Rich and fluffy vegan butterzopf ( or classic Swiss braided bread) with have the spotlight at your next brunch.
Course Breakfast
Cuisine Swiss
Keyword bread, enriched dough
Prep Time 20minutes
Cook Time 40minutes
Proofing 2hours
Total Time 3hours
Servings 1large loaf
Ingredients
Wet ingredients
80g(⅓ cup) vegan margarine
440g(1 ¾ cup) soy milk, or your favorite plant-based milk
Dry ingredients
720g(6 cups)unbleached all-purpose flour
18g(1 tbsp)fine sea salt
7g(1 ¼ teaspoon or 1 package)instant quick-rise yeast
13g(1 tbsp)white granulated sugar
14g(1 tbsp)vegetable oil, for greasing the bowl
Glaze
40g(2 tbsp)maple syrup, or agave syrup
30g(2 tbsp)soy milk, or your favorite plant-based milk
30g(2 tbsp)canola oil, I use canola or another light tasting vegetable oil
Instructions
In a small saucepan, melt the margarine over medium-low heat. Add the plant-based milk and heat until the mixture is between 122°F-130°F (50°C-55°C), or the temperature your yeast manufacturer recommends. The liquids should be the temperature of a warm bath but not too hot to the touch.
In the bowl of your stand mixer, put the flour in the bottom and add the salt and sugar on top of the flour on one side of the bowl. Add the instant yeast to the opposite side of the bowl so that the yeast is not in contact with the sugar and salt.
When the liquids are at the right temperature, quickly stir all the dry ingredients together before adding the liquid all at once. Using the dough hook, start mixing on low for 3 to 5 minutes, or until your dough looks like a shaggy ball of dough and is starting to detach from the side of your bowl. Add additional water or flour as needed at this stage.
Continue kneading on low for an additional 7 to 10 minutes, or until the dough looks smooth and is slightly elastic.
Remove the dough from the bowl and shape it into a rough ball. Gease the bowl alightly with thevegetanble oil, place the dough back in the bowl and grease the top of the dough too. Place a clean dishtowel on top of the bowl and leave to rise for 30 to 45 minutes, or until the dough has doubled in size.
Punch out the air in the dough and place it on a lightly floured work surface. Divide the dough in 2 and roll each half into 25 to 30 inches ( 65 to 75 cm) long ropes that are a bit thicker in the middle and tapered at the ends.
Braid the dough (see instructions in the blog post), and place on a baking tray lined with a piece of parchment paper.
Whisk together the syrup and milk for the glaze and then drizzle in the oil while continuing to whisk until the oil emulsifies with the milk. Brush the glaze all over the braided dough, not missing any spots even around the sides.
Leave uncovered to proof for an additional 45 minutes to 1 hour, adjusting the proofing time as needed. You will know the dough is ready when you slightly poke the dough and it slowly springs back but still leaves an indent.
Toward the end of the rise, preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C).
Brush another coat of glaze on top of the bread before baking for about 35-40 minutes, or until the bread is golden brown all over and when you tap the underside of the bread it sounds hollow. Optional: if you want a very shiny dough, you can even give your bread a third coat of glaze in the middle of the cooking process.
Leave the bread to cool completely before slicing or tearing it apart. Enjoy!