Easter is the time for yeast bakes. Easter would be impossible without a Sweet Braided Loaf or a Classic German Easter Bread like this one here. At least in our family. Those bakes are necessary for Easter like Christmas cookies are for Christmas ;) Our Easter breakfast/brunch would not be perfect without it. To make things easier you can prepare the dough in advance and bake the braided loaf or bread the next morning. Preparing the dough does not take long – it needs quite some time to rise… that’s all. Same for all yeast bakes ;P
It’s the end of the month and this means it’s time for another »Bake Together – The Baking Surprise« here on the blog and over at Zimtkeks & Apfeltarte. Andrea and I get together once a month and choose a topic for baking – this month we chose something for Easter, d’oh – Easter bread. You’ve guessed it already I assume ;P Well… both of us bake something and surprise each other with the results. Hence, the »baking surprise« in the title. I guess you knew that too already ;P
Easter bread can be done in many different ways. Some like to add dried fruits and/or raisins, others add quark or sour cream to improve the fluffiness and for some extra moisture. I went the easy and simple route here. A good old plain Easter bread with nothing added, just some coarse sugar and sliced almonds on top for decorations. Normally I would add raisins as well, but they are not loved by all family members here in the house… so I have to make sacrifices sometimes ;P
Anyway. These breads also come in many different shapes and sizes. You can go for a plain loaf shape – like an actual bread – or you can do a braided version like this one here. Check out the pictures below on how to do it. It’ super easy. If you want to be extra »fancy« you could also add some colored boiled eggs on top of the bread after baking. That looks really cool too.
I collected quite a few recipes for yeast bakes over the years. Take a look for yourself – two of my favorite bakes right here… and much more in my Easter Recipes Category.
INGREDIENTS / ZUTATEN
For the dough:
0.7 oz (21g) fresh yeast
4.4 fl. oz. (130ml) lukewarm milk
1/4 cup (50g) sugar
2 large eggs
1/8 tsp. ground cardamom
1 pinch of salt
3 1/8 cup (400g) all-purpose flour
1/3 cup (80g) butter
For the decoration:
1 medium egg yolk
some milk
some sliced almonds (optional)
some hail sugar (optional)
Für den Teig:
1/2 Würfel (21g) frische Hefe
130ml lauwarme Milch
50g Zucker
2 Eier (L)
1/8 TL Kardamom
1 Prise Salz
400g Mehl (Type 550)
80g Butter
Für die Dekoration:
1 Eigelb (M)
etwas Milch
gehobelte Mandeln (optional)
Hagelzucker (optional)
DIRECTIONS / ZUBEREITUNG
1. In the bowl of your kitchen machine mix the milk, one teaspoon of the sugar, and the yeast – make sure the yeast has dissolved completely. Let bubble up for about 10 minutes. Add the remaining sugar, eggs, cardamom, and salt to the bowl and mix to combine. Sift the flour into the bowl, add the butter and mix well. Knead the dough for about 8-9 minutes until you got a nice and smooth dough. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 60-90 minutes or until almost doubled in size.
2. Divide the dough into four pieces and shape each one into a log with a length of about 16 inches (40cm). Place the four logs crosswise on your work surface and intertwine them in two rounds with each other (see pictures). Tuck the ends underneath and place the bread on a baking sheet lined with baking parchment. Cover with a damp kitchen towel and let rise another 25-30 minutes in a warm place.
3. Preheat the oven to 390°F (200°C). Mix the egg yolk with the milk and carefully brush the Easter bread with it. If you like, you can sprinkle some sliced almonds and hail sugar on top (optional) and then bake the bread for about 25 minutes. If the Easter bread seems getting too dark, cover with some aluminum foil or baking parchment and continue baking. Remove from the oven and let cool completely on a wire rack.
1. Hefe, Milch und etwa 1 TL vom Zucker in der Schüssel einer Küchenmaschine vermischen, bis sich die Hefe komplett aufgelöst hat und dann für etwa 10 Minuten gehen lassen. Restlichen Zucker, Eier, Kardamom und Salz dazugeben und verrühren. Das Mehl darüber sieben, Butter dazugeben und alles in etwa 8-9 Minuten zu einem glatten Teig verkneten. Die Schüssel abdecken und den Teig für 60-90 Minuten an einem warmen Ort gehen lassen – das Volumen sollte sich in etwa verdoppelt haben.
2. Den Teig in vier Portionen aufteilen und jeweils zu etwa 40cm (16 inches) langen Strängen formen. Die vier Stränge über Kreuz auf die Arbeitsplatte legen und dann miteinander verflechten (s. Fotos). Die Enden unter das Osterbrot packen und dann auf ein mit Backpapier ausgelegtes Backblech setzen. Abgedeckt mit einem leicht feuchten Küchentuch noch einmal 25-30 Minuten an einem warmen Ort gehen lassen.
3. Den Ofen auf 200°C (390°F) Ober-/Unterhitze vorheizen. Das Eigelb mit der Milch vermischen und das Osterbrot vorsichtig damit bestreichen. Wer mag, kann noch gehobelte Mandeln und etwas Hagelzucker darüberstreuen (optional) und dann für etwa 25 Minuten backen. Sollte das Osterbrot zu dunkel werden, einfach ein Stück Alufolie oder Backpapier auflegen und weiterbacken. Aus dem Ofen holen und auf einem Kuchengitter komplett abkühlen lassen.
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Here is a version of the recipe you can print easily.
Print
Classic German Easter Bread
- Prep Time: 00:15
- Cook Time: 00:25
- Total Time: 03:00
- Yield: 1 1x
- Category: Bread
- Cuisine: Germany
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
One of the best things that can happen at Easter – having a Classic Easter Bread on your table and being able to enjoy it with your family.
Ingredients
For the dough:
0.7 oz (21g) fresh yeast
4.4 fl. oz. (130ml) lukewarm milk
1/4 cup (50g) sugar
2 large eggs
1/8 tsp. ground cardamom
1 pinch of salt
3 1/8 cup (400g) all-purpose flour
1/3 cup (80g) butter
For the decoration:
1 medium egg yolk
some milk
some sliced almonds (optional)
some hail sugar (optional)
Instructions
1. In the bowl of your kitchen machine mix the milk, one teaspoon of the sugar, and the yeast – make sure the yeast has dissolved completely. Let bubble up for about 10 minutes. Add the remaining sugar, eggs, cardamom, and salt to the bowl and mix to combine. Sift the flour into the bowl, add the butter and mix well. Knead the dough for about 8-9 minutes until you got a nice and smooth dough. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 60-90 minutes or until almost doubled in size.
2. Divide the dough into four pieces and shape each one into a log with a length of about 16 inches (40cm). Place the four logs crosswise on your work surface and intertwine them in two rounds with each other (see pictures). Tuck the ends underneath and place the bread on a baking sheet lined with baking parchment. Cover with a damp kitchen towel and let rise another 25-30 minutes in a warm place.
3. Preheat the oven to 390°F (200°C). Mix the egg yolk with the milk and carefully brush the Easter bread with it. If you like, you can sprinkle some sliced almonds and hail sugar on top (optional) and then bake the bread for about 25 minutes. If the Easter bread seems getting too dark, cover with some aluminum foil or baking parchment and continue baking. Remove from the oven and let cool completely on a wire rack.
Notes
Enjoy baking!
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I love my job, but in between I love to bake and try new things in the kitchen. A lot of my friends and colleagues encourage me to bake - for a very simple reason: they get the leftovers - and it seems they like it most of the time ;) 
