipes. Must say, a great job! very nice to see the step by step pics. Specially liked this Zopf. I was not very sure how to braid it and now will definitely try it! Thanks Keerthana...:) Thats precisely the aim of this blog- easy learning in less time :) I am glad this has been of help :)

By shilpa on Jun 25, 2009

Wow..what a beautiful bread.

By roma on Jun 21, 2009

Ma ma mia! What a good looking bread! I have bookmarked this recipe. It looks gorgeous, like those center-piece bread baskets in 5 star buffets. Thanks for sharing the recipe in detail.

By Hillary on Jun 19, 2009

What beautiful braiding! We make something similar called challah (my sister in law showed me how to make it).

By elra on Jun 19, 2009

Such a gorgeous looking bread. It always help when there is picture to show the steps in making it too. Your braided bread look perfect.

By Haley J. on Jun 19, 2009

Beautiful bread! Look at that soft, white crumb. I can't wait to try this.

By Happy Cook on Jun 19, 2009

Just posted the delicous bread in my place. Thankyou for the recipe.

By Susan/Wild Yeast on Jun 17, 2009

Lovely Zopf! Thank you so much for sending it to YeastSpotting.

By Happy Cook on Jun 16, 2009

Made this bread yesterday. I just added 200 gm raisins to the dough. Will post in my place on friday. It came out really so good.

By Divya vikram on Jun 15, 2009

Just WOW!!

By CurryLeaf on Jun 15, 2009

I forgot to add - 'THANKS" for the 'TALENTED" tag.Its surely a boost to me. What can I say - Its really true! I think you are much more than you care to let it out ;) . But I figured u all out girl....:)

By CurryLeaf on Jun 15, 2009

PERFECT TO THE 'T' OR 'Z'.GREAT GREAT GREAT DK,IT LOOKS SOOOOOO DIVINE.THANKS FOR THE PERFECT ENTRY I AM SURELY & TRULY 'AWED' BY THIS.I truly wish I could bake like you,my oven and baking part of my brain are 'rusted'.Most of the things that go inside my OTG come out inedible.KEEP UP THE GREAT BAKING GOING.I WISH I WERE THERE WITH YOU ON WEEKENDS- JUST FOR THE DIVINE BREAD.THANKS AGAIN LOL! U r something :)

By prathibha on Jun 13, 2009

Perfect color of the bread..Look wonderful that beautiful brown color..perfect texture too..

By Madhuram on Jun 13, 2009

That's a beauty!

By Kalai on Jun 13, 2009

If there's one thing I love, it's the smell of bread baking. So much so that I get teased relentlessly for my shameless adoration of yummy bread. The braid is so perfect, girl! I did a braided loaf long back, but still need practice to get it so perfect. Btw, I completely agree about bread baking being relaxing and therapeutic. Great way to unwind and a great bonus at the end of the project! :)

By aaliyah on Jun 13, 2009

Thanks a lot sweetie! See, now this makes it so easy for me. Hopefully ,knowing my 'bread baking skills' i can make this and feed you instead of vice versa. Luv u for doing this

By Pavani on Jun 13, 2009

Lovely looking braided bread. Great pictorial as usual. Have a great sunday DK..

By Vani on Jun 13, 2009

Perfect braids there, DK! Bread looks FAB! :)

By a2zvegetariancuisine on Jun 13, 2009

Perfect Bread. Can't find words to describe the bread.

By Cynthia on Jun 13, 2009

Your still life shots are gorgeous.

By Vinolia on Jun 13, 2009

wow, that one is perfect; perfect color and clear instructions!

By Nags on Jun 13, 2009

That looks SO GOOD! Lovely braids! Thanks Nags :)

By Happy Cook on Jun 13, 2009

Looks beautifully braided. I too love making breads. Just made a challah few days back. This looks yummy yumm. Thanks HC :)

By parita on Jun 13, 2009

Wow this is better than perfect!!! braiding reminded me of good old school days when my mom used to braid my hair :) I must say your step by step pictures are really helpful, bookmarked this, thanks for sharing !!! Thanks Parita :)

By Ruthey on Jun 12, 2009

This looks like the Challah that I made for years before I discovered a sponge bread recipe (Vienna Bread) that I got from my sister (she got it from the "Old World Breads" cookbook. Can this bread be made as a round or oblong loaf or as rolls? Thanks Ruthey :) Zopf is similar to Challah and the only difference I can think of is that Challah is made totally with egg yolks - and lots of it :) Traditionally its made like a braid - but I already adulterated it by making few knots, so I guess rolls and oblongs would be just great too ;) Anything works

By Sonu on Jun 12, 2009

Woow...it's much better than any bakery shop DK...came out so beautiful and perfect! :) Thanks Sonu....:)

By karuna on Jun 12, 2009

woowow, this looks sooooo goood. Nothing like the smell of freshly baked bread. The braided bread looks yuumo. good job. Thanks Karuna :) I agree with you, nothing like it

By Divya on Jun 12, 2009

Can I say Lovely..or maybe Too good...or else Wonderful??Nah,anything I say would sound like a cliche for this masterpiece creation.I am amazed seeing the last picture,of sliced bread.It looks straight out of a bakery.God knows when I'll be able to bake something like that:). One more thing-can we substitute white flour for bread flour? Thats so generous of you Divs! Thanks a bunch - I am honored. Bread flour is a high-protein flour which is so suited for such yeasted breads giving it a good rise. You can of course substitute it with All purpose flour, but I have to tell you frankly that the result would be good but little less remarkable. Usually for an ideal substitute you can add like a tsp of wheat gluten to all purpose flour - But I am not sure you will get wheat gluten in India. So you can of course make do with all -purpose flour, it will still come out decently.

By Poornima on Jun 12, 2009

Wow...ur braid looks so perfect and beautiful. Love the color. have bookmarked this one, will definitely try it. Thanks Poornima - I am sure u will like it :)

By Carmen - BAKING is my ZeN on Jun 12, 2009

Thanks for this. A definite keeper! Thanks Carmen :) I am glad you like it. Its def. one for me

By Soma on Jun 12, 2009

I am right there with you .. baking bread is theraputic, tho i had the biggest flop show today - bad yeast day. This bread is beautiful, i need to make a braided bread now. Oh thats sad Soma - More than bad hair days - bad yeast days are the ones that affect me most - But dont you worry - the next bread will be a master blaster for sure :)

By Srivalli on Jun 12, 2009

now where are those smileys!!!!...I hate you dhivi...really I mean it...you make such awesome breads and I can't even taste them...:(((((... and my dear friend can you let me know minus that sole egg too? LOL! will put them out for you Valli - Traditional and authentic Zopf is made with that sole egg - but for an adultered version just increase milk to 1-1/4 cup.:)