My stepdad is from the Czech Republic so my mom requested that I make him this bread for Christmas. I have not made many breads in my life because I find them to be a little intimidating. Thankfully, the recipe I was given from Czech Cookbook also has a very thorough youtube video, which I baked along to, and which I reference a few times in the directions.
Vánočka (vah-NAWTCH-kah) reminds me of the Italian Pandoro and Panettone, or possibly even a Jewish challah. It has a similar consistency and sweet smell when you cut into it. If you couldn't tell from the title, it is traditionally eaten at Christmas time in both the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The same dough is used for their traditional Easter bread (called Velikonoční mazanec), but without the braiding.
Please read this recipe carefully before starting. It takes a good 5-6 hours to make from start to finish.
Ingredients:
1 1/4 cup milk
3/4 cup sugar, divided
3 tsp active dry yeast
4 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
lemon zest
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
2 egg yolks
1/3 cup raisins or other filling of your choice (chocolate chips or dried cranberries work well)
1 egg (for egg wash)
1/4 slivered almonds
powdered sugar (optional)
Directions:
Warm milk in a glass measuring cup in the microwave for about 1 minutes. Add 1 tsp of sugar, then yeast, and mix. Set aside for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile in a medium bowl combine flour, remaining sugar and salt and mix. Next add your lemon zest, egg yolks and melted butter and mix after each addition. Then add your milk and yeast mixture (should be bubbling), and finally your raisins or filling of your choice. Fold the dough with a wooden spoon, then your hands to form a dough ball (you do not have to knead). Lift your dough from the bowl and sprinkle the bottom and sides of the bowl with flour, then place your dough back in the bowl and sprinkle the top with flour. Cover your dough with a cloth and let it rise for 2 hours in a warm place. After the first rise, place the dough on a floured surface. Divide the dough into 40% and 60%. Out of the 40% piece, you will want to cut 4 pieces of dough. Out of the 60% piece, you will want 5 pieces of dough. You will end up with 9 pieces total. Don't worry if they are not all of equal size (continue reading to understand why). Start rolling each piece of dough into a long strand of about 12-14" long and set them aside. Next, select your 2 longest pieces and set aside. Then find 3 and 4 pieces that are of roughly equal length. Your 4-strand braid will be the bottom layer, your 3-strand braid will be the middle layer, and your 2-strand braid will be your top layer. On a flat pan lined with parchment paper, start building your bread by placing your first 4 strands of dough on the parchment paper. Combine the ends of the dough at the top and braid like the picture below, or reference the video by Czech Cookbook (go to minute 17:20). Note: my strands of dough were too thick.
With your hand, create a small well in the middle of the dough length-wise, then brush the top with egg wash (go to minute 18:55 in the video). The egg was will help the middle braid stay put. Next, braid your 3-strand braid like a normal braid by combining the tips of the dough, and place on top of the 4-strand braid. Again, create a well and brush the top with egg wash. Finally, with the two remaining strands, combine the tips and twist them together. Place this on top of the other two layers (you do not need to brush it with egg wash), and fold the ends under the 4-strand braid to keep the bread together (this is why you use the longest pieces for the top layer - see picture below). Cover the bread with a cloth and let it sit for 1.5 hours.
After the second rise, preheat the oven to 350 and generously brush the entire dough with egg wash. Top with slivered almonds, pressing them gently into the dough if necessary. Take long skewers (I used chopsticks because I was out) and break them in half. Stick them into the crevice between the top and middle braid (go to minute 24:50 in the video). You'll want about 4 skewers on each side. These skewers prevent the braids from falling off. Cover the bread with tin foil, and bake for 45 minutes. Take off the foil and bake for another 5 minutes. Your bread is done once the inside is cooked (test it with another skewer) and golden. I cooked for an additional 10-15 minutes because it was still a bit raw, just be careful if you removed the tin foil. If you cook longer than the instructions, you might want to consider putting the foil back on to prevent burning. Once cooked and cooled, let it sit on a wire rack until completely cooled down. Dust with powdered sugar (optional) and serve. Best stored in a plastic bag (I used a sliced bread bag).