| Yeast Braid
Easter Braid; old family recipe
| 500 g | all-purpose flour |
| 20 g | fresh yeast |
| 25 g | sugar, up to 75 g, to your taste |
| ½ tbsp | salt |
| 50 g | butter |
| 270 ml | milk, sometimes more |
| 1 | egg, beaten, for brushing |
| almond slices, optional | |
| confectioner's sugar for decoration, optional |
Method
Put the yeast and the sugar in a small bowl and let stand until the sugar and the yeast have dissolved. This process is only possible if the yeast is fresh and not dry. The yeast and the sugar become a creamy, soft mixture. It is not as liquid as water, rather like eggnog or eggliqueur. To fasten up the procedure you can stir the two ingredients a little. This activates the yeast.
Let the butter dissolve in a little pan and add milk. Put the flour into a large bowl and make a well into the centre. Then add yeast-sugar, salt and milk-butter mix to the flour and knead well until the dough is rough and elastic. Add milk or flour until it has the right consistence.
Cover the bowl with a towel and let stand in a warm place until dough has doubled in size. Then quickly knead the dough again.
The dough can be braided with two, three, four or five traces. The conventional way is with three. The techniques can be looked up elsewhere you develop your won.
Grease a baking sheet or line it with parchment paper. Then place the braid on the baking sheet. Brush it with the beaten egg and sprinkle some sliced almonds or decorating sugar on top.
Preheat the oven to 200°C. Meanwhile the braid may raise again a little in size. Bake the braid about 40 minutes or until it is golden brown. Let cool.
The braid tastes great plain or when sliced and topped with butter, jellies, peanut butter, chocolate. If you bake the braid with only 25 g of sugar, it tastes very good with a light cheese! I bake this braid once a week and I vary the amount of sugar every time.
Let the butter dissolve in a little pan and add milk. Put the flour into a large bowl and make a well into the centre. Then add yeast-sugar, salt and milk-butter mix to the flour and knead well until the dough is rough and elastic. Add milk or flour until it has the right consistence.
Cover the bowl with a towel and let stand in a warm place until dough has doubled in size. Then quickly knead the dough again.
The dough can be braided with two, three, four or five traces. The conventional way is with three. The techniques can be looked up elsewhere you develop your won.
Grease a baking sheet or line it with parchment paper. Then place the braid on the baking sheet. Brush it with the beaten egg and sprinkle some sliced almonds or decorating sugar on top.
Preheat the oven to 200°C. Meanwhile the braid may raise again a little in size. Bake the braid about 40 minutes or until it is golden brown. Let cool.
The braid tastes great plain or when sliced and topped with butter, jellies, peanut butter, chocolate. If you bake the braid with only 25 g of sugar, it tastes very good with a light cheese! I bake this braid once a week and I vary the amount of sugar every time.
|
Author: Elmex 
  member since 13/05/2008 
|
