Hefezopf – A Yeasty Weekend Treat
When I was
cycling to town a few weeks ago, and was passing a range of houses, I was hit
by a lovely smell of a freshly baked something. Somewhere in one of these
houses, someone had just opened their oven, thus releasing a wonderful,
slightly sweet scent that went straight up my sensitive nose and triggered a
sudden craving for a German treat named ‘Hefezopf’. You can compare it to
Easter hot cross buns, but bigger and in the shape of a plait. Just like hot cross
buns, Hefezopf is often baked especially around Easter, but also as a cakey
treat for a lazy weekend breakfast or Sunday afternoon (3pm: cake and coffee
time!).
You can eat it
plain or dip it in your coffee. In my family, we have it with butter. Or honey.
Or jam. And sometimes even with Nutella. Considering the ingredients and its
sweetness, there would of course not be a need for any of these toppings. But
then you could also argue that there is no need for icing on a lemon drizzle
cake, right!?
So, whatever you
decide to have it with, you should definitely give it a go. To make the baking
experience more German: plan ahead! Mix the dough Friday or Saturday evening,
so it can rise during the night and be freshly baked the next morning. And
again, it is no problem to freeze part of the Hefezopf in order to prevent
overeating or binning it when it gets dry after a few days. Simply put it in a
freezer bag and defrost it whenever you crave for more J
- 500g flour
- 1 sachet dry yeast
- 90g unsalted butter
- 90g sugar
- 125ml milk
- pinch of salt
- 2 eggs
- (raisins + rum)
1. Warm up half
of the milk in the microwave and stir in the yeast.
2. If you like
raisins, I’d suggest soaking them in rum some hours in advance. The longer they
soak the more they taste of rum!
3. Mix the soft
butter, flour, eggs, sugar and salt in another bowl. If you decided on adding
rum raisins, drain them and dry them with a paper towel. Mix with the other
ingredients.
4. Gradually add
the yeast-milk mixture and start kneading. Then add rest of milk and knead
until a smooth dough is formed.
5. Flour the
bowl, put the dough back in and cover it with a wet tea towel. Store in a warm
place and let it rise for at least 2 hours (or overnight).
6. After the
dough has doubled in size, form buns or make a plait. Let it rest for another
10 minutes before brushing your Hefezopf with egg yolk.
7. Bake in a preheated
oven at 180°C for 20-30 min until it’s golden brown. Let it cool down before
enjoying your first bite (although it is nice when it is still a bit warm and
the toppings soak into it…).
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