It's Easter again, and a message of faith, hope, and rebirth permeates our souls. Days of purification, with a drive toward new beginnings. Wonderful days spent with loved ones under the spring sunshine, longed for and desired for so long.
Let us pray that our eyes may see only the good, that our heart may be filled with Divine light, and that our soul may never lose hope!
May prosperity, love and understanding reign in our homes!
And sweet moments are always accompanied by sweet temptations on the table. The ritual bread for Easter, kozunak, spreads its fragrant aroma in the kitchen and invites sharing.
Old people say that a real kozunak must be beaten a hundred times, the eggs must be fresh, there must always be fresh milk and butter, as well as an abundance of sweets.
And the legend says that kozunaci are not cut with a knife, but are torn with hands because they have a soul...
Ingredients:
20 g fresh yeast or 8 g dry yeast
120 ml fresh milk
2 tbsp yogurt
140-160 g sugar
3 eggs
80 g fat (equal parts oil and butter)
1 tsp salt (partial)
1 tbsp lemon juice
Vanilla
Lemon peels
About 500 g of high protein flour (>12g)
For the filling:
150 g pistachios
60 ml melted butter
2 tbsp honey
Or ready-made pistachio cream
Method of preparation:
The first step is to prepare the so-called hard kvass or starter from the yeast, half the fresh milk and flour, until a wet dough is obtained. The starter is sprinkled with flour and left to rise for about 40-50 minutes. If dry yeast is used, this step is skipped and the yeast is added directly to the flour.
In a separate bowl, beat the eggs, sugar and warm milk until the sugar melts. Add the yogurt, flavors, salt and lemon juice. Sift the flour. Add the egg mixture to the risen starter in parts, alternating with the flour and finally half the fat. Knead a soft dough, to which the remaining fat is added several times until it is completely absorbed. Knead a smooth, elastic and tight dough, continuing to knead for about 20 minutes. A well-kneaded dough will keep its shape without "spilling" on the sides of the bowl. When baking, the kozunaks will also keep their shape. Cover the dough with a towel and leave it to rise in a warm place until it triples in volume. The risen dough is kneaded, bursting all the air bubbles. This way, the kozunaks will not crack when baking. Divide the dough into two equal parts, for two kozunaks. Each part - into three more parts, which are rolled into long ellipses. The filling is added, and all the products for it are ground in a blender until a smooth cream. Three wicks are formed, which are braided into a braid. The kozunak can also be shaped in another way and another filling can be added, such as chocolate, marmalade, Turkish delight, etc. The formed kozunaks are moved into molds, covered with baking paper and left to rise again for about 20 minutes. Before baking, the kozunaks are spread with beaten egg yolk with 1 tbsp. fresh milk and a little oil. Sprinkle with granulated sugar, pistachios, walnuts, sliced almonds, etc. Bake in a preheated oven at 1800C for 10 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 1600C and bake until golden brown (about 40-50 minutes with a fan). Leave the baked kozunacs to cool for about 10 minutes and then remove from the molds.
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