Braiding 2-8 strand braid - DIY instructions

• Basic recipe for the Hefezopf
• Braids braid
  • Yeast braid with 2 strands
  • Hefezopf braiding with 3 strands
  • Yeast braid with 4 strands
  • Hefezopf weave with 5 strands
  • Yeast braid with 6 strands
  • Breadbread weave with 7 strands
  • Hefezopf braiding with 8 strands
  • Braid braid or yeast wreath
• Decoration of the yeast cake

Even if the tastes are different, a delicious Hefezopf everyone likes. There is a veritable plethora of different recipes for yeast pots. The instructions for weaving well-formed bakery products are also different. But there are some very simple tricks to braid the perfect yeast pot with the desired number of strands.

Although the ingredients for the delicious sweet braid are almost the same as for a simple loaf of bread, the braided piece will turn into a delicious cake in a short time. However, you should not count calories in the braid, because thanks to high fat and sugar of this yeast cake is not for the slim line. Here we show you how to braid the braid with a different number of strands. In addition, you will find three very different recipes for the Hefezopf for every taste. All recipes are united by the lichen pattern and the sprinkling with hail sugar or almonds.

You definitely need this:

• baking sheet
• pastry brush
• Dough scraper
• Mixing Machine
• mixing paddle
• Teigbrett
• mixing bowl
• wheat flour
• fresh yeast
• sugar
• salt
• butter
• milk
• eggs

Braid or wreath

The Hefezopf is often also shaped as a wreath. The recipe and the preparation are the same. For the pre-Christmas time, the yeast wreaths are often provided with four candles used as Advent wreath. At Easter serve small yeast wreaths as egg nests, which also represent a delicious Easter breakfast. In many regions, there are variations of recipe, number of strands and shape of the braid. But the decoration with hail sugar or almonds also turns out very differently. In some regions even a frosting is put on the braid.

Basic recipe for the Hefezopf

A normal old-fashioned recipe for a sweet braid is this:

• 1 kilo of wheat flour
• 1 cube of fresh yeast
• 100 to 150 grams of sugar
• 550 milliliters of lukewarm milk
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 100 grams of butter
• 1 egg
• possibly cream, hail sugar or almond flakes

Dough production for the basic recipe

There are always different ways of making yeast dough. Some baking friends prefer to work with a pre-dough. Others dissolve the yeast in the sugar and others crumble the fresh yeast into the flour. The variant of mixing sugar and yeast is simple and suitable for the production of a sweet yeast dough.

Tip: No matter which variant you prefer, the salt should be added at the very end. So if you are kneading the dough the last time, you should evenly distribute the salt over it. For example, if the salt is already added to the pre-dough, some of the yeast will die and the dough will not rise properly.

The yeast cube is easily crushed and mixed with the sugar. The yeast dissolves almost completely in the sugar, when sugar and yeast form a unit, they come to the flour in a large bowl. The butter is melted at the lowest level in a pot. The butter should not get really hot, but it should just melt. Then the milk is slowly added to the butter with constant stirring. The milk butter then comes over the flour. The mixture should not be more than lukewarm. Then the dough is well kneaded. You should do it with your hands and not with a mixer.

The dough should rest for at least one hour in a warm place. Cover it again with the lukewarm damp cotton cloth so that it does not dry out. The dough should have increased by about twice after this hour. Then the dough is kneaded well again.

Once you have plaited a piece of your choice, you only have to brush it with an egg before it is put in the oven for 45 minutes at 200 ° C.

Braids braid

Divide the dough into as many pieces as you want to braid strands. The simplest variant is the 2-strand braid, but real experts also create eight strands. When baking, however, you must note that more air is embedded between the individual strands, the more strands you create. Therefore, the braid when baking does not take so long, the more strands are braided.

Two strands in a braid are actually no real wicker, this only begins with three strands. The dough pieces should therefore be the same size and the same length after rolling.

Tip: Some brawn bakers roll the entire dough into a larger roll and then divide it so that the dough remains at one end. The individual strands are not rolled in this case. During the later rising and baking it can happen, however, that the braid overall becomes somewhat bulky and uneven. 4.1. Zweistrangzopf

Yeast braid with 2 strands

The two equal-long and even-thick dough sausages are placed on the table one above the other like a cross. The vertical sausage is on top. The horizontally running sausage is struck once over each other, whose ends change the sides. The same is repeated with the vertical sausage. So will continue now in the change. The braid then tilts once, twice braid to the side and is simply further braided sideways. The end is about to pass.

Hefezopf braiding with 3 strands

Lay the dough pieces side by side on a floured baking sheet. At the beginning of the braid you can squeeze the three sausages together. That does not have to look nice at first, but should only ensure cohesion.

