Vánočka

What to Put on the Table With Vánočka

• Strong black coffee
• Butter and apricot jam
• A glass of Becherovka afterwards

How to Cook Vánočka

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1. Soak the raisins in the rum for at least 30 minutes.

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2. Mix the flour, sugar, salt and yeast, keeping the salt and yeast apart until the flour separates them.

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3. Add the milk and yolks and bring to a shaggy dough, then knead 10 minutes.

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4. Work in the softened butter a third at a time. It will look ruined each time and come back together each time; keep going until smooth and glossy, about 8 minutes more.

   Mark done Start 8 min timer

5. Rise covered at cool room temperature for 2 hours, until doubled. Do not put it somewhere warm.

   Mark done Start 2 hr timer

6. Knock back, work in the drained raisins, almonds and lemon zest, and divide into 9 pieces: 4 large, 3 medium, 2 small.

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7. Roll each into a rope. Plait the four into a flat braid on a lined tray, then the three on top of it, then twist the two and lay them along the crown.

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8. Prove 45 minutes, brush with beaten egg, scatter the almonds and bake at 165°C / 330°F fan for 40 minutes, covering with foil once it is deeply golden.

   Mark done Start 40 min timer

9. Cool completely, then dust with icing sugar.

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Related guide: Prep, cook and total time.

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A Few Notes

Skewer the layers together with two wooden skewers before proving if the top braids slide. They come out after baking.

Cool it fully before cutting. Cut warm, an enriched bread like this tears and goes gummy.

A cool slow first rise is what gives the flavour. Two hours at 18°C / 64°F beats one hour in the airing cupboard.

Keeping What's Left

Keeps 4 days wrapped in a cloth, and toasts well after day two. Freezes 3 months whole or in slices.

Vánočka: Your Questions Answered

Nutrition per Serving

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list with USDA FoodData Central figures (SR Legacy). A calculation, not a laboratory analysis: brands, cuts and how you measure change the real numbers. The calories include 1 g of alcohol a serving, which is not part of the protein, carbohydrate or fat. How the figures are worked out.