Today we have a very special recipe! It's the original yeast plait recipe from our dear Grandma Maria. Even when I was a child, the aroma of fine yeast dough wafted through the whole house every week. I could hardly wait until the plait was cut and I was allowed to enjoy the first piece, preferably with butter and jam.

You will need: Firebricks/spacer grate
Top heat: approx. 200-220°C
Preheating: approx. 30 minutes
Working hours: 30 minutes
Baking time: ca. 30 minutes

Ingredients:
(for 1 large plait or 2 small plaits)

• 500 g spelt flour type 630 or wheat flour type 405
• 60 g sugar
• 15 g yeast (room temperature)
• 250 ml milk, lukewarm
• 60 g rapeseed oil + a little for the tray
• 1 egg
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1 pack. vanilla sugar or 1 tbsp. homemade vanilla sugar
  

In addition:

• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp cream or coffee creamer
• 2 tbsp almonds, sliced

Put the sugar, yeast and 1 tablespoon of flour in a small bowl. Add a little of the lukewarm milk and stir.

Place the remaining flour in the mixing bowl of the food processor. Make a small well in the bowl with a wooden spoon and pour in the yeast mixture. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and leave the pre-dough to rise for 10 minutes.
Then add the remaining ingredients to the mixing bowl and knead everything for approx. 10 minutes to form a medium-strength yeast dough.

Cover and leave to rise at room temperature for approx. 3 hours until the dough has doubled in volume.

Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface and divide into 3 equal pieces (for a large plait). Roll each of these into
Roll approx. 40 cm long strands and braid into a plait.

Place the plait on a greased baking tray, cover and leave to rise at room temperature for a further 60-120 minutes.

Heat the Merklinger to approx. 200-220°C.

Whisk the egg with the cream and brush the yeast plait with it. Spread the almonds on top.

Place the baking tray on the spacer rack on the firebrick and bake Grandma Maria's yeast plait for approx. 30 minutes until golden brown.