A Delicious Hefezopf Recipe To Try Out For Easter – Or Anytime Of Year Really!
Want to make a yummy sweet bread? Hefezopf is for you!
Also known as German Easter Bread, this classic braided bread is lightly sweet and soft on the inside and finished with almonds or sugar crystals on the top!
German sweet bread is usually enjoyed with a little butter, some fruit jam, or both. Some people also like eating it on its own or with other breakfast spreads.
In Germany, this bread is typically called Hefezopf (yeast braid), but sometimes it’s also called Hefekranz (yeast wreath) when the bread is shaped like a wreath.
As mentioned, Hefezopf is also so known as Easter bread since it is often eaten for Easter. This is a classic bread that Lisa grew up eating around this holiday in Germany.
In English, Hefezopf is also sometimes known as sweet bread due to its taste or braided bread due to its shape.
This German Hefezopf is similar to a Hungarian kalács – a sweet bread eaten at Easter. The wreath version is called Húsvéti kalácskoszorú (essentially “Easter bread wreath”).
Recipe Tips & Substitutions
Before you tackle this Hefezopf recipe, consider these recipe tips so you’ll know what to expect:
- Since you’re working with yeast, make sure that your yeast is still good and hasn’t expired yet. Also, make sure that the milk isn’t too hot, or else you may harm the yeast and the dough will not rise.
- This recipe is not difficult to make but it’s important to give the dough enough time to rise. So please be patient when making this recipe.
- Rolling out the dough can sometimes be a bit tough. In this case, wet your hands with a touch of water. It will help the dough sausage from contracting as much.
- In Germany, you typically decorate this bread with sugar crystals called Hagelzucker, but since that is difficult to get in North America, we usually use sliced almonds.
How to Make Hefezopf – Step by Step Instructions
To make this German braided bread, you can find the recipe card with exact measurements at the bottom of this post.
For those wanting to follow along with visuals for the recipe steps, you can check out the recipe process photos in this section.
This way, if you have questions about how things are done, you can refer to the photos as visual aids!
Add the flour, sugar, and salt to a large mixing bowl. Give everything a stir with a spoon.
Next, add the dry instant yeast.
Heat up the milk in the microwave or in a small pot on the stove. It should be warm but not hot as this might harm the yeast.
Mix the contents in the bowl together with the spiral dough hooks of your electric mixer while slowly adding the warm milk to the bowl.
Next, add the vanilla extract, egg, and soft butter while continuing to mix with your electric mixer. Make sure that the egg and the butter are at room temperature since you are working with yeast.
Keep mixing for around 5 minutes until all the ingredients have combined and your dough has an elastic consistency that doesn’t stick to the sides of the bowl.
If the dough is too crumbly, add a little bit of milk. If it is too sticky, add a tiny bit more flour.
Shape the dough into a ball with your hands, then place it back into the bowl.
Cover the bowl with a dishtowel or lid and place it in a warm spot without a draft in your house. Allow the dough to rise for approximately 60 minutes.
Once the dough has sat for an hour and noticeably increased in size, sprinkle a little bit of flour onto your countertop. Briefly knead the dough with your hands.
Then cut or rip the dough into three equally sized pieces.
Roll the pieces of dough with your hands until they become sausages that are around 20 inches long.
Make sure all three pieces are the same length. If it’s difficult to roll the dough, wet your hands a little bit with some water.
Use the three pieces of dough and braid them as you would braid hair. Gently press the ends together.
You can even use a little water as “glue” to help stick the ends to one another.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and gently place the braided bread on top of the parchment paper.
Cover it with a dishtowel and let it sit in a warm spot for around 30 minutes.
Towards the end of the 30 minutes, crack the egg for the egg wash into a small bowl and whisk it with a fork until uniform in color.
Also, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Once the 30 minutes are up, remove the dishtowel from the braided bread and gently brush it with the egg (you probably won’t need the whole egg).
You can now sprinkle the bread with sugar crystal, sliced almonds, or other decorations of your choice.
Bake the bread in the oven for approximately 30 minutes until cooked and nicely browned.
Watch it towards the end to make sure that it doesn’t get too brown or burns. If you’re worried about that, cover the bread with aluminum foil for the last few minutes of baking.
Remove the baked bread from the oven and let it cool so it will be easier to cut. You can eat it slightly warm or cold.
Serve the bread as part of (Easter) brunch. As mentioned, it is often eaten with butter, some fruit jam, or other breakfast/brunch spreads.
Storage Tips
This yeast bread tastes best fresh in our opinion, so we would recommend making it the day of or maximum a day before.
You can store any leftovers in a plastic container with a lid in a cool and dry place such as your basement or the garage. This way, the bread doesn’t dry out too much. Eat the leftovers as soon as possible though since it is best fresh.
You can also cut off a portion of the bread and freeze it in a sealed freezer bag.
To reheat the bread (if you want to eat it warm), you can cut a slice and place it in the microwave for a few seconds until warmed through.
