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Dec
23

Czech Recipe #2 - Vánočka

Well, I did it!  I made the one Czech food that makes me so incredibly proud once I’ve finished - Vánočka (Czech Christmas Bread)!!  My mom made it every year during the holidays and it just doesn’t feel like Christmas without it.

Below is the recipe I’ve used over the last few years - I leave out the raisins, other dried fruits, and the lemon rind found in other recipes (John won’t eat it otherwise).  Also, this is the first time I placed slivered almonds on the outside - I think I’ll pass on them next year as I don’t like the way it looks once baked.

Small Bowl

Kitchen Aid Mixing Bowl with Dough Hook

Other Ingredients Needed

1 1/2 tablespoons of Active Dry Yeast

1 tablespoon sugar

2 tablespoons flour

3 tablespoons warm milk (not hot - warm!)

1 cup warm milk

2 eggs

1/2 cup melted butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup sugar

5-6 cups all purpose flour

1 egg - whisked

slivered almonds
  1. Combine the ingredients above in a small bowl.
  2. Cover with a dish towel and allow to sit in a warm location for 10 minutes.
  1. Combine the ingredients above in the mixing bowl.
  2. Blend the yeast mixture from the small bowl into this bowl once 10 minutes have elapsed.
  3. Slowly add flour.
  
  1. Place dough onto a floured surface and knead until it is no longer sticky.
  2. Place dough in a bowl.  Dust with flour, cover with a dish towel, and let rise in a warm location for 60 minutes.
  3. Punch dough down, place onto floured surface, and briefly knead.
  4. Shape dough into a long loaf.  Divide the loaf into thirds.  Divide each third into thirds for a total of 9 dough pieces.  Roll dough pieces into 9 long tubes of about equal length - wetting hands lightly helps during this process.
  5. Layers of the Vanocka:
    • Bottom Layer - 4 dough tubes braided together.  Below is a great YouTube video of how to braid this layer (do not roll it into a ball as shown at the end of the video).  Place this layer onto a greased cookie sheet.  Indent this layer down the center with the side of your hand and brush the center lightly with water or a whisked egg.

    • Middle Layer - 3 dough tubes braided together.  Indent this layer down the center with the side of your hand then set this on top of bottom layer.  Brush the indentation lightly.
    • Top Layer - 2 dough tubes twisted together.  Set this on top of the middle layer.
    • YouTube Video of the Entire Vánočka Assembly:

  1. Place 1 long wooden skewer on each end and 1 in the middle (through the top and straight down to the cookie sheet - see the video above).  This will keep the Vánočka from deforming during the baking process.  It’s a tall loaf of bread - the top layer may slide to one side  during baking.
  2. Cover the Vánočka with a dish towel, place in a warm area and allow to rise for 60 minutes.
  3. Brush the loaf with the whisked egg.  Sprinkle with slivered almonds if desired. 
  4. Cook at 350oF for 35-40 minutes.  The loaf will brown quickly towards the end of baking, so covering it with foil the last 5-10 minutes will help prevent this.
  5. Allow the Vánočka to cool.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar when ready to display/serve.

I forgot to buy wooden skewers this year so when I baked my Vánočka, the top layer started to slide to one side resulting in a crooked loaf. 8-O

This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 23rd, 2008 at 8:10 pm and is filed under Anna's Czech Recipes.

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« Czech Recipe #1 - Bramboračka
Czech Recipe #3 - Koláče »

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