Craving for Zopf? You'll have to wait till Sunday!

I absolutely love bread... so whenever I'm in Switzerland, its like I'm in bread heaven!! According to swissworld.org, there are possibly 200 to 300 varieties of bread in Switzerland, each canton has its own traditional loaf, and there are all sorts of special loaves for special days and occasions.

My favorite pick is the Zopf, a braided loaf that is only available on Sundays in Switzerland. Made traditionally with a high proportion of butter and fresh milk, Zopf is braided in distinct signature style - either the 2 or 4 strands method, not 3. The braided dough is typically brushed with egg yolk before baking to give it a dark brown crust.

Suffering from swiss bread withdrawal symptoms since my trip a few weeks back, I gave the Zopf recipe I had a try on Sunday. Preparing the dough itself was simple and straightforward. Braiding the dough was a little tricky and I definitely need more practice on that. Would advise anyone who is trying the Zopf that the 2 strand method is easier than the 4 strand method (in my humble opinion). I did however leave my loaf in the oven for a couple of minutes too long hence resulting in a darker crust than I would prefer - thankfully it didn't affect the taste of the bread!! Yummy!!