The history of the Easter plait

The tradition of the Easter plait dates back to the Middle Ages: it is baked at Easter – after 40 days of fasting – and enjoyed with the family for breakfast on Easter Sunday. In those days, white flour was very expensive, which is why a freshly baked plait was considered a traditional festive pastry … a sign of prosperity, so to speak.
The three braided strands symbolize – then, as now – the Trinity of the Catholic Church: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit … as a symbol of light and hope. The Easter plait thus combines Christian tradition with sweet Tyrolean baking pleasure.

Delicious Easter plait recipe

At Easter time, one thing is a must on the lovingly laid breakfast table: the traditional Easter plait made from fluffy yeast dough, which makes every Easter breakfast something very special with its wonderful aroma and golden-brown sheen.

In this blog article, we reveal our favorite recipe for this delicious Tyrolean classic. Step by step, we explain how to make this delicious Easter plait perfectly and how you can conjure up a piece of Tyrolean Easter tradition on your table with just a few ingredients.

The ingredients for the dough

for 2 plaits

• 1 kg sifted type 700 wheat flour
• 550 g water (lukewarm)
• 150 g fine granulated sugar
• 100 g butter, room temperature
• 10 g natural rock salt
• 20 g yeast
• 2 egg yolks
• grated zest of an organic orange and zest of 1/2 tonka bean
• 1 egg for coating
• Rye flour for dusting

The preparation of the Easter plait:

• Take the butter out of the fridge in good time so that it warms up to room temperature. Then cut the butter into small pieces.
  Now mix the wheat flour well with the water, sugar, butter pieces, salt, yeast, egg yolk and grated orange zest.
• The next step is to start kneading: knead the mixture slowly in the food processor for 2 minutes. Then knead quickly for another 8 minutes to form a smooth, silky dough.
• The dough must now rest for 1 hour at room temperature – please cover the container. After resting, knead the dough briefly in the mixing bowl and then cover with cling film and chill in the fridge for at least 12 hours. The dough is very soft, but becomes firmer when left to rest in the fridge and is easy to work with.

How to braid braids successfully:

• Now divide the dough into 2 equal portions and dust with flour. Cover and leave to rest for another 30 minutes.
• Now it’s time to braid:
  Divide each piece of dough into 5 equal parts. Shape the pieces of dough into rolls. On the floured work surface, weave a loose plait from 3 pieces. Twist 2 parts and place on the plait. Repeat this process for the second plait.
• For an appetizing golden-brown plaited crust, carefully brush the dough with a beaten egg.
• Cover and leave to rise again for at least 10 minutes.
• Now place the plaits in a preheated oven (approx. 180 degrees) and bake for about 35 minutes.

A little tip from our kitchen:

If you want to refine the Easter plait a little, you can add raisins to the dough – simply fold them into the dough as the last ingredient.
To decorate, you can sprinkle the plait with flaked almonds, almond slivers or sugar crystals before baking. Once the plait is baked and cooled, it can be refined with powdered sugar.