Filled Sweet Bread – Gefüllter Hefezopf
The softest, most delicious loaf you will ever eat! Filled Sweet Bread – Gefüllter Hefezopf has a sweet almond filling distributed evenly throughout the bread, a tangy glaze, and some crunchy hazelnuts on top! A bread you will never forget!
When my kids tried this Filled Sweet Bread – Gefüllter Hefezopf for the first time, they instantly said this is the best dessert I have ever made! It made me so happy to hear! And I think they are correct; it is incredibly delicious! If you try it once, you will come back to this recipe again and again!
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Dough
I like to make the dough a day in advance and place it in the refrigerator overnight. It gets nice and firm and has the perfect consistency by the following day. Compared to a ” fresh/warm ” dough, a refrigerated dough is much easier to work with. It rolls out very smoothly, and the almond filling spreads on effortlessly.
Plus, it saves you a lot of time in the morning if you want to present it to your guests for breakfast.
Almond filling
The almond filling is straightforward to make. First, warm up the milk with the vanilla extract, pour the mixture over the dry ingredients, and stir to combine. Warming up the milk makes it easier for the shredded almonds and the shortbread crumbles to soak up the liquid.
Having the right consistency for the filling is the key. If it is too dry, it will be difficult to spread onto the dough, if it is too runny, it will be a big mess rolling up the dough, and the filling won’t stay inside the bread.
E Guete (Bon appétit)!! Don’t forget to share some pictures with me and tell me how you liked this Filled Sweet Bread – Gefüllter Hefezopf. It would make my day if you tag @mirjamskitchenyodel on Instagram, share on Facebook or pin on Pinterest.
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Filled Sweet Bread – Gefüllter Hefezopf
Ingredients
For the dough
- 500 g All-purpose flour
- 60 g Granulated sugar
- 8 g Salt
- 7 g Instant dry yeast
- 200 ml Milk
- 100 g Butter melted
- 2 Eggs
- 1/2 tsp Lemon juice
- 1/4 tsp Vanilla extract
For the nut filling
- 150 ml Milk
- 250 g Almonds shredded
- 100 g Shortbread cookies shredded
- 100 g Granulated sugar
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- 1 tsp Ground cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp Salt
For the glaze
- 100 g Powdered sugar
- 1/2 Lemon juice
- Almonds or Hazelnuts for decoration
Instructions
Dough:
- Add all-purpose flour, sugar, salt, and instant dry yeast to your stand mixer, and let it run on low for a few seconds to mix everything.
- Still running on low, add the milk, melted butter, two eggs, lemon juice, and vanilla extract. Once the dough forms, increase the speed and knead until you have a smooth, stretchy dough. The dough is kneaded enough if you can stretch it out very thin without tearing it. I call it the newspaper trick: if you can stretch the dough out so thin that you can read a newspaper article through it, it’s done!
- * If you don’t have a stand mixer use a large mixing bowl. With a wooden spoon, mix all the ingredients until well well incorporated. Then take the dough out onto the kitchen counter and start kneading with your hands until you have a smooth dough. Work those muscles 🙂
- Cover the bowl with a wet kitchen towel or a bowl cover (these are the ones I use, and I LOVE mine) and let it rest for about an hour and a half at room temperature or overnight in the refrigerator.
Filling:
- Shred the Shortbread cookies in a blender, then put them in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Add the shredded almonds, salt, and cinnamon and mix it up.
- In a saucepan, warm up the milk and the vanilla extract and bring it to a boil.
- Then pour the milk mixture over the dry ingredients and mix until well incorporated.
Roll, fill and cut:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F or 180°C and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Place the dough on a lightly floured surface, and with a rolling pin, roll it into a rectangular shape in size 12 x 16 inches or 30 x 40 cm.
- Add the nut filling onto the dough and spread it out evenly.
- Tightly roll up the dough (rolling the longer side 16inch/40cm).
- Then, with a sharp knife, cut the role in half lengthwise.
Twist:
- Take the two strands and twist them together. Ensure that the cut part is facing up to make the filling visible. Twist it all the way and press down the ends firmly. Place the loaf on the lined baking sheet and let it rest for 20minutes.
- Bake for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown!
Glaze:
- In a small bowl, mix the powdered sugar and the lemon juice.
- Drizzle the glaze over the still warm Filled Sweet Bread – Gefüllter Hefezopf, then add the chopped almonds or hazelnuts for decoration.
- Dust it with powdered sugar.
Liebe Mirjam deine Rezepte sind jeweils köstlich fein – eine Freude.
Lieben Dank! Das freut mich riesig! 🥰