What is zopf?
ZOPF is a traditional Swiss bread that is often served on Sunday. The loaf is knit and glazed, giving it a golden look of another traditional knitted bread - a Jewish cottage. Although there are some small variations in recipes, most ZOPF recipes use the same ingredients. The main differences between ZOPF recipes are the appearance of the finished loaf and depends on whether two or four springs are used to create a tangled effect.
Most ZOPF recipes require similar ingredients: white flour, salt, yeast, butter or margarine and milk. On the Internet you can easily find many recipes that give specific proportions of folders. The glaze is created using a yolk diluted with water and then wipe on a loaf before baking. The ingredients are mixed together and then manually move for about 10 minutes to create a soft and pliable dough. After the movement, the bread allows to rise in a warm place for about an hour, or duplicate up to the dough volume.
After the first rise, the dough is sliced nand two or four pieces that then avoid to form approximately 12 inches (30 cm) strands. The strands are placed on a cookie sheet or a baking pan sprayed with water. Then they allow them to get up for the second time for 30 to 60 minutes before their weaving.
Filing four pieces of dough into a loaf can be challenging. There are many photos and diagrams that can be found online illustrating different weaving techniques. The two -there, albeit not as visually arrested as a loaf using four strands, tastes exactly the same and can be a simpler choice for the beginning ZOPF Baker.
After weaving the strands together, the ends of each strand are pressed straight and inserted into the bottom of the loaf. ZOPF is then disrupted by egg yolk and a mixture of water that will imply a golden glazed effect. ZOPF is then placed on the lowest stand in a preheated oven and baked at 400 ° Farenheit (204 ° Celsius) for a period45-55 minutes. To find out that ZOPF is fully baked, the skewer is inserted into the strongest part of the bread. If no crumbs are treated after removal on the skewer, then the loaf is baked. The loaf is then removed from the oven and left to cool thoroughly on the stand before cutting or tearing it into the portions.