Kozunak/Cozonac (Easter Bread) Recipe
Kozunak was traditionally baked once a year for Easter, marking the end of Lent, a 40-day period of abstaining from meat. The bread was typically prepared on Friday or Saturday, then brought to church on Saturday evening.It was enjoyed on Sunday, the official end of Lent, along with other Easter staples like dyed boiled eggs and lamb. In Bulgaria, Easter is known as Velikden, meaning "Great Day."
Ingredients
- Yeast – 2 ½ Tbsp
- Sugar – 1 ½ Tbsp
- Salt – 1 ½ tsp
- Egg, beaten lightly – 1
- Milk – 1 1/3 cup
- Raisins – 1 ½ cups
- Rum – ¾ cups
- Lemon – 2
- Flour – 5 lbs
- Butter – ½ cup
- Vegetable oil – ½ cup
- Milk – 2 cups
- Sugar – 2 cups
- Eggs – 11
- Vanilla extract – 2 tsp
- Hazelnuts or walnuts – 1 cup
Instructions
- Mix the first five ingredients (yeast, small amount sugar, salt, beaten egg, warm milk) in a large bowl.
- Cover and leave in a warm place for 40 minutes.
- Grate then juice the lemons, set aside.
- Sift 4 of the five pounds of flour onto a large tray or other work surface.
- Melt butter and combine with oil.
- Heat 2 cups of milk and sugar on low in a small saucepan until warm.
- Separate 4 of the eggs and set aside the 4 yolks for brushing
- Beat the whites of the 4 eggs with the remaining 7 wLet the dough rest in a warm place until doubled in bulk (1-2 hours). You may need to divide between two bowls.hole eggs.
- Add a handful of the flour from the work surface to the warm yeast mixture.
- Bit by bit, using a spoon, add and mix the rest of the flour, the milk mixture, the beaten eggs and the butter/oil mixture.
- When most of it is together, mix in the lemon juice, zest and the vanilla.
- Add more flour to the work surface, if necessary, dump out the dough and knead until it holds together well.
- Let the dough rest in a warm place until doubled in bulk (1-2 hours). You may need to divide between two bowls.
- Punch the dough down and knead it some more.
- Drain the raisins and dredge them in flour.
- Work about half of them into the dough as you knead, a few at a time.
- Let the dough sit and rise again (another 1-2 hours).
- Preheat oven to 425 (400 if your oven runs hot).
- Punch the dough down and knead again.
- Divide the dough into 8 parts.
- Each of these, divide into three parts; roll them long and braid into 8 loaves.
- While braiding, work the remainder of the raisins between the strands.
- Brush the loaves with the reserved egg yolk and stud the top with nuts.
- Bake the loaves about 30 minutes or until golden brown.
Nutrition
Calories: 1785kcalCarbohydrates: 301gProtein: 45gFat: 40gSaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 318mgSodium: 693mgFiber: 11gSugar: 76g
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