This blog post also is available in German.
What kind of oxymoron is this blog title?! Vegan and butter don’t really go together, I’m well aware of that. But today we are talking about the traditional Swiss butter braid in a veganized version! With vegan butter, Ta Da! Here is the explanation for the rather contradictory title.
You really want to have a classic brunch with your family and friends on the weekend? Then this Sunday braid is a must! So read on!
Vegans also want to experience tradition
Just because we do not use animal products does not mean that we do not want to participate in certain customs. In Switzerland, the traditional Sunday is the day when braids are served. And you can buy it practically anywhere at the weekend. Mostly, however, it is refined with milk and butter – as the name suggests. Ok, there are now also bakeries that offer vegan braids. I won’t comment on the prices though. But we wouldn’t be the great community we are if we didn’t develop a vegan option for practically everything, would we?
How does a butter braid become vegan?
Replace milk with vegetable milk and butter with vegan butter. That’s already all the magic. Unfortunately, I can’t promise you whether today’s recipe with vegan margarine will be just as airy and buttery. I have indeed deliberately chosen vegan butter – this one (not sponsored). The consistency of the butter was much harder than that of margarine, so you might expect a different result with margarine.
What defines the traditional Sunday braid?
Summarised in a few words: Soft, airy and buttery on the inside, brown and firm on the outside. I have to admit that my version could be more tanned. Personally, however, I don’t like it that way, so this plait of butter is only discreetly browned.
What makes the braid perfect?
There is never a 100% guarantee when baking. The result depends on so many factors and is therefore rarely the same. I’ve baked braided bread several times and it’s never been the same, especially when it comes to consistency. For now I can only tell you how I proceeded this time.
- Use flour especially for braided bread.
- Pay meticulous attention to the temperature of the milk. So that it is neither too warm nor too cold and the yeast can rise well.
- Always add the salt to the flour and not to the yeast mixture.
- Don’t forget the pinch of sugar as a nutrient for yeast.
- The butter was firm and cold, straight from the fridge, as you don`t want your dough to get too warm if you`re kneading with a kitchen machine.
- Knead your dough! At least 5 minutes.
- Let the braid rise for another 30 minutes after the braiding.
Enough chatter, I’ll leave you the recipe and wish you a lot of fun trying it out.
See you soon
Sarah
Vegan Butter Plait
Ingredients
- 500 g flour for plait organic
- 1/2-1 tsp salt organic
- 20 g yeast organic
- 250-300 ml rice milk organic
- 1 tsp sugar organic
- 75 g vegan butter
- 1 dash of turmeric organic
Instructions
- Heat rice milk in a pan to room temperature. It should be lukewarm but never over 37° Celsius. Check with your finger.
- Mix flour and salt in a bowl.
- Crumble yeast in a bowl, add sugar and 250ml lukewarm rice milk. Dissolve the yeast and leave to stand for a few minutes.
- Pour the yeast milk mixture into the flour, cut the cold butter into small pieces and add to the flour. Knead everything with a kitchen machine. About 5 minutes. The dough should form bubbles. Knead by hand for 10 minutes if necessary. If the dough is too dry, add a little more rice milk.
- Remove the dough from the dough hook and place in a floured bowl. Cover the bowl with a damp towel and put it at a dry, warm place. The dough should double. I let it rise for about 1 1/2 hours.
- Dust a smooth surface with flour, knead the dough again briefly and divide into 2 halves. Roll out both halves to a long strand. Both strands should be about the same lenght and thickness.
- Align the strands to form a cross. Alternately place the vertical and then the horizontal strands on the opposite side. Continue until you have woven your way through the strands.
- Place the plaited braid on the baking tray and leave to rise for another 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile preheat the oven to 200° degrees Celsius.
- Mix a little rice milk with a pinch of ground turmeric and brush the top of the plait with it.
- Place the plait in the oven and bake for 45 minutes on the lowest rack. If you like the top of the braid a bit browner, you can brush it several times and after 30 to 35 minutes push it a few racks higher.