Start your day with this Hefezopf! A sweet German Braided Bread that is easy to make and is super fluffy.

You might know it as an Easter dish and sometimes known as Osterzopf (Easter braid). But in Germany, we eat it throughout the year. This will make a sweet, light, and fluffy sweet yeast bread that children will love as much as adults.

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What is a Hefezopf?
Recipe for Hefezopf
How to braid bread?
Can I prepare this braided sweet bread in advance?
How to serve
Regional Customs
More German Easter Recipes
Have you made this recipe?
Recipe

What is a Hefezopf?

A Hefezopf is a braided sweet bread, common in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and the Czech Republic. The dough is made from sugar, flour, butter eggs and yeast. The name is from two German words: "hefe" means yeast and "zopf" means braid.

In Bavaria and Austria, this bread is called "Striezel". In Switzerland, it is often called "Zopfbrot" (braided bread).

Recipe for Hefezopf

1 egg (medium size)
7 g instant yeast (1 packet or 2 tsp)
250 ml / 8.5 fl oz milk (3.5 % fat and lukewarm)
500 g / 17.6 oz flour (Germany type 550, UK bread flour, US all-purpose flour)
60 g / 2.1 oz sugar
1 teaspoon salt
80 g / 2.8 oz butter (softened at room temperature)
3 tablespoon almond slices

Whisk the egg in a small bowl. Remove 1 tablespoon of the egg mixture and set it aside in a separate bowl.
Add the yeast to the lukewarm milk. Leave for the yeast to activate (approx. 10 min). You should see some small bubbles forming on the surface.
Now mix together the remaining egg, yeast-milk mixture, flour, butter, sugar and salt. Knead with a dough hook, using either a hand or stand mixer for 5 minutes. Leave the dough to rest for further 5 minutes. Then knead the dough again for another 5 minutes. (The total kneading time should be 10 minutes in total).

Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and leave to rest for at least 1 hour. Temperature
After this time the dough should have roughly doubled in size. Remove from the bowl and knead on a floured surface (or a non-stick baking mat) for about 5 minutes by hand.
Divide the dough into three balls. Weigh the balls to make sure they are equal in size. (mine were about 260 g/ 9 oz each).

Now form them into 3 rolls of equal length. They should be around 40 cm/16 inches long.

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Form the rolls into a braid and place the bread on an oven tray lined with baking parchment.
Cover the braid with a tea towel and leave the rise for a further 45 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 180°C or 356°F.
Using a pastry brush (affiliate link) cover the Hefezopf with the remaining whisked egg. Sprinkle the almonds on top. Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes.
Leave to cool before serving.

How to braid bread?

Can I prepare this braided sweet bread in advance?

Hefezopf tastes best when served fresh out of the oven. However, the most important step in this recipe is to give the dough enough time to rest. You can also leave the dough to rise in the fridge overnight. This can be done for the first or second rise. Just make sure that you place the dough in a container that gives the dough enough space to expand.

It is important that you give the dough enough time to get back to room temperature before baking. So best to take it out of the fridge an hour or two before you are planning to bake it. Otherwise, it will still work but will not end up being as fluffy.

Alternatively, you can bake in the evening before. Place it in a plastic bag, store it at room temperature, and serve with some butter and jam. You will find it tastes yummy up to three days after it is baked.

How to serve

I like eating this sweet yeast bread fresh out of the oven. The next day I prefer to eat it with some jam, chocolate spread or butter.

Regional Customs

Hefezopf is often baked for special occasions like New Year, Easter or baptisms, but nowadays it is eaten as a tasty breakfast treat.

The German braided bread often has religious significance: the three strands of the braid are supposed to represent the holy trinity.

In some parts of Austria and Bavaria, a loaf of sweet braided bread is gifted to celebrate All Souls Day." This custom originates from an old mourning tradition in which a person would cut off braided hair to express grief. [source: Wikipedia: Allerheiligenstriezel]

The Hefezopf is best known as a Traditional Easter Bread (read more about this on my German Easter Bread). At Easter, the Hefezopf is referred to as "Osterzopf".

We also gift a braided bread as a good luck present on New Year's Day. Some families in Germany start their new year with this bread. In the Rhine area, the yeast bread is formed as a New Year's Pretzel and served either at midnight or for for the first breakfast of the yar.

In Bohemia, the Hefezopf is a Christmas bread called Vánočka. It is traditionally eaten during Advent. [source Wikipedia.de Hefezopf]

More German Easter Recipes

Have you made this recipe?

I'd love to hear how it turned out! Leave a rating and comment below.

You'll help fellow readers enjoy it too and help me spread the word about German cuisine. - Marita x

Recipe

Hefezopf - Braided sweet bread (+video)

4.89 from 18 votes

I look forward to your feedback. Just click the stars above.

by Marita Sinden

The German sweet braided bread is easy to make. Traditionally made for special occasions this Hefezopf recipe could be a everyday breakfast treat.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 30

resting time 1 45

Total Time 2 45

Course Breakfast, Cakes

Cuisine Austrian, German, swiss

Servings slices

Calories 208 kcal

Ingredients

▢ 1 egg medium, at room temperature
▢ 2 teaspoon instant yeast 7g, 1 sachet
▢ 250 ml (1 cups) milk lukewarm
▢ 500 g (4 cups) all purpose flour Germany type 550, UK bread flour, US all purpose flour
▢ 60 g (¼ cups) granulated sugar
▢ 1 teaspoon salt
▢ 80 g (⅓ cups) butter

To decorate

▢ 3 tablespoon almond slices optional

Instructions

Whisk the egg in a small bowl. Remove 1 tablespoon of the egg mixture and set aside in a separate bowl.
1 egg
Add the yeast to the lukewarm milk. Leave for the yeast to activate (approximately 10 minutes). You should see some small bubbles forming on the surface.
2 teaspoon instant yeast, 250 ml milk
Mix together the remaining egg, yeast-milk mixture, flour, butter, sugar, and salt. Knead with a dough hook using a hand or stand mixer for 5 minutes. Leave the dough to rest for 5 minutes, then knead again for another 5 minutes. (Total kneading time: 10 minutes).
500 g all purpose flour, 60 g granulated sugar, 80 g butter, 1 teaspoon salt
Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and leave to rest for at least 1 hour.
After this time, the dough should have roughly doubled in size. Remove from the bowl and knead on a floured surface (or a non-stick baking mat) for about 5 minutes by hand.
Divide the dough into three equal balls. Weigh the balls to ensure they are of equal size (about 260 g / 9 oz each).
Roll each ball into a rope of equal length, approximately 40 cm (16 inches) long.
Line a baking tray with parchment paper. This prevents you from having to move the bread after braiding. Place the dough ropes on the parchment paper and braid them into a plait. (See post for illustration).
Cover the braid with a tea towel and leave to rise for 45 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 180°C (356°F).
Using a pastry brush (affiliate link) cover the Hefezopf with the remaining whisked egg. Sprinkle the almonds on top. Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes.
3 tablespoon almond slices
Leave to cool before serving.

Video

Notes

I would recommend checking out the step-by-step pictures in the main post.

Prepare in advance.

It is important that you give the dough enough time to get back to room temperature before baking. So best to take it out of the fridge an hour or two before you are planning to bake it.

Alternatively, you can bake in the evening before. Place it in a plastic bag, store it at room temperature and serve with some butter and jam. You will find it tastes yummy up to three days after it is baked.