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This soft and sweet sourdough bread has a tender crumb and a rich, buttery taste. Enriched with eggs, butter, and milk, this Swiss-style braided bread is a delicious breakfast delight and also great for making French toast.

A slice of soft and sweet sourdough bread with butter and apricot jam.

Ingredients and Tools You’ll Need

Sweet sourdough starter – this sweet bread is naturally leavened with a sweet, stiff leaven and doesn’t require the use of commercial yeast. To make the leaven, you need a regular, active sourdough starter and refresh it with milk, sugar, and flour.
Milk – for best results, use regular whole milk with 3,5% fat. You can use it cold, directly from the fridge.
Flour – all-purpose flour or bread flour with 12 – 12% protein.
Eggs – one whole egg (medium-sized) to add richness to the bread dough and make the crumb softer and more tender.
Butter – softened (but not melted) unsalted butter for a rich and indulgent flavor. The butter also adds moisture and tenderness, keeping the bread fresh for longer.
Sugar – regular white sugar to slightly sweeten the bread.
Salt – fine sea salt.
Digital kitchen scale – for best results, always weigh your ingredients. It’s more accurate than measuring by volume and guarantees consistent results.
Rolling pin – to roll out the dough during shaping.
Dough proofer – optional, but recommended for an ideal proofing environment at a consistent temperature (ideally between 26°- 28° C). Since this is a rich dough with butter, milk, and eggs, it takes longer to rise than a lean dough. Proofing the dough in warmer temperatures and a humid environment can help to speed up the fermentation. Alternatively, try to find a warm place in your house to let the dough rise (e.g., the oven with just the light turned on).
Stand mixer – fitted with a dough hook and paddle attachment to easily knead the dough.
Pastry brush- to brush the bread with egg wash before baking.

Soft and sweet braided sourdough bread cut into slices.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1

The evening before, make the sweet leaven: In a glass jar, mix the sourdough starter, sugar, and milk until the starter is almost fully dissolved. Add the flour and mix until well combined. The leaven will have a stiff, dough-like consistency. You can briefly knead it on the counter to make sure there are no dry patches of flour left. Place it back in the jar, cover it with a lid, and let it rise overnight at room temperature. The next morning, it should be active, bubbly, and have a mild, slightly sweet, and dairy-like aroma.

Step 2

The next morning, make the main dough: In the bowl of your stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the active leaven, milk, egg, and sugar. Mix on medium-high speed until the leaven is fully dissolved. Then, switch to the dough hook and add the flour to the bowl. Knead on low speed until the flour is fully incorporated (about 2 – 3 minutes). Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, cut the butter into small cubes and let it soften at room temperature.

Step 3

Add the salt and knead until the dough becomes smoother and more elastic (about 5 – 10 minutes). Next, while the mixer is running on low speed, slowly add the butter cubes to the bowl, one by one, until fully combined. Once all the butter is incorporated, knead the dough on medium speed until it looks smooth, releases from the sides of the bowl, and clings to the dough hook. Depending on your stand mixer, this may take another 10 – 15 minutes. At this point, the dough should feel smooth and only slightly tacky to the touch but no longer sticky.

Step 4

Shape the dough into a smooth ball and place it in a lightly greased bowl. Cover it with plastic wrap or a damp tea towel and let it bulk ferment in a warm spot (ideally 26 °C – 28 °C) for about 6 hours (the time may vary depending on your temperature – the warmer it is, the faster the dough will rise). The dough does not have to double in size during the first rise, but you should start to see lots of small air bubbles throughout the dough. After about 6 – 8 hours, transfer the dough to the fridge until the next day.

Step 5

The next morning, take the dough out of the fridge and turn it out onto a clean surface. Using a bench scraper, divide it into three equally sized pieces. First, roll the pieces out flat with a rolling pin, and then roll them up into cylinders (see video below). Cover the dough pieces with a damp towel and let them rest for about 30 minutes. During this time, the gluten can relax, which makes it easier to roll the dough out into strands afterwards.

Step 6

Line a baking tray with a piece of parchment paper and set it aside. After the bench rest, roll the pre-shaped dough pieces out into long strands (about the length of your baking tray) and shape a braided loaf. Place the loaf on the prepared baking tray and cover it with a damp tea towel. Let it proof in a warm spot for 3-4 hours for the final rise until it has visibly increased in size and looks pillowy and puffy.

Swiss bread after braiding and before brushing it with egg wash.

Step 7

Pre-heat the oven to 170 °C convection bake or 180 °C conventional bake. Brush the top of the dough with egg wash and bake the bread for about 25 – 30 minutes until the surface is golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 93 °C. If the top browns too quickly, loosely cover it with aluminum foil. Let the bread cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.

Close-up of swiss braided bread brushed with egg wash.

Tips & Tricks

This bread tastes best the first 2 days after baking, but it will keep for up to 4 days, wrapped in plastic wrap or in an airtight container at room temperature.
If it starts to become dry, making French toast is a great way to use it up and turn it into a delicious meal for Sunday brunch.
This bread freezes well. After letting it cool completely, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and freeze it for up to three months. Let it thaw at room temperature for a few hours.