• Put the right strand over the middle one
• The left strand is placed over the now central strand
• Then the right strand is laid over the now lying strand in the middle again
• Proceed as evenly as possible at the distances
• Never braid twice from the same side with three sausages

Yeast braid with 4 strands

The four dough sausages are placed side by side on the table and joined together at the top.

The right, outer strand is placed in the middle, followed by the left, outer strand. This is also placed in the middle, but over the formerly right, outer strand. Repeat this process until you have arrived at the end of the Hefezopfes. At the end all dough sausages are pressed together to a round conclusion.

Hefezopf weave with 5 strands

Now it's starting to get a little harder, though five dough sausages are braided in the same way as three. You basically need to braid a 3-strand braid twice.

• Spread all five sausages evenly and squeeze together at the beginning
• Disregard the two left sausages
• Cross the right three sausages once as described above
• Now disregard the two right-hand sausages
• The left three sausages intertwine as above
• Then let rest the two sausages left now
• Continue with the right three sausages
• Repeat this process until the end is reached
• Compress end again and pass

Yeast braid with 6 strands

Actually, in six strands, the two outer sausages are placed across the braid. The basic principle is: above, two sausages must be in opposite directions.

• Right strand to the left and vice versa.
• The former right strand (is now left) is placed over his colleague in the middle.
• To replace it, put the right strand on the left side.
• The first strand coming from the left (which has rested on the top right) is only now placed in the middle.
• This is again replaced by the left outer strand, which is again placed across.
• There must always be two sausages at the top that point in opposite directions.

Breadbread weave with 7 strands

Now, some concentration is required, but if you stubbornly stick to the basic instructions, also a braid of seven parts succeeds. All braids are distributed evenly next to each other and pressed together at the top. For seven parts, the basic rule is:

• Outside over one and under two

So place the right outer sausage over the next one inwards and lift the next two sausages inwards over this sausage coming from the outside. Do the same on the left side. They always lift the outer strand over one and under two strands. So always another strand comes to the edge. Important are only concentration and the change between right and left.

Tip: A plait of nine strands is braided almost as well as this one with seven parts. Only with the sausage in each case two strips are overcome and then placed over two. Here it is called: outside over two and under two.

Hefezopf braiding with 8 strands

The pleasing thing about the eight-pork braid is that it is braided the same way as the six-strand braid. It does not matter how many more strands you want to use.

The two outer strands are always placed across and then placed in the middle. As a replacement, the strand is again transversely overlapped from the outside. If required, you can even weave a yeast pot with twelve strands. However, you should then comminute the individual sausages, as they tend to stick together when braiding and already want to connect.

Braid braid or yeast wreath

The easiest way to make a wreath with a hole in the middle is to use a 3-strand braid and laminate the composite piece with a cut pattern. A round braid without a hole in the middle gets a bit more complicated. You will need four pieces of dough.

• Place two sausages side by side on the baking tray
• Arrange a sausage in the middle across it, passing it over one of the two and under the other
• Arrange the second sausage in the middle, exactly the opposite way over and under the other sausage
• Then it goes around once to the left, so put one strand end over the other
• Then it goes to the right, the left longer ends are now placed to the right
• Repeat according to the size of the button or round braid or stub ends and pass

Tip: You can also braid the round braid, which is known locally as a button, with more than four strands. The basic principle remains the same.

Decoration of the yeast cake

After braiding, the braid is brushed with the beaten egg and optionally sprinkled with sugar or almonds. Some also prefer a mix of the two components. It is only important that the decoration is distributed evenly.

Modifications of the basic dough

Many different recipes have come into use, some of which come from regional references. A recipe is based, for example, on the idea of ​​a housewife who had no milk in the house. Instead of milk is added to the recipe so very noble cream. This leads to a completely different loose consistency of the finished dough. If cream is added instead of milk, you should not use the same amount, because cream behaves a little differently. If necessary, replace the rest of the liquid with a little lukewarm water. There are countless variants, here are a few

Possibilities for changes:

• raisins
• chocolate flake
• hazelnuts
• walnuts
• sultanas
• Chopped dried fruit
• Powdered sugar on the braid
• Cover glaze
• chocolate coating

Tips for quick readers:

• Make a batter from milk, yeast, flour
• Let it rest for 20 minutes
• optionally yeast in sugar aufdröseln
• Add salt to the dough in the end
• Knead the dough well and cover
• let it go for about an hour
• Knead again slightly
• Divide the dough into even lumps
• single lumps to strands roll
• Interweave strands - press ends together
• Brush the yeast cake with whisked egg
• Sprinkle hail sugar and / or almonds
• Braid bake 200 degrees for about 45 minutes