Thursday, April 3, 2014

Easter Yeast Wreath - Oster-Hefekranz


Traditionally, we bake a lot of Braided Easter Yeast Breads around here. For many people Easter celebrations are not the same without a Yeast Braid for Easter breakfast. A freshly baked, homemade pastry like this is also a beautiful and delicious gifts to bring along to an Easter invitation or for Easter Brunch with family or friends.
Traditionell werden hier bei uns in der Osterzeit jede Menge Hefezöpfe gebacken. Ein Hefezopf gehört für viele Menschen zum Osterfrühstück einfach dazu. Schön luftig gebacken ist das Hefegebäck auch ein beliebtes, leckeres Mitbringsel zur Ostereinladung oder zum Osterbrunch bei Familie oder Freunden.  




It seems that Easter is a time for showing off on the home baking front, and who is to argue with that, certainly not me. Therefore, since Easter is only a few weeks away,  I am getting a head-start on my springtime and Easter baking with this lovely Easter Yeast Wreath. However, I am unlikely to be alone in this quest. Across many cultures, people celebrate spring and Easter with rich indulgences whipped up from butter, sugar, fruits, nuts, spices and that essential symbol of new life, eggs, whether they be natural or dyed.
Ostern ist ja bekanntermaßen eine Zeit für ein wenig Stolz auf die eigenen, selbstgemachten Backenwaren. Da möchte ich natürlich auch nicht hinten anstehen und feiere diese Woche schon mal ein wenig die vorösterliche Zeit mit einem wundervollen Hefekranz. Und damit bin ich sicherlich nicht allein. In vielen Kulturen feiert man den Frühling oder Ostern mit besonderen Backwaren, die reich an Butter, Zucker, Früchten, Nüssen, Gewürzen und natürlich Eiern sind. Denn speziell Eier, bunt oder ungefärbt, sind das Symbol neuen Lebens und des Neuanfangs. 




So, I will begin my Easter baking with a Yeast Wreath. The “Hefezopf” (literally "yeast braid") and the “Hefekranz” (literally "yeast wreath") are breads from Switzerland, southern Germany, Austria and South Tyrol. Typically, both Hefezopf and Hefekranz consist of three braided dough-pieces. While the Hefezopf is a loaf only consisting of a braid, the Hefekranz is bent into a wreath. Both are baked until they have a golden color.
Also, dann beginne ich mal meine Osterbäckerei mit einem Hefekranz. Der Zopf oder Hefekranz ist ein besonders geformter Kuchen aus gesüßtem, meist fetthaltigem Hefeteig. Nachdem der Hefeteig für den Zopf schön aufgegangen ist, wird er in drei oder mehr Teile aufgeteilt, die zu Strängen gerollt werden. Aus den Teigsträngen wird ein Zopf geflochten, der auch zu einem Kranz geschlossen werden kann. Anschließend wird der Zopf oder Kranz dann goldgelb gebacken.




As a special ingredient, I baked my Easter pastry with a wonderful spice, the so-called "Hefezopf Gewürz" (meaning "yeast bread spice"), a seasoning mix of cardamom, lemon zest, mace, cinnamon and turmeric. Scandinavian yeast pastries are also known to include quite a bit of cardamom and cinnamon.

 As I was preparing my yeast dough, it already smelled wonderful while I kneaded it. When the wreath was baked, it did not only have a wonderful, slightly yellowish color but it also tasted the way only homemade sweet yeast breads taste, warm and aromatic from the spices and wonderfully buttery too. The quantity of the spice blend that I used was specified on the package as “one heaped teaspoon per 500 grams of flour” - for this recipe with 750 grams of flour I used two level teaspoons, exactly the right dose.