FAQ
Hefezopf is German Sweet Bread that is usually enjoyed at Easter. Topped sugar crystals and/or sliced nuts, Hefezopf is made from braided yeast dough and can be shaped into a loaf or a circular wreath.
You braid Hefezopf like you would three chunks of hair. Tuck the ends in at each end to ensure a uniform look to the loaf. To make a wreath, you’ll need longer lengths of dough that will be able to form a circle around an object – like a bowl.
Related Recipes
If you are searching for more great sweet recipes, try these classics on for size:
- Milchreis – Delicious German rice pudding you eat for dinner
- Ice Cream Coffee – German Eiskaffee is the perfect treat on a hot summer day
- Bavarian Cream – A classic, custardy dessert with fruit puree on top!
Hefezopf (German Sweet Bread)
Ingredients
The Dough
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- a pinch of salt
- 3 teaspoons instant dry yeast
- 1 cup milk, warm
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 medium egg, at room temperature
- 1/3 cup butter, at room temperature
The Topping
- 1 small egg, for egg wash
- sugar crystals, sliced almonds, or similar
Instructions
- Add the flour, sugar, and salt to a large mixing bowl. Give everything a stir with a spoon, then add the yeast and mix everything together with the spiral dough hooks of your electric mixer while slowly adding the warm milk.
- Next, add the vanilla extract, egg (at room temperature), and soft butter while continuing to mix with your electric mixer. Keep mixing for around 5 minutes until all the ingredients have combined and your dough has an elastic consistency that doesn’t stick to the sides of the bowl. If the dough is too crumbly, add a little bit of milk. If it is too sticky, add a tiny bit more flour.
- Shape the dough into a ball with your hands, then place it back into the bowl. Cover the bowl with a dishtowel or lid and place it in a warm spot without a draft in your house. Allow the dough to rise for approximately 60 minutes.
- Once the dough has sat for an hour and noticeably increased in size, sprinkle a little bit of flour onto your countertop. Briefly knead the dough with your hands, then cut or rip it into three equally sized pieces.
- Roll the pieces of dough with your hands until they become sausages that are around 20 inches long. Make sure all three pieces are the same length. If it’s difficult to roll the dough, wet your hands a little bit with some water.
- Use the three pieces of dough and braid them as you would braid hair. Gently press the ends together. You can even use a little water as "glue" to help stick the ends to one another.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and gently place the braided bread on top of the parchment paper. Cover it with a dishtowel and let it sit in a warm spot for around 30 minutes.
- Towards the end of the 30 minutes, crack the egg for the egg wash into a small bowl and whisk it with a fork until uniform in color. Also, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Once the 30 minutes are up, remove the dishtowel from the braided bread and gently brush it with the egg (you probably won’t need the whole egg). You can now sprinkle the bread with sugar crystal, sliced almonds, or other decorations of your choice.
- Bake the bread in the oven for approximately 30 minutes until cooked and nicely browned (but make sure it doesn’t get too brown or gets burned – if you’re worried about that, cover the bread with aluminum foil for the last few minutes of baking).
- Remove the baked bread from the oven and let it cool so it will be easier to cut. You can eat it slightly warm or cold.
Notes
- Make sure to use yeast that hasn’t expired yet.
- When preparing the yeast, make sure that the milk is warm but not too hot since this might harm the yeast and the dough might not rise.
- Instead of braiding it into a long bread, you can also braid it into a wreath. Some people like to this and then place colored eggs into the middle of it for Easter brunch.
- In Germany, this Hefezopf is often decorated with sugar crystals called “Hagelzucker”. Since this type of sugar can be very difficult to find in North America, we like decorating with sliced almonds when making it on this side of the ocean.
Nutrition
This nutritional information has been estimated by an online nutrition calculator. It should only be seen as a rough calculation and not a replacement for professional dietary advice.
I have used this recipe several times and it always comes out so fluffy. We absolutely love it, we top with a mixture of powdered sugar and lemon juice after baking.
Amazing! Thanks for leaving a comment, Sabrina!
Thank you! My Mom used to make two of these breads every holiday and our family of eight would have it in the morning with a bit of unsalted butter spread on each slice with our tea or coffee before we got busy making the holiday meal. My Mom passed away a few years ago and I misplaced her recipe. My son found your recipe and made me the bread in place of a Birthday cake this week. It brought years and years of memories back to me and was the best Birthday present I have had in years! Thank you!
Happy belated birthday, Donna! I’m so happy to hear that this recipe brought happy memories back.
I’m making it for me and my girl scout troop, and I think it’s gonna come out of the oven delicious!
That’s awesome, Adeline! I hope you enjoyed it.
A good recipe.
High altitude adjustments? I am at 6,350′
I’m sorry Cher, but I’m not familiar with high altitute cooking so I can’t give you any specific adjustments. In general though, you may need slightly less flour and/or slightly more milk so I would add the ingredients in small increments until you have an elastic dough. Also, the rising time will likely be less and you may want to reduce the amount of yeast, the baking time may be longer. I’m sorry I can’t be more helpful! /Lisa
Add a little more flour, 2-3 Tbsps.