It is March! March is a huge month in our house. My daughter, an Irish dancer, has the first three weeks pretty well booked with dancing all over the place. This week we head to Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, for a double Feis (Irish dance competition). She is excited because the first day is an afternoon Feis which is HIGHLY unusual. Feis usually start between 8:00 am and 9:00 am on Saturdays or Sundays. We are not a morning people so this is tough for us because we usually have to be up at 6:00 am to be ready to go. Now this Feis is at 4:30 pm. Yes! Our time of day. On Sunday we will be heading to Kalamazoo, Michigan, for an International Festival. A few of the girls from my daughter’s class will be dancing in this so if you are in the area stop by!
So how did I get to Zopf bread, which is Swiss, from St. Patrick’s Day? My daughter’s Girl Scout troop chose Switzerland for their International Festival. Each girl was asked to make a dish or sweet that represents that country. We researched and found Zopf bread. Zopf means braid or plait, which perfectly describes this bread. It turned out so well I wanted to share this with you.
Verdict:
I am NOT a baker. Ask me to mix a bunch of things together to make a meal and I am fine. I am not good with the precision of baking. This was my daughter’s project so I left it up to her. They made three batches of the bread. Each time they got better and better. The bread looked so pretty in the end that a parent hired her to bake her two loaves of the bread to make into centerpieces for a dinner.
The bread is light with a slightly yeasty taste to it. This was a great first bread for my daughter to make as she now realizes it can be fairly simple to bake.
Zopf Bread
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups milk, warmed in saucepan to touch
- 3 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1 package dry active yeast
- 3 3/4 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 egg, separated
Directions:
- In a large bowl place the lukewarm milk, sugar and sprinkle the yeast over the mixture. Cover and let the yeast proof, it will take about 8-10 minutes. If your yeast does not bubble up, throw it away and start again. Your milk may have been too hot or cold and your bread will not rise properly.
- Add the egg yolk, salt, flour, and melted butter to the yeast. Mix well using a wooden spoon until the dough comes together.
- Dust a table or counter with flour and place the dough on the surface. Knead the dough for 6-8 minutes until it becomes smooth and elastic.
- Divide the dough into 3 equal pieces for one loaf or 6 equal pieces for 2 loaves.
- Roll each piece into a long tube of equal length. Braid the three pieces together to make a loaf. Pinch the ends together and curl them under.
- Grease a baking sheet and place each loaf on the sheet. Beat the egg white and brush over the top of the bread. Cover the cloth with a warm towel (fresh from the dryer is good) and place in a warm area for one hour until the dough doubles in size.
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
- Brush the dough with egg whites again and bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.
- Remove pan from oven and allow to sit at least 5 minutes before cutting.
What's for Dinner Moms? 
Oh this looks awesome and very easy!! I am going to mix it in my bread machine and then bake in the oven!! Thank you for this!!
LikeLiked by 3 people
I hope it turns out well for you! Let me know how it goes in the bread machine. I use mine all the time but my daughter made this by hand.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I hope she enjoys her competition and traveling. That is a great recipe for bread. Thanks for sharing. . .
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thanks. My daughter loves to compete. We do this about 16 times a year.
LikeLiked by 1 person
This is absolutely beautiful and easy enough for me to try. I personally am scared to make bread. I always fear it will not rise…but I am happy to try this. Thanks so much for sharing 🙂
LikeLiked by 3 people
I am the same way. But, she made this on her own (with guidance from me) and it turned out so nice.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Wow! Good luck with the dancing! You sound busy. This bread looks great!
LikeLiked by 3 people
Thank you! She loves to dance so we spend a great deal of time traveling for it.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Yum this looks delicious and so beautiful! I’m going to try this. Thanks for sharing! Good luck at the competition!
LikeLiked by 3 people
Thank you. My daughter did a great job with the bread. I couldn’t believe how well it came out!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think your daughter is a natural when it comes to baking!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you! She is far better at baking than I am.
LikeLike
Looks lovely, you sure will be busy now!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you! Super busy and we love every moment of it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Nice!
LikeLiked by 1 person
The bread looks beautiful! I don’t have the “baking gene” either or whatever you call it, but it appears your daughter does! I am sure your daughter will have a great time with all the performances coming up. Yay for the late start time!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you! I think she is bitten by the baking bug.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s a beautiful loaf! How do you pronounce Feis? I hope your daughter does well at the dancing competition!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you! Feis rhymes with mesh. It means cultural arts festival in Gaelic.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ah thank you for the pronunciation! I’ve seen it written in so many of your posts and have wondered.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for sharing this recipe, going to try this soon 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you! Hope you like it.
LikeLiked by 1 person