“Bärner Ankezüpfe” (Bernese Butter Braid) is an absolutely non-diet Sunday breakfast/brunch classic. It’s named after the canton (state) of Bern, home to the Swiss capital of the same name. Züpfe – or Zopf as it’s called in other parts of the country – has been baked in Switzerland for hundreds of years.
Making Zopf takes time, but the smell and taste of it makes every minute well spent. The recipe yields 2 loafs of approximately 800 g each. It pairs very well with honey and jam.
By the way, in case you wondered, the name is pronounced [BAE-rner AHNG-keh-TSUP-fae] or just [TSO-pf].
Ingredients
- 1 kg white flour
- 30 g fresh yeast
- 1 tsp sugar
- 5 dl lukewarm milk (max. 35° C / 95° F)
- 180 g butter
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 whole eggs
- 1 egg yolk
- for egg wash: 2 egg yolks, 1 pinch of salt
Method
- Sieve flour into a larger pre-warmed bowl. Create a well at the center.
- Mix yeast and sugar until liquid. Add a cup of milk and mix thoroughly.
- Pour mixture into well.
- Blend with a small quantity of flour with your fingers to obtain a pre-ferment.
- Cover the bowl with a cloth and leave in a warm place for 20 minutes.
- In the meantime, melt the butter in the remaining warm milk. Heat temporarily if needed, but make sure temperature drops to under 35° C / 95° F before carrying on.
- Bury the pre-ferment under flour and sprinkle the salt across the top.
- Add the butter/milk mix slowly.
- Knead until no longer sticky (around 10 minutes).
- Cover again and put back in warm place for 1.5 hours.
- Remove dough from bowl and divide into four equal parts.
- Work each part into a strand around 75 cm / 2.5 ft long, with the center slightly thicker than the ends.
- Braid the two loafs as seen in the first part of this video. (The five-strand braid in the second part is not for beginners…)
- Place the loafs on a buttered baking sheet and leave to raise for 20 minutes.
- Generously brush the loafs with the egg wash. Leave in a cool place for 30 minutes while pre-heating the oven to 200° C / 390° F.
- Bake for 45-50 minutes.