We bake this Easter plaited bread in the Thermomix® every year on Good Friday. The dough goes through two proving stages, the Thermomix® handles the kneading, and the result is a soft, lightly fruity plait that is ready after 25 minutes in the oven.
What sets this Easter plait apart from a classic plaited loaf: the dough contains 200 g soured cream instead of plain milk, 50 g chopped dried apricots are kneaded in, and the finished loaf gets an icing made from freshly ground icing sugar and apricot juice. That gives a lightly tangy, fruity note that works beautifully on an Easter breakfast table.
Easter Plaited Bread with the Thermomix®
Ingredients 0 / 12 ✓
- 50 g dried apricots
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 1 cube fresh yeast
- 210 g sugar
- 90 g milk
- 60 g butter softened
- 1 pinch salt
- 200 g soured cream
- 500 g plain flour, type 550
- 1 sachet vanilla sugar
- 1 egg
- 3 tbsp apricot juice or orange juice
Instructions 0 / 10
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1
Chop the apricots.
Place the apricots in the mixing bowl and chop for 10 sec / speed 6, then transfer to a bowl and pour the lemon juice over them.
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2
Dissolve the yeast.
Crumble the yeast into the mixing bowl, add 60 g sugar and the milk, and combine for 3 min / 37°C / speed 1.
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3
Knead the dough.
Add the butter, salt, soured cream, flour, vanilla sugar and egg, then knead for 5 min / kneading mode.
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4
Knead in the apricots.
Add the apricots and knead for a further 4 min / kneading mode.
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5
Prove the dough.
Transfer the dough to a bowl, dampen a tea towel and use it to cover the bowl. Leave the dough to prove at a warm spot for about 40 minutes, until it has doubled in size.
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6
Shape and plait the Easter bread.
Dust the work surface with flour. Divide the dough into 3 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a strand, lay the strands side by side, press them together at the top, and plait the bread. (Bring the right strand to the centre, then the left strand to the centre, and continue alternating.)
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7
Prove the plait.
Line a baking tray with baking paper and place the plait on it in a round wreath shape. Cover with the tea towel and leave to prove for 20 minutes.
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8
Bake the plait.
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Bake the plait on the middle shelf for about 25 minutes until golden.
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9
Mix the icing.
Place 150 g sugar in the mixing bowl and grind to icing sugar for 10 sec / speed 10. Push the icing sugar down with the spatula, add the apricot juice and mix for 10 sec / speed 5.
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10
Ice the plait.
Spread the icing over the cooled plait and leave to set.
Video
Nutrition per serving
Why soured cream makes the difference
Most plaited bread recipes rely on milk and butter. Here we add soured cream, and it changes the texture noticeably: the bread stays moist for longer after baking. If you have ever eaten a plaited loaf that was already dry the next day, it was very likely baked without soured cream.
The 60 g butter goes into the mixing bowl at room temperature, together with 200 g soured cream, 500 g plain flour type 550, 1 pinch of salt, 1 sachet of vanilla sugar and one egg. The Thermomix® kneads everything for 5 minutes on kneading mode. We then run a further 4 minutes on kneading mode with the apricots, because kneading in the pieces separately works better than adding everything at once.
The apricots: prepare first, then knead in
The 50 g dried apricots go into the mixing bowl first: 10 seconds at speed 6, then transfer to a bowl and pour 2 tsp lemon juice over them. Chopping them first prevents large pieces from poking out of the dough and tearing when you plait it. Apricot juice as a substitute for orange juice: if you do not have apricot juice, use orange juice. The flavour is similarly fruity and the plait will be very slightly lighter in colour.
Yeast (1 cube of fresh yeast) with 60 g sugar and 90 g milk: 3 min / 37°C / speed 1. This activates the yeast without killing it. Above 42°C the yeast cells die. The Thermomix® hits 37°C precisely, so there is no guesswork involved.
Proving times: do not cut them short
After kneading, the dough goes into a large bowl, a damp tea towel on top, 40 minutes somewhere warm. If you move on after 30 minutes you will notice: the plait stays more compact and the crumb is denser. We place the bowl in a cold oven with just the oven light on. That is enough warmth, even when the kitchen is cool.
After shaping and plaiting comes the second proving time: 20 minutes on the baking tray, covered again. Only once the plaited loaf has visibly risen does it go into the oven, preheated to 180°C. Middle shelf, about 25 minutes. If after 20 minutes the surface looks dark enough, lay a loose sheet of foil over it.
Plaiting and the round wreath shape
This recipe arranges the plait in a round wreath shape on the baking tray. It is a small detail compared to a straight plaited loaf, but it makes a big visual difference: a round Easter wreath looks more festive and you can decorate the centre with a dyed egg before it goes into the oven.
Divide the dough into three equal pieces (weighing them gives even strands), roll each strand to about 40 cm, press the tops together and plait: right strand to the centre, left strand to the centre, alternating. Work loosely. The plait rises during the second prove and again in the oven. Plait too tightly and the bread will split at the sides.
The icing comes from the Thermomix®
150 g sugar in the mixing bowl: 10 sec / speed 10 to grind to icing sugar, push the icing sugar down with the spatula, add 3 tbsp apricot juice, 10 sec / speed 5 to stir together. Spread the icing over the cooled plait and leave to set. If the plait is still warm, the icing soaks in too thin and barely shines.
2 days in an airtight tin, 3 months in the freezer
Stored in a bread bin or wrapped in a clean tea towel, the Easter plait keeps for 2 to 3 days. Plastic bags make the crust soft. Freezing works well: slice it, wrap each slice individually, and freeze for up to 2 months. If you want to prepare the dough the evening before, place it covered in the fridge and let it come to room temperature for 30 minutes the next morning before shaping.
Advocaat, butter and jam for breakfast
The Easter plait goes beautifully with home-dyed Easter eggs made in the Thermomix® on the breakfast table. If you are looking for more Easter recipes: Easter advocaat made in the Thermomix® is a firm favourite with us too. And if you want to understand kneading with the Thermomix® better, our article on kneading with the Thermomix® explains why kneading mode is the right choice for yeast doughs.
What other recipes do differently
Many Easter plaited bread recipes online use plain milk and butter and leave out the soured cream. Others use raisins instead of dried apricots, or top the loaf with pearl sugar and flaked almonds over an egg yolk glaze. Baking times also vary widely: 40 to 45 minutes at 190°C is common, but we keep to 25 minutes at 180°C because the plait stays softer that way. The round wreath shape with a dyed egg in the centre is rarely seen elsewhere, yet it is the true Easter plait classic. Most recipes also do not mention proving the dough overnight in the fridge.
Goes well with: Butter and cream cheese.
Also pairs nicely: Easter mini wreaths made in the Thermomix®.
