Original Swabian yeast plait

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 600 g flour
• 1 cube of yeast, fresh
• ½ tsp salt
• 350 ml milk, lukewarm
• 125 g butter, liquid, lukewarm
• 60 g sugar
• 1 egg(s)
• Flour for the work surface
• possibly sugar granules
• possibly almond flakes or almond sticks
• possibly raisins
• 1 egg yolk
• some sweet cream, if desired

Instructions

Working time approx. 15 minutes; Rest time approx. 2 hours; Total time approx. 2 hours 15 minutes

Super light and airy soft – like from the bakery; only better!

Combine all ingredients (with or without raisins, depending on your taste) in a large plastic bowl. Knead with the dough hook of a hand mixer (or food processor) until the dough is nice and smooth and pulls away from the sides of the bowl (the longer, the better the dough). The dough should have a consistency similar to “spaetzle dough,” so don’t be alarmed—it won’t be a typical yeast dough that you can knead by hand, but rather a relatively liquid one. After baking, you’ll see that this is what makes the delicious braid. Then cover the bowl and let the dough rise. When it has at least doubled in size, turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface and, without kneading it again, divide it into 3 equal pieces. If possible, don’t use any additional flour, otherwise the braid will be too dry. Then braid the braid, place it diagonally on the baking sheet, and let it rise again. Once the plaited loaf has risen nicely, brush it with the egg yolk and cream mixture and, if desired, sprinkle with granulated sugar and flaked or slivered almonds. Bake at 180°C (convection oven) for approximately 20-25 minutes. After 20 minutes, test the dough with a wooden skewer to see if it’s still sticky. If it’s not, remove from the oven.