the adventures of clay ball

 

 Copy-and-Print recipe at bottom of page!

 

This is a really delicious bread, especially enjoyed during the holidays or for special occasions, when it is served for breakfast with butter, jelly, & cheese, or for dinner along with savory dishes.

 

INGREDIENTS:

 

1-1/2  teaspoon dry yeast  (if using packages of  dry yeast, about 3/4 of a  package to 1 package works fine)

1/4 cup wrist-temperature water

 

1 teaspoon salt

1/2  stick butter, softened to room temperature  (can use 4 tablespoons canola oil instead of butter, for a heart-healthier version!)

1 cup milk, wrist temperature

3-1/2 cups flour

 

Mix water & yeast; stir briefly & allow to sit a few minutes until bubbles form.  Add the rest of the ingredients,  and stir with a wooden spoon until ingredients are mixed together.

 

Then, knead the dough for about 15 minutes, until the dough is smooth & elastic.  (Here are directions on how to knead.)

 

 

 

 

 

Cover the bowl with a damp cloth & allow to rise until doubled in size, about 2 hours or so.

 

Then, cut the dough in half & roll into 2 long ropes. 

 

 

 

 

 

Braid into a braid as follows:

 

 

Place one of the ropes horizontally, & the other on top of it in a vertical orientation, as shown above.

 

 

 

Then, the left ”arm” crosses to the right side… 

 

 

Then likewise, the right “arm” crosses to the left side.

 

 

 

 

Next, the  top strand of dough comes down & to the right, between the other 2 strands.

 

Now you have a knob of dough on top, & 4 strands of dough radiating down, & now you are ready to begin to braid.

 

First, look for the strand that is at the bottom (closest to the table).

 

 

It is the 2nd one from the left.  Pick it up & cross it over 2 strands, the 2 strands to the right of it.

 

 

  

So, Rule #1 for braiding is:  Find the bottom-most strand & pull it over 2 other strands (there is only 1 direction it can go, because the other direction will have only 1 strand, not 2)

 

 

Then, the single rope off the the left follows it, but instead of crossing over 2 strands, it just crosses over 1 strand.

 

So Rule #2 is:  The single rope follows, but crosses over only 1 strand.

 

 

Continuing, look for the bottom-most strand closest to the cutting board or table, & fold it over 2 strands.  In the picture above, the one off to the left was the bottom-most, & was folded over those 2 strands seen in the middle.

 

Now the one off to the right in the picture above will follow it, but it will only cross over 1 strand:

 

 

 

Now, in the picture above, the strand which is 2nd from the left is now the bottom-most strand, and will be crossed over the 2 strands to the right of it…

 

 

 

And the one way off to the left will follow it, crossing over just 1 strand…

 

 

 

So, just keep going along, finding the bottom-most strand, crossing it over the 2 other strands next to it, & then the strand following behind crosses over just one.

 

 

 

 

 

When there is hardly any dough left, press the strands together…

 

 

 

 

And tuck them under.

 

Push the two ends of the braid together a little bit to plump it up, & place on a floured baking sheet.

 

 

Allow  the braid to rise for about 20 minutes in a warm place, or until it looks a bit puffy, & when you poke it with a finger, it leaves an imprint.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then, brush with the following mixture:  1 egg yolk, a few drops of water, & a pinch of sugar.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Place into a preheated 400-degree oven.

 

When baking one braid, it takes about 30 minutes until done.

 

When doubling the recipe & 2 braids are made, it takes a bit longer.  I check after 30 minutes, but it may take 40 minutes or so if baking 2 breads at once.

 

To test for doneness, the top crust should be a beautiful golden-brown color, & when you turn the bread over & knock on the bottom of it, it should be firm & crispy & make a hollow sound.

 

 

 

 

 

 

After making it a few times, you will discover if you like it a little crispier or softer!

 

 

Enjoy!

 

 

love,

 

Clay Ball

 

 

 

 copy-and-print recipe below!

 

SWISS BRAIDED BREAD  (ZUEPFE)

 

This is a delicious bread especially for the holidays, served for breakfast with butter, jelly, & cheese, or with lunch & supper along with other more savory dishes.

 

 

Note:  This recipe is for 1 bread, but it can be doubled to make 2 braids.  If baking 2 breads on one cookie sheet, place the thick end of one bread next to the thin end of the other & visa versa, so they won’t stick together as much as they bake!

 

INGREDIENTS:

 1-1/2 teaspoon yeast

1/4 cup wrist-temperature water

 

1 teaspoon salt

1/2  stick butter (4 tablespoons),  softened to room temperature (Note:  Canola oil can be substituted for butter, for a heart-healthy version!)

1 cup milk, wrist temperature

3-1/2 cups flour

 

Before baking, brush bread with:

1 egg yolk

a few drops of water

a pinch of sugar

 

1.     Mix water & yeast; stir briefly & allow to sit a few minutes until bubbles form.  

 

2.     Add the rest of the ingredients &  stir with a wooden spoon until ingredients are mixed together.

 

3.     Then, knead the dough for about 15 minutes, until the dough is smooth & elastic. 

 

4.      Cover with a damp cloth & allow to rise until doubled in size, about 2 hours or so. (Make take a bit longer if the room is cold, or depending on the yeast, etc.)   If you poke it with your finger, it should leave an imprint instead of springing back.

 

5.     Then, turn the dough out onto a floured work surface.  Cut the dough in half & roll into 2 long ropes.  Braid into a braid as shown above, & then transfer onto a floured baking sheet.  Push the 2 ends of the braid together a little to plump up the braid.

 

 6.     Allow  the braid to rise for about 20 minutes, or until the braid looks a bit puffy, & when you poke it with a finger, it leaves an imprint.

 

7.     Brush with the following mixture:  1 egg yolk, a few drops of water, & a pinch of sugar (for extra shininess).

 

8.     Place into a preheated 400-degree oven.

 

9.     When baking one braid, it takes about 30 minutes until done.

 

When doubling the recipe & 2 braids are made, it may take a bit longer.  You can check for doneness after 30 minutes, but it may take up to 40 minutes or even a little longer, depending on the oven.  Sometimes one bread will be baked & the other not quite yet done, so just take out the finished one first.

 

10.     To test for doneness, the top crust should be a beautiful golden-brown color, & when you turn the bread over & knock on the bottom of it, it should be firm & crispy & make a hollow sound.

 

After making it a few times, you will discover if you like it a little crispier or softer!

 

Enjoy!

 

love,

 

Clay Ball