Kozunak (Bulgarian sweet Easter bread)
Recipe
- 8 portions
- Difficult recipes
- 4 h 40 min
- 770 calories
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There are several important things when kneading Easter breads. The first of these is flour – the whiter it is, the more gluten there is in it and the more your Easter cake will rise. Look for flour type 350.
All products should be at room temperature and none should have just come out of the refrigerator. The milk should be warmed, but not hot, because it will scald the yeast and nothing will happen.
The oil must be melted at a low temperature. It should never be fried, because its taste will change. Moreover, it is not poured into the dough, but added by melting your hands in it during kneading, as you will see in the video. This is how the desired threads are actually obtained. The dough is easy to knead, so you don’t have to beat it against the table.
It should rise in a warm place, but not in the room as hot as in a sauna. It usually takes about two hours to triple its volume. A maximum of an hour is necessary for it to re-rise.
The old masters say that a well-made Easter cake is broken into threads even a day after it has been baked. This means baking at a lower temperature so that it can be baked slowly and evenly, not burning on the outside but raw on the inside.
This is in short, you will find everything else in the video. The most important thing, however, is the desire. The recipe is flawless, so roll up your sleeves and have fun afterwards!
Products
- 1 kg flour
- 2 sachets of dry yeast
- 7 eggs
- 250 ml fresh milk
- 250 g white sugar
- 200 g butter
- 1/2 capsule lemon flavor
- 1/2 pc.lemon zest
- 1 pinch of salt
Instructions
- Dilute the yeast in 50 ml of fresh milk. Pour enough flour to make a thick paste, cover the dish and leave it to rise in the heat.
- 2During this time, sift the flour into a large enough container, make a well and put a pinch of salt in it.
- Mix 6 eggs, sugar, slightly warmed milk and lemon zest in a separate bowl.
- Melt the butter.
- Once the yeast has risen, pour it into the flour, add the milk-egg mixture and knead the dough.
- Do not pour the melted butter into the mixture. Dip your hands into it while kneading.
- Knead the dough until it absorbs all the oil and begins to peel off the work surface. Don’t beat it!
- The dough rises best in a bowl covered with a clean, floured sheet or a large enough cotton towel. It’s done when it triples in volume, which usually takes about two hours.
- Once the dough rises, it’s is slightly kneaded, formed into Easter breads, rolls, braids, etc. and the finished products are allowed to rise again. If desired, raisins or Turkish delight can be added to the Easter breads.
- Re-fermentation takes about an hour.
- When the Easter breads has risen, brush them with egg, sprinkle them with plenty of sugar and put them in a preheated oven at 180 °C. Bake at 180 °C for half an hour, then reduce the oven to 160 °C and continue baking until done.
- Remove the Easter breads from the pans while still warm.
- When completely cooled, wrap them in a clean cotton cloth and store them in a plastic bag to keep them soft.
Caution: Contains eggs, which may cause allergic reactions.
Caution: Contains flour, which may cause allergic reactions.
Caution: Contains butter, which may cause allergic reactions.
Caution: Contains fresh milk, which may cause allergic reactions.
