Just like elsewhere in the world, Czech Easter also involves ceremonial pastries. Alongside the traditional Mazanec, one of them is this sweet braided bread with a nested egg. In the recipe, I will reveal how to master it at home!
➜ About the recipe
This sweet Easter bread is made from a rich yeast dough. It stands out for its generous amount of butter, which keeps it moist for a prolonged period of time. The dough also contains chopped nuts and raisins, usually soaked in rum or other spirits beforehand.
After rising, the dough is braided to resemble Pomlázka, the famous Czech Easter whip. On Easter Monday, boys traditionally use the pomlázka to lightly whip girls and women for youth and health. This braided bread also contains an egg, symbolizing the essence of Easter.
If you want to learn more about Czech Easter food and traditions, read about how Czechs celebrate Easter.
➜ Ingredients to make Czech braided bread
To make sweet Czech braided bread, you will need:
• All-purpose flour; or plain flour if you are in the UK / Australia. Read more about Czech types of flour.
• Unsalted butter; softened at room temperature. Take the butter out of the fridge at least two hours before making the dough.
• Granulated sugar
• Egg yolks
• Active dry yeast
• Milk; lukewarm
• Lemon zest; preferably freshly grated from an organic lemon
• Vanilla essence
• Raisins; Czechs like to soak raisins in rum or other alcohol overnight
• Chopped nuts; traditionally, blanched almonds belong to the dough. I used a mixture of raw nuts (almonds, hazelnuts, and Brazil nuts)
• Salt
• Nutmeg; the secret spice of Bohemian grandmas! I buy whole nutmeg and grate it on a hand grater (small holes) just before using. Nutmeg is optional, or you can leave it out.
• Raw eggs; to put in the braid
Next, you need an egg for eggwash and some chopped nuts to sprinkle on the bread before baking.
✅ You will find the exact ingredient amounts in the recipe card below, which you can also print out.
Kitchen equipment: Baking sheet at least 14 inches (35 cm) long, parchment paper, pastry brush, kitchen mixer with dough hook.
➜ Note on yeast dough
The yeast dough for Easter bread contains a relatively large amount of butter. This results in a flaky bread structure and an extended period during which the bread stays soft.
However, the dough is quite heavy, so it will take longer to double in volume. To aid in the rising process, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm place.
Read how to quickly make the dough rise in the oven
About halfway through the rising time, I recommend briefly kneading the dough to help it further rise.
As a rule of thumb, yeast dough ingredients should be at room temperature. The milk needs to be warm but not hot.
NOTE: I kneaded the dough in a stand mixer with the dough hook attached. For more experienced home bakers, the yeast dough can be kneaded by hand in a bowl with a wooden spoon. Making the dough by hand requires more time and physical effort.
➜ How to braid the bread
Braiding the bread is very simple. Just roll the proofed dough into a long strand, fold it in half, and twist the ends loosely. Insert the egg into the loop at the bend of the strand.
The egg is typically used raw; according to old cookbooks, it should be baked in the oven along with the bread. However, based on my experience, the egg doesn't always fully bake in this manner. If you want to ensure it is cooked through, you can pre-cook the egg and allow it to cool before placing it in the dough.
➜ Baking the Easter bread
All yeast pastries need to be baked in a well preheated oven. If the surface of the dough browns too quickly during baking and there is a risk of burning, reduce the temperature slightly. Alternatively, loosely cover the surface with foil.
Before placing the bread in the oven, it is a good idea to brush the surface with an egg wash, which will give the bread a nice shine after baking. In addition, Czechs sprinkle chopped blanched almonds on the surface for a better appearance.
➜ Tips on storage
- Sweet braided bread will stay fresh for up to five days when stored in a cool place, covered with a clean towel.
- The bread is also freezer-friendly! For optimal softness and freshness after thawing, put the bread into the freezer as soon as it cools. It will keep well for up to three months in the freezer.
- To thaw, simply place the frozen braid on the kitchen counter and let it sit at room temperature. It should be ready to enjoy within an hour or two, depending on the ambient conditions.
More Czech Easter recipes:
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Czech Braided Easter Bread
Tap or hover to scale
Ingredients
Yeast starter:
- ