On Easter evening it is baked in many German houses, and especially in different types:Easter bread, Osterzopf. The Easter bread is an important part of the German Easter tradition. Especially in Catholic regions, bread is eaten on Easter Eve, as a sign that the 40-day fast is over. The first single documentation of Easter bread made from yeast, according to some sources, comes from the Catholic regions in the 12th century. Then wheat flour was very expensive, so baking was reserved for special occasions. Since then, countless types of Easter bread have seen the light of day throughout Europe, but especially in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. We have a recipe for this tasty baking – Osterzopf – that doesn't require you to be a baker to be successful!
Osterzopf
There are many varieties of Osterzopf, or Hefezopf as it is also called in some regions. Some people like bread with a slightly stronger taste and use both rum, vanilla and raisins. Others prefer vanilla and lemon. The dough can be shaped like little wreaths with a boiled Easter egg in the middle, or you can make a braided loaf of bread.
For 1 loaf you need:
500 g flour
1 package fresh yeast, preferably sweet
175 ml milk
100 g sugar
80 g butter
1 teaspoon vanilla sugar
Grated zest of half a lemon, preferably organic
1 egg
80 g raisins
Brush:
1 tbsp milk
1 egg yolk
Decorations:
Icing sugar
Slivered almonds
Preparation:
Heat milk to 37 degrees. Place flour in a bowl and make a well in the center. Crumble the yeast, add 1 teaspoon of sugar and some warm milk. Stir gently with a fork and let the dough rise for 15 minutes at room temperature.
Put the butter in the remaining milk. Add the rest of the ingredients, with the exception of the raisins, to the dough. Stir with a mixer with kneading hook on the lowest speed. Then knead on high speed for 5 minutes to get a smooth and pliable dough. Add the raisins little by little. Cover the dough and put it in a warm place. Let it rest until it has visibly risen.
Put the dough on a floured workbench, knead well for a few rounds, then divide into 3 equal parts. Roll each piece into a roll of approx. 40 cm. Place the rolls on a baking tray lined with baking paper and form a braid. Cover and let rise until noticeably larger. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees top and bottom heat, or 160 degrees hot air.
Beat egg yolks with 1 tablespoon of milk and brush the bread. Sprinkle with icing sugar and slivered almonds. Place the baking tray on the lower rack in the oven and bake for about 30 minutes.
Place the bread on a rack and let it cool down. Enjoy your meal!
