On Sundays, there is nothing quite like a home-made zopf, or braided loaf. And on public holidays, like Easter, the zopf definitely belongs on the breakfast table. When shaping the zopf, it is important that there are no cracks in the strands of dough. A little trick offers zopf bakers an easy means of dealing with this: instead of making two strands from the outset, you should first make one thick roll using all the dough. You can then cut this into two. The two strands now only need to be rolled out very quickly. And there’s one more tip: the zopf can be ready-braided on Saturday and baked fresh on Sunday. You only need let the dough rise for a short time (20 to 30 minutes). Then you can braid the zopf, brush it with egg and place it in the fridge. Brush it again the next day then pop it in the oven. It’s worth it, as the only thing better than a zopf on Sundays is a warm zopf on Sundays!
