I love baking yeast braids, and Easter is a great occasion. They smell deliciously while baking, the recipe‘s simple, the dough easy to work with, and I‘m left with a lot of fluffy goodness that makes for a great gift to friends and neighbors.
Braided yesterday evening, the dough sits overnight. I add a coat of almond splits and bake it in the morning. I measure the braid‘s core temperature for reliable results - it‘s perfect at 93 C, I leave it in the oven at 180 C until done.
The best part is the crumb ofc, I like to add milk-soaked raisins that bring sweetness and nice mouthfeel.
That crumb looks amazing! Can I trouble you for a recipe?
Mix and knead for a smooth, non-sticky dough. Then add
in flakes to the dough. Continue kneading until the dough is homogenous.
Let the dough sit for 75 min at 20-22 C in an airtight container. Then separate into 4 equal parts, that you form into round shapes. Let those sit airtight for 15 min, then roll them into sausages of 35cm length each.
Follow this video for braiding: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3DMnxeaDtFc&pp=ygUYem9wZiBmbGVjaHRlbiA0IHN0csOkbmdl&ra=m
Put the braid on baking paper, put that into an airtight container or wrap it with kitchen wrap. Let it sit at 20 - 22 C for 30 min. Then put it into the fridge at 5 C for 12-16h.
The next morning, mix
and apply beaten almond flakes for sprinkling.
Put the braid into the pre-heated oven at 220 C, reduce immediately to 180 C. Open the oven after 10 min to let out the steam, and bake until 93 C core temperature — you‘ll reach that after approx. 30 min.