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Zopf is a swiss egg bread that’s traditionally made in the shape of a braid, but you can also bake it right in the bread machine.
The word “Zopf” comes from the Swiss/German word “Züpfe,” which means “to braid.” The bread itself is very common in Switzerland, and there are many traditional variations.
The mains thing is that it’s a light and fluffy egg bread, and when made on a tray, it’s formed into the shape of a braid. Specifically, it’s a braid that looks like what results when you braid your hair, with one end thicker than the other.
Zopf is similar in some ways to challah, or Jewish egg bread, but it’s fluffier and less rich. It’s made with milk and butter, which you won’t find in challah. It also has whole eggs, rather than just egg yolks.
While challah contains oil and honey, due to Jewish dietary restrictions it does not contain dairy. It also usually contains extra egg yolks which make it a very rich, yellow bread.
Zopf is a pale shade, just barely yellow, and it has lots of extra lift due to the egg whites. It also keeps on the counter better than challah, as milk helps bread not only rise better, but also stay soft for days.
Bread Machine Zopf
While it sounds like a complicated traditional bread, you can actually make a truly delicious zopf right in the bread machine.
The “braid” shape is traditional, but the bread is still absolutely delicious if baked in a bread machine pan. If you want to shape the loaf, you can still make this bread machine zopf recipe as a “dough only” batch, and then shape it on a tray for the oven.
I’ve tried it both ways, but the flavor and texture are much the same either way. I’ve chosen to just use the bread machine pan since it’s so much simpler.
Ingredients for Bread Machine Zopf
To make zopf in the bread machine, you’ll need the following for a 2 pound loaf (16 slices):
Liquid Ingredients (Add First)
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2/3 cup water
- 1 large egg
- 3 Tbsp butter, unsalted, room temperature, cut into pieces
Dry Ingredients( On Top of Liquid Layer)
- 4 cups bread flour
- 1 1/2 Tbsp sugar
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 1/4 teaspoons SAF yeast (or 2 3/4 tsp bread machine yeast)
To make a one and a half pound loaf (12 slices), you’ll need:
Liquid Ingredients (Add First)
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/3 cup water
- 1 large egg
- 2 Tbsp butter, unsalted, room temperature, cut into pieces
Dry Ingredients( On Top of Liquid Layer)
- 3 cups bread flour
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons SAF yeast (or 2 1/2 tsp bread machine yeast)
As with any bread machine recipe, the order of operations is important. Start by placing all the wet ingredients in the pan, and then use the flour to create an “island” for the dry ingredients.
Make small wells in the flour and set the sugar, salt and yeast so they don’t get wet in the liquid ingredients.
Set your bread machine to “basic white” and select your crust darkness. I’d recommend medium for this loaf.
In about 4 hours, your bread machine should “ding” with a lovely, fluffy loaf of homemade zopf.
This recipe for Bread Machine French Bread is adapted from The Bread Lover’s Bread Machine Cookbook, which is my absolute favorite bread machine recipe book.
Bread Machine Zopf (Swiss Egg Bread)
Equipment
Ingredients
Liquid Ingredients (Add First)
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2/3 cup water
- 1 egg
- 3 Tbsp butter, unsalted, room temperature, cut into pieces
Dry Ingredients( On Top of Liquid Layer)
- 4 cups bread flour
- 1 1/2 Tbsp sugar
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 1/4 tsp SAF Instant Yeast, or 2 3/4 tsp bread machine yeast
Instructions
- Place the ingredients into the bread machine pan, starting with the liquid ingredients listed first.
- Place the flour on top of the liquid ingredients and create a small well in the flour.
- Nestle the salt and yeast in the flour well, then close the lid.
- Set the bread machine to bake using the basic cycle and medium crust setting (or equivalent settings on your machine).
- Press start and allow the machine to cycle.
- Once the baking cycle is complete, open the lid and allow the bread to cool for a few minutes before removing it from the pan and cooling completely on a cooling rack on the counter.
Notes
Liquid Ingredients (Add First)
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/3 cup water
- 1 large egg
- 2 Tbsp butter, unsalted, room temperature, cut into pieces
Dry Ingredients( On Top of Liquid Layer)
- 3 cups bread flour
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons SAF yeast (or 2 1/2 tsp bread machine yeast)
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Bread Machine Recipes
Looking for more easy bread machine recipes?
- Bread Machine Whole Wheat Bread
- Bread Machine White Bread
- Bread Machine Cinnamon Raisin Bread
- Bread Machine Zucchini Bread
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