Traditional German Sweet Bread | Osterzopf

This German sweet bread – in German also known as Osterbrot, Osterzopf, Hefezopf, or Nußzopf—is popular year-round. Soft and pillowy on the inside, golden-brown on the outside, and full of nutty flavor, no wonder you can find this sweet braided nut loaf all over Germany.

Whether you make it as a centerpiece for your Easter brunch or for coffee and cake any time of year, its delicious taste and charming braided look make it a classic in many German families. With so many different twists and variations, you know that you just have to try making it!

Why You Will Love This Recipe

Here are some of the reasons you will love this German sweet bread:

• it is quick and simple to make
• it is made with everyday ingredients
• you can vary the recipe
• you can make a simple braid or form a wreath
• it is so delicious
• it is fancy enough for special occasions but easy enough for every day
• you can also try to make this with 3 strands that represent the Holy Trinity

What are the ingredients

This is what you will need to make this German Easter bread:

• Flour: I use regular AP flour
• Sugar: any granulated white sugar is perfect
• Milk: I prefer using whole milk
• Yeast: instant yeast is what I use
• Eggs: I love using pasture-raised eggs for their beautiful egg yolks
• Salt: a high-quality sea salt will bring out the sweetness of this recipe
• Vanilla sugar: I like to make my own vanilla sugar but I’ll talk about substitutes below
• Unsalted butter: I highly recommend European-style butter unless you make your own
• Hazelnuts: Also called filberts, they are traditional but read below for substitutions
• Bread crumbs: you can buy them or easily make your own breadcrumbs from stale bread
• Ground cinnamon: this common spice complements the nut flavors
• Powdered sugar: This is for the glaze
• Lemon juice: Using lemon juice for the glaze adds a fresh flavor

Useful tools and equipment

If you have a well-stocked kitchen you probably have all the tools you need. However, for the best results, I recommend:

• Stand mixer: Of course, you can knead the dough by hand but a stand mixer makes this so much easier
• Small food processor: This inexpensive tool is very helpful in grinding whole nuts
• Rolling pin: I love using my wooden rolling pin to roll out the dough evenly
• Large baking tray: I always like to use a large casserole dish but any baking sheet will do
• Parchment paper: I use the parchment paper to transfer to dough to the sheet pans but also to cut down on clean-up time

Substitutions and variations

I love how easy it is to customize this simple recipe:

• Nuts: If you don’t have or can’t find hazelnuts, you can also use walnuts or almonds. However, you can easily omit the entire nut filling!
• Yeast: Germans typically use fresh yeast. If you have that, use ½ cube or 21 grams.
• Flour: This recipe would be perfect with spelt flour, too. I haven’t tried making it with whole-grain flour. If you do use that, it will make the yeast bread heartier, darker, and healthier but you will need to add a bit more liquid.
• Milk: You can also use plant-based milk or water but this Hefezopf recipe is much better with milk!
• Vanilla sugar: You can use vanilla extract as well, just use a tad less milk then.
• Bread crumbs: Instead of breadcrumbs you can use cookie crumbs (think graham crackers) or dried, crumbled sweet bread.
• Additional ingredients: You can omit the nut filling and simply add ½ cup of raisins instead. Other extra ingredients are grated orange zest or lemon zest. If you would like to make something like this around Christmas time, you can add dried fruits as well.
• Glaze: Instead of the traditional glaze you can brush the top of the dough with a beaten egg yolk and sprinkle some sliced almonds on top

How to serve

Here are some ideas of how you might like to enjoy this yeast braid:

• as it is, cut into slices or cubes
• with some butter spread on it
• you can serve this for breakfast, your Easter brunch, or in the afternoon with coffee (Kaffee und Kuchen)
• should you have any leftovers, you can easily use it for French toast

Make ahead of time?

While yeast breads taste best fresh, there are a few ways you can continue to enjoy your Osterzopf:

• keep it at room temperature and eat it on the first day
• you can transfer any leftovers to an airtight container and keep it in a cool place for a few days
• alternatively, you can keep it tightly wrapped in plastic wrap in the freezer for a few months (either thaw at room temperature or in a warm oven)

Other great recipes you might like

Sweet Christmas Bread (Stollen)

Hazelnut Cake (Haselnusskuchen)

Classic German Crumb Cake (Streuselkuchen)

German Poppy Seed Loaf (Mohnkuchen)

Easter Bunny Cake with Sourdough

Classic German Cheesecake (Käsekuchen)

1. Make the dough:

1. Have all your ingredients ready and at room temperature.
2. In a small saucepan, gently warm up the milk. Add the yeast and 1 teaspoon of sugar. Stir the yeast mixture well and let sit for about 10 minutes.
3. To the bowl of a stand mixer or another large mixing bowl, add the flour, remaining sugar, eggs, salt, vanilla sugar, and soft butter. Add the warm milk mixture.
4. With the dough hook, turn the stand mixer first to low speed to mix everything into a shaggy dough. Then mix the dough on medium-low for 7-10 minutes. 
5. Using your hands, form a uniform dough ball and return it to the bowl. Cover with a kitchen towel and let the dough rise in a warm place for one hour or until visibly risen.

2. Make the nut filling

1. Grind the hazelnuts if you are using whole nuts. 
2. In a small saucepan, heat the milk with the sugar and vanilla sugar. Keep stirring until the sugars are dissolved. 
3. In a separate bowl, mix the ground nuts with the breadcrumbs, cinnamon powder, and sea salt. 
4. Add the nut mixture to the milk and gently heat until it all comes together. Remove the pot from the heat and let the mixture cool down. 

3. Make the braided bread:

1. Transfer the dough ball onto a lightly floured work surface. 
2. With a rolling pin roll the dough out into a 12 x 16″ rectangle.
3. Evenly spread the nut filling onto the dough sheet, leaving 1″ on the sides.
4. Roll it up from the long side into one long log.
5. With a sharp knife cut the dough roll lengthwise, leaving the top of the roll intact!
6. Twist the two strands around each other, tucking the bottom end together. 

4. Bake the sweet bread and finish

1. Preheat the oven to 365˚Fahrenheit. 
2. Line a baking sheet or large casserole dish with parchment paper. 
3. Place the braided loaf onto the baking sheet and bake for about 45 minutes or until golden brown and done on the inside. 
4. Remove from the oven and let cool down on a wire rack. 
5. In a small bowl, mix powdered sugar with enough lemon juice to create a thick glaze. Brush the loaf all over with the glaze.
6. Enjoy!