A slice of swiss braided bread with butter and jam next to it.

More Sourdough Recipes You May Like:

A freshly baked sourdough brioche on a white marble surface in golden hour sunlight.

Flatlay of a sourdough babka with two slices cut off to reveal the swirled hazelnut filling.

Flatlay of sliced cinnamon raisin sourdough bread showing the beautiful swirls of cinnamon throughout the dough.

Sliced loaf of freshly baked sourdough bread with a small plate of butter on the side.

Three sourdough baguettes with cured meats, grapes and white wine on the side.

Close-up of a baking dish with freshly baked sourdough cinnamon buns.

Crumb shot of a sourdough babka with swirls of poppy seed filling.

Soft and Sweet Sourdough Bread (Swiss Braid)

published by: Julia

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Course Bread

Cuisine Swiss

Servings Loaf

Calories 1896 kcal

Equipment

Digital kitchen scale
Rolling Pin
Stand mixer with dough hook and paddle attachment
Dough proofer optional, for and ideal proofing environment and faster fermentation.
Pastry brush
Parchment paper

Ingredients

For the stiff sweet leaven:

35 g sourdough starter
35 g milk
15 g sugar
70 g flour

For the main dough:

All of the sweet, active leaven
200 ml milk
1 egg
100 g sugar
400 g flour
10 g salt
125 g softened butter

For the egg wash:

1 egg

Instructions

The evening before, make the sweet leaven: In a glass jar, mix the sourdough starter, sugar, and milk until the starter is almost fully dissolved. Add the flour and mix until well combined. The leaven will have a stiff, dough-like consistency. You can briefly knead it on the counter to make sure there are no dry patches of flour left. Place it back in the jar, cover it with a lid, and let it rise overnight at room temperature. The next morning, it should be active, bubbly, and have a mild, slightly sweet, and dairy-like aroma.
The next morning, make the main dough: In the bowl of your stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the active leaven, milk, egg, and sugar. Mix on medium-high speed until the leaven is fully dissolved. Then, switch to the dough hook and add the flour to the bowl. Knead on low speed until the flour is fully incorporated (about 2 – 3 minutes). Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, cut the butter into small cubes and let it soften at room temperature.
Add the salt and knead until the dough becomes smoother and more elastic (about 5 – 10 minutes). Next, while the mixer is running on low speed, slowly add the butter cubes to the bowl, one by one, until fully combined. Once all the butter is incorporated, knead the dough on medium speed until it looks smooth, releases from the sides of the bowl, and clings to the dough hook. Depending on your stand mixer, this may take another 10 – 15 minutes. At this point, the dough should feel smooth and only slightly tacky to the touch but no longer sticky.
Shape the dough into a smooth ball and place it in a lightly greased bowl. Cover it with plastic wrap or a damp tea towel and let it bulk ferment in a warm spot (ideally 26 °C – 28 °C) for about 6 hours (the time may vary depending on your temperature – the warmer it is, the faster the dough will rise). The dough does not have to double in size during the first rise, but you should start to see lots of small air bubbles throughout the dough. After about 6 – 8 hours, transfer the dough to the fridge until the next day.
The next morning, take the dough out of the fridge and turn it out onto a clean surface. Using a bench scraper, divide it into three equally sized pieces. First, roll the pieces out flat with a rolling pin, and then roll them up into cylinders (see video below). Cover the dough pieces with a damp towel and let them rest for about 30 minutes. During this time, the gluten can relax, which makes it easier to roll the dough out into strands afterwards.
Line a baking tray with a piece of parchment paper and set it aside. After the bench rest, roll the pre-shaped dough pieces out into long strands (about the length of your baking tray) and shape a braided loaf. Place the loaf on the prepared baking tray and cover it with a damp tea towel. Let it proof in a warm spot for 3-4 hours for the final rise until it has visibly increased in size and looks pillowy and puffy.
Pre-heat the oven to 170 °C convection bake or 180 °C conventional bake. Brush the top of the dough with egg wash and bake the bread for about 25 – 30 minutes until the surface is golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 93 °C. If the top browns too quickly, loosely cover it with aluminum foil. Let the bread cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.

Video

@notjustfood_blog Buttery, soft and slightly sweet ✨ Perfect for breakfast! Get the recipe on my blog. #sourdough #sweetsourdough #enricheddough #brioche #fyp #breadbaking #baking #recipe ♬ 3:15 (Slowed Down + Reverb) – Russ

Nutrition

Calories: 1896kcalCarbohydrates: 187gProtein: 28gFat: 119gSaturated Fat: 72gPolyunsaturated Fat: 6gMonounsaturated Fat: 31gTrans Fat: 4gCholesterol: 625mgSodium: 4899mgPotassium: 591mgFiber: 2gSugar: 127gVitamin A: 3991IUCalcium: 390mgIron: 5mg

Keywords brioche french toast, Cinnamon Raisin Sourdough Bread, Soft and sweet sourdough bread, soft sourdough recipe, Sweet bread, swiss braid, Swiss braided bread, zopf

Soft and Sweet Sourdough Bread (Swiss Braid)

Ingredients and Tools You’ll Need