Baking Time: 30 Min. at 200°C, Convection

More about Baking Time: 30 Min. at 200°C, Convection

Recipe:
1 egg (medium size)
7 g instant yeast (1 packet or 2 tsp)
250 ml / 8.5 fl oz milk (3.5 % fat and lukewarm)
500 g / 17.6 oz flour (Germany type 550, UK bread flour, US all-purpose flour)
60 g / 2.1 oz sugar
1 teaspoon salt
80 g / 2.8 oz butter (softened at room temperature)
3 tablespoon almond slices
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1. Whisk the egg in a small bowl. Remove 1 tablespoon of the egg mixture and set it aside in a separate bowl. 
2. Add the yeast to the lukewarm milk. Leave for the yeast to activate (approx. 10 min). You should see some small bubbles forming on the surface. 
3. Now mix together the remaining egg, yeast-milk mixture, flour, butter, sugar and salt. Knead with a dough hook, using either a hand or stand mixer for 5 minutes. Leave the dough to rest for further 5 minutes. Then knead the dough again for another 5 minutes. (The total kneading time should be 10 minutes in total). 
Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and leave to rest for at least 1 hour. Temperature
4. After this time the dough should have roughly doubled in size. Remove from the bowl and knead on a floured surface (or a non-stick baking mat) for about 5 minutes by hand. 
5. Divide the dough into three balls. Weigh the balls to make sure they are equal in size. (mine were about 260 g/ 9 oz each). 
7. Now form them into 3 rolls of equal length.  They should be around 40 cm/16 inches long.
Form the rolls into a braid and place the bread on an oven tray lined with baking parchment. 
8. Cover the braid with a tea towel and leave the rise for a further 45 minutes. 
9. Preheat the oven to 200°C or 356°F. 
10. Using a pastry brush (affiliate link) cover the Hefezopf with the remaining whisked egg. Sprinkle the almonds on top. Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. 
11. Leave to cool before serving.