 If you cannot get the spice blend, you can also use one teaspoon ground cardamom or grated lemon zest, some cinnamon, a little freshly grated nutmeg, or 2 teaspoons pure vanilla sugar, depending on your taste, of course. You can also omitted the spices, zest or vanilla altogether – the bread will still be delicious.
Als besondere Zugabe hat mein Ostergebäck heute ein wunderbares Gewürz, das sogenannte „Hefezopf Gewürz“ von der Karl Müller Gewürzmanufaktur in Wiesbaden. Das ist eine Gewürzmischung aus Kardamom, Zitronenschale, Muskatblüte, Zimt und Kurkuma. Von skandinavischen Hefegebäcken kennt man ja die Zugabe von Kardamom und auch Zimt.

Als ich diese Woche die Gewürzmischung ausprobiert habe, hat der Teig schon bei Kneten toll geduftet. Nach dem Backen erhielt der Zopf nicht nur einen wunderbaren, leicht gelblichen Ton, sondern schmeckte auch ausgesprochen gut. Die Mengenangabe für das Gewürz ist ein gehäufter Teelöffel pro 500 Gramm Mehl. Für dieses Rezept mit 750 Gramm Mehl habe ich deshalb zwei gestrichene Teelöffel genommen, genau die richtige Dosierung.

Wenn man die Gewürzmischung nicht bekommt, kann man auch 1 Teelöffel Kardamom oder geriebene Zitronenschale, etwas Zimt, ein wenig frisch geriebene Muskatnuss oder 2 Teelöffel Bourbon-Vanillezucker nehmen, je nach Geschmack eben. Man kann die Gewürze, die Zitronenschale oder den Vanillezucker aber auch ganz weglassen.




The Yeast Wreath or the Yeast Braid gets a shiny finish if you brush the outside with an eggwash and some milk just before baking. If you want, you can sprinkle the yeast braid with some pearl sugar or with sliced almonds or even glaze it after baking with a sugar icing. Often, the yeast braid also contains raisins or chocolate and can be filled with various fillings such as nuts or poppyseeds.

After cooling, the Hefekranz is cut into thick slices, which are often enjoyed with with butter, jam and honey.
Besonders schön glänzend wird der Hefekranz und auch der Hefezopf, wenn man ihn vor dem Backen mit Ei und etwa Milch bestreicht. Wenn man möchte, kann man den Hefezopf auch mit Hagelzucker oder mit gehobelten Mandeln bestreuen oder nach dem Backen mit Zuckerguss glasieren. Oft wird der Hefezopf auch mit Rosinen oder Schokolade verfeinert oder mit verschiedenen Füllungen wie beispielsweise Nüssen oder Mohn gefüllt.

Nach dem Abkühlen wird der Hefekranz in Scheiben geschnitten, die vor dem Verzehr mit Butter, Marmelade und Honig bestrichen werden können.




Easter Yeast Braid

Ingredients for the Yeast Wreath
  • 250 ml milk, lukewarm
  • 40 grams fresh yeast (or 1 tbsp dry yeast)*
  • 750 grams strong flour
  • 2 tsps yeast bread spice mix (optional)**
  • 110 grams superfine sugar
  • 2 eggs, (M), free-range or organic
  • 1 ½ tsps fine sea salt
  • 125 grams unsalted butter, melted
  • some flour for the work surface

Ingredients for the Topping
  • 2 tbsps pearl sugar
  • 1 egg (M)
  • 1 tbsp milk

Additional
  • one round baking pan (33 cm) or a baking sheet
  • some parchment paper
Oster-Hefezopf

Zutaten für den Zopf
  • 250 ml Milch, warm
  • 40 Gramm frische Hefe (oder 1 TL Trockenhefe)
  • 750 Gramm Mehl (Typ 550)
  • 2 TL Hefezopf-Gewürz*
  • 110 Gramm feinster Zucker
  • 2 Eier ( M), Freiland oder Bio
  • 1 1/2 TL feines Meersalz
  • 125 Gramm ungesalzene Butter, geschmolzen
  • Mehl zum Bearbeiten

Zutaten für den Belag
  • 2 EL Hagelzucker
  • 1 Ei (M)
  • 1 EL Milch

Außerdem
  • ein große runde Backform (33 cm) oder ein Backblech 
  • etwas Backpapier



