Of versions of the Butterzopf, the Swiss butter braid, I have already proposed several…
I don't stop, however, and I present yet another one!

A slightly more challenging version to prepare but, believe me, definitely good and with a captivating flavour!

It is important, as in many other preparations, to have all the ingredients, already dosed and weighed, ready on the kitchen surface; like this, for example, while ferment the yeast, the butter cut into pieces will soften to the right point.
…and we will be sure we haven't forgotten anything!

Now, starting as always with the ingredients, let's start kneading.

ingredients:

Preparation:

In a bowl mix the crumbled yeast and mix with all the milk and water indicated. Also add the sugar and 4 (3 – 2) CT. of the flour mixture.
Mix well, cover and leave this base to rest away from drafts (I use the oven off...) for half an hour.

After this time, add the salt to the remaining flour, mix and add half of it to the base left to rest.
Begin kneading until completely absorbed.

Continuing to mix, add the butter and the egg.

As soon as these are absorbed, add the rest of the flour, mixing for about ten minutes until a smooth and homogeneous mixture is obtained.

Fold it over itself a couple of times, gather it into a ball and let it rise covered and protected for an hour and a half.

Transfer the leavened dough to the work surface and divide it into two equal parts (or in fours if you want to form smaller braids); then shape the dough into balls and leave them to rest on the work surface, covered with a cloth, for another half hour.

Form each ball of dough into elongated sticks…

.. and start braiding until it forms a nice double braid.
(there are those who prefer to form three sticks, place them side by side and then do the classic three-braid; I find the two braid more comfortable!)

Place the braid (or braids) on a baking tray covered with baking paper and brush it with very little milk; let rise covered for about twenty minutes.

Start heating the oven (static) to 200°C.

After the twenty minutes of rest, mix an egg with a little milk and generously brush the braid.

Cook in a preheated oven at 200°C for 40' to 50' (depending on the size...).

Remove from the oven and leave to cool on a wire rack.

At this point the braid is ready to be sliced ​​and served:
bon appetit!

ADVICES AND NOTES:

• Recipe, text only: to print or download.
• Salt: correspondence in teaspoons (ct.): ct. 5 = g. 20 – ct. 3=16 – 2=10.
• Egg: much more convenient to use a small egg (50g.) instead of measuring ¾ of a normal egg!
• The braid, when well cooled, can be kept for several days in a paper bag placed inside a plastic bag.
• See also: Butterzopf-Butter braid, Mrs Beer's Butterzopf, Spelled braid-UrDinkel-Zopf