Braided Easter Crown

Ingredients

• 100 g Yogurt butter
• 0.1 g saffron (1 sachet)
• 450 g flour (and a little extra for the work surface)
• 1 packet dry yeast
• 70 g sugar
• 180 ml milk (1.5% fat; lukewarm)
• 2 Eggs
• 3 red‑colored hard‑boiled eggs
• 1 egg yolk

Instructions

1. 1.

   Melt butter in a pot, stir in saffron and let it cool slightly.

2. 2.

   Mix flour and yeast in a bowl. Whisk sugar with 160 ml milk, 2 eggs and the butter. Add to the flour mixture and knead into a smooth dough using the hand mixer’s dough hooks.

3. 3.

   Cover the dough and leave it in a warm place for about an hour until it has doubled in volume.

4. 4.

   Knead the dough again on a floured surface, divide it into three equal pieces, roll each into a rope about 2 cm thick, and braid them loosely into a knot.

5. 5.

   Place the braid on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, shape it into a crown, and firmly join the ends. Cover and let rise for another 20 minutes.

6. 6.

   Press half of the hard‑boiled eggs into the dough. Separate the remaining egg; use the white elsewhere. Beat the yolk with the leftover milk and brush the crown with this mixture. Bake in a preheated oven at 200 °C (180 °C fan, gas level 3) for 35–40 minutes.