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5 from 48 votes

Swiss Braided Bread

Swiss braided bread is soft and light on the inside with a super crispy crust. This bread is a must for any Sunday morning brunch. This vegan version is just as delicious as the traditional one and it's also super easy to make!
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time35 minutes
Resting Time3 hours 30 minutes
Total Time4 hours 35 minutes
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: swiss
Keyword: braided bread, Bread
Servings: 10 servings
Author: Carlo Cao

Ingredients

First dough

  • 35 g lukewarm water ((1½ oz))
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • *25 g fresh brewer's yeast
  • 50 g bread flour 12% protein ((1¾ oz))

Second dough

  • 1 st dough
  • 550 g bread flour 12% protein ((19 oz))
  • 250 ml soy milk ((9 oz))
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 110 g vegan butter ((4 oz))
  • 10 g salt ((⅓ oz))

Topping

  • 2 tbsp. soy cream
  • 1 tablespoon pearl sugar

Instructions

First dough

  • Put water, sugar and yeast in a bowl and mix until dissolved. Add flour and mix briefly. Form a ball, cover the bowl with a damp cloth and let the pre-dough rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes.

Second dough

  • Add flour, milk, sugar, butter and salt to the pre-dough and knead everything with a kneading machine or food processor or by hand until a smooth dough is formed. Put the dough in a large bowl, cover with a damp cloth and let it rise until doubled (about 2 hours).
  • For braiding, divide the dough into 3 equal portions and shape them into strands about 40 cm (16 inches) long. Braid them into a plait.
  • If you want to bake it on the same day: Place it on a baking tray covered with baking paper, brush with a little water and let it rise until doubled in size (about 1 hour).
  • If you want to bake it the day after: Place the braid on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, brush with a little water, cover with foil, and let it rest in the refrigerator overnight (about 12-14 hours).
  • Before baking, brush with vegan soy cream and top it with pearl sugar (optional).
  • Add 1⁄2 cup water to the bottom of the cold oven. Set oven temperature to 200 °C (390 °F) convection. Bake in the center of the oven on rising heat for 35-40 minutes until golden brown.
  • Leave to cool for 2 hours before serving.

Notes

* If you want to use dry yeast: the package always says how much yeast is needed for a certain amount of flour. Be sure to use enough yeast for 600 g of flour.