Preparation of the Braid
  1. Heat the milk until lukewarm.
  2. Crumble the yeast cake and mix it with the milk until it has dissolved. NOTE: fresh yeast is available in the US here.
  3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, the spice mix (if using), the milk with the dissolved yeast, the sugar, eggs, the salt, and the butter. Using the dough hooks of your electric mixer, mix the dough at slow speed for about 3 minutes, then at high speed another 5 minutes.
  4. Gradually add the butter to the dough. Knead at high speed for another 5 minutes until the dough is shiny.
  5. Cover the mixing bowl with a humid tea towel and let it rest for about an hour in a warm and draft-free place.
  6. On a lightly floured surface knead the dough by hand for a minute or two. Divide the dough into thirds and let them rest, covered, for about 10 minutes.
  7. Roll each dough piece into a 90 cm-long rope and braid.
  8. Transfer the braid onto the prepared baking sheet, shape the braid into a wreath,  cover and let rest for another 45 minutes.
  9. Pre-heat your oven (200 degrees or 180 degrees convection).
  10. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg with the milk.
  11. Brush the wreath with the egg mix, sprinkle with pearl sugar and bake in the pre-heated oven for about 25 minutes. If the wreath is getting too dark, cover it loosely with some aluminum foil.

And should there be any leftovers, you can always warp them in foil – the pastry will stay fresh for a few days. And should the leftovers actually get stale, you can prepare a baked bread puddings or some delicious French toast, filled or plain. 
Zubereitung des Hefezopfs
  1. Milch lauwarm erwärmen. 
  2. Hefe zerbröseln und in der Milch auflösen.
  3. In eine große Schüssel das Mehl geben, das Hefezopf-Gewürz, die Hefemilch, den Zucker, die Eier, das Salz und Butter hinzufügen und mit den Knethaken der Küchenmaschine bei niedriger Geschwindigkeit 3 Minuten kneten. Danach das Tempo erhöhen und weitere 5 Minuten kneten. 
  4. Butter nach und nach unter den Teig kneten. Bei hohem Tempo weitere 5 Minuten zu einem glatten Teig kneten.
  5. Schüssel mit einem feuchten Geschirrtuch abdecken und an einem warmen Ort 1 Stunde gehen lassen.
  6. Den Teig auf einer leicht bemehlten Arbeitsfläche durchkneten. Den Teig dritteln und zugedeckt 10 Minuten ruhen lassen.
  7. 3 Stränge von je 90 cm Länge ausrollen und locker flechten. 
  8. Den Zopf auf ein mit Backpapier ausgelegtes Backblech legen, zu einem Kranz formen und zugedeckt 45 Minuten gehen lassen.
  9. Den Backofen vorheizen (200 Grad Elektro/180 Grad Umluft).
  10. Das Ei mit der Milch verquirlen.
  11. Den Hefekranz mit dem Ei bestreichen. Hagelzucker darüber streuen und im vorgeheizten Backofen bei 200 Grad auf der 2. Schiene von unten 25 Minuten backen. Die letzten 10 Minuten eventuell mit Alufolie abdecken.

Sollte der Hefekranz nicht ganz aufgegessen werden, kann man die Reste in Alufolie wickeln - so bleibt er noch ein paar Tage frisch. Aus altbackenem Hefekranz lassen sich aber auch leckere süße Hauptgerichte zubereiten, wie zum Beispiel Ofenschlupfer oder Arme oder Reiche Ritter.




Stay tuned – there will be more fabulous Easter treats making a delicious appearance on this blog very soon!


Sources:
for the Yeast Bread Spice Mix here
 for the fresh yeast in the US here



Es werden in den nächsten Tagen weitere fantastische Osterspezialitäten vorgestellt, also es lohnt sich öfter mal hier reinzuschauen!


Quelle:
das Hefezopf Gewürz kann man hier bestellen.


28 comments:

  1. Hi Andrea, what a beautiful wreath, I enjoy celebrating certain occasions and holidays with food, so nice to share that way. Beautiful post.

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    1. Dear Cheri, thank you very much - how nice that you like the Easter Wreath - I love seasonal baking, working with yeast dough, braiding and dyed Easter eggs - so this was a real fun post and there are a few more Easter posts to come!

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  2. We got a blast of cold weather last night...we woke up to snow...so as you can imagine, it was beautiful to see this wreath as I sip on my morning cappuccino. Thank you for sharing, my friend. I only wish I could share this wreath with you!

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    1. Dear Monet, the weather has been unseasonally warm and sunny around here - we did not even have one snowflake this year and all the flowers and trees are full of blossoms already - but we are not complaining and enjoying the nice waether while it lasts, It would be nice to share this wreath, the recipe makes one big wreath. Thank you for the comment - hope little Lucy is all well again!

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  3. Oh Andrea…a gorgeous Easter wreath! I’m sure you’re making wonderful memories for your girls. I love the pretty bright pink eggs on top…so very springy! I make an Easter Bread every year, it’s one my Aunt gave me years ago. It’s not only delicious, but a tradition now in my family! I make several, and send one to my son and his family, one to my aunt and keep one for us to enjoy!

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    1. Kathy, love to hear about your family´s traditions - these recipes I am making now will hopefully be part of my kids´ Easter baking tradition one day! I do have a really soft spot for these family recipes - as you might have noticed...Thanks for the wonderful comment!

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  4. Oh, Andrea, what a gorgeous yeast bread and an even better recipe explanation. I also am impressed by the deep pink and very even color of your Easter eggs. Did the girls do that? They are beautiful. I can never get that deep a color in mine. In my family we have no special things we bake for Easter - just a ham - so I will enjoy your suggestions and might even pick one to do myself. Nice baking, young lady.

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    1. Mary, yes, the kids actually cannot dye enough Easter eggs ist seems - always want to do more, so while I bake, they dye...I have quite the repertoire for Easter baking, it is starting to get a bit out of hand it seems, seriously, so little time and so many things I would still like to try out. Thank you so much for the comment!

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  5. a beautiful,sensational,awesome wreath...you are such an expert Andrea....great to learn so many fabulous dishes from your blog,thanks for sharing :-)

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    1. Kumar, thank you so much - glad that you enjoyed my excursion into traditional Easter fare!

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  6. What a beautiful braid, Andrea! I will definitely be making this and creating my own Hefezopf-Gewürz blend to use in it... I have lemons still on my tree for fresh zest, a knob of fresh turmeric root in my fridge, and lots of cinnamon, mace and cardamom at hand. What a wonderful way to celebrate Easter! Ganz liebe Grüße aus Tucson! (Heute - 26 grad C!) ~ David

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    1. Dear David, mixing your own spice - oh dear - I must admit I am seriousöy jealous of a lemon tree in your own garden - none here - fresh turmeric root, cinnamon , mace and cardamom all sound wonderful for this spice mix - now, all you need to do is braid and dye some lovely Easter eggs!
      By the way, it is raining today, thank goodness, I took my FFwD pictures yesterday because we also had so-called "Sahara dust" clouding the sky today.
      Liebe Grüße, Andrea

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  7. This is so beautiful and springy! I love the cheerful touch of the colored eggs, the sprig of blossoms, the embroidered tablecloth (it reminds me of my grandmother's embroidery). My mother always braided her Christmas stollen, and made it for Easter too. My mother's great grandmother came from Germany -- alas, i don't know from what region -- and started life in the US in a sod hut in Kansas. I can't help but wonder if her cookery is the root of our more recent family tradition. But never was any braided bread as beautiful as yours! It also brings to mind a long-forgotten family tradition for Holy Week. On Maundy Thursday, my mother would make an herb bread -- perhaps the bitter herbs were borrowed from the Seder? -- and braid it, and shape it into a noose, and present it at the dinner table and tell the story of Judas' betrayal and hanging. I have no idea where that intense tradition came from. Perhaps this year David and I will undertake making your beautiful Easter bread! Thank you so much for sharing it! - Mark

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    1. Dear Mark, thank you so much for your thoughtful and kind comment - I am honored that you took the time to tell me about your family´s traditions With my Easter "baking frenzy" I am trying to create a bit of a baking tradition for the kids, I hope that they will pick up on some of the recipes later in their lives and continue making the things that I make these days. They are certainly into dying Easter eggs - I seem to be visiting the farmers´ market every day for new, fresh eggs for them to color. Since we have had unseasonally warm temperatures around here, our cherry tree is in full bloom, alas, it never lasts long, so I could not help but place a branch on the table. Thank you, again, Mark, for taking the time to leave such a lovely comment! I certainly appreciate it!

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  8. Oh my goodness, Andrea! That looks so good!! I think its great idea to show off baking skills, but you my dear, would win hands down every time :) I can't wait to see what else you have coming up. I love sweet yeast breads, and I want to make this even though I don't celebrate Easter, its too delicious not to!

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    1. Nazneen, well, Easter or springtime baking - who is counting - and yeast breads, braided or not, with dyed eggs or not, are always a hit at our house. With this particular recipe, I was quite please that the wreath stayed moist for two days and that we ended up with no leftovers - usually, most of the yeast breads turn stale after the first day, but not so with this one. Baking competition...you create such beautiful baked cakes and cookies yourself...love them all. By the way, I am still looking for a ma´moul mold to bake the cookies from your blog.

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  9. Aaaaah, ich liebe ein Osterfrühstück mit frisch gebackenem Hefekranz und den bunten Eier und selbstgerechter Marmelade.... Kann ein Tag schöner beginnen? In der nächsten Woche sollen sich auch hier die Kirschblüten zeigen, letzte Nacht -2 Grad... Herzlichen Dank für den Frühlingsgruß!

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    1. Liebe Wally, ein Osterfrühstüch ist unschlagbar - auch wenn es noch nicht Pstern ist, färben die Kinder und ich schon fleißig Eier und der ein oder andere Osterzopf darf es auch schon sein. Herzlichen Dank für deine wunderbaren Kommentare!

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    2. wow, da haben sich bei mir aber viele Fehler eingeschlichen (ich liebe autocorrect :-) Osterkranz mit den bunten Eiern und selbst gemachter Marmelade.... yum..

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    3. Goodness, gracious - same here. Also: Osterfrühstück natürlich und dann auch noch Ostern...

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  10. Andrea that looks and sounds delicious! How lovely for Easter. I love the sound of the spice blend, were did you get it from?

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    1. Dear Laura, the link to the spice mix is at the bottom of the post. If you cannot get it in the UK, let me know, I will send you some. Here is the link again: http://www.shop.gewuerz-mueller.de/kaffee-kakao-dessertgewurze/1037-hefezopf-gewurzg30g.html
      Hope that helps!

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  11. What a beautifully braided Easter wreath. I was going to ask if the blossoms were pear or cherry but you mentioned in the comments that they were cherry. They are so pretty but fall too quickly.

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    1. Karen, how nice of you - thank you! Yes, cherry blossoms do not last long but they certainly are pretty while they do last!

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  12. So gorgeous and festive for Easter! I'm on the search to find that spice mix now:)

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    1. Christy, the link to the spice mix is at the bottom of the post. I am not sure that the spice merchant will send it overseas to the US but let me know if you are interested and cannot get it in the US, I will send you some, for sure!

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  13. Hi Andrea,
    I was thinking about making a hefezopf for next week. The pics are motivating me! Where in Germany are you? I'm in Hamburg. It's interesting that you have a bilingual blog but most of your readers are English speaking?
    Robin

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    1. Dear Robin, a Hefezopf is always such a nice treat, Easter or not - I am originally from Cologne but live in Bonn now. Yes, a lot of my comments are in English but that is probably due to the fact that I started out in English only and joined two international cooking groups. I also have lots of German readers but maybe they are just a bit shy when it comes to comments?!
      Thank you for stopping by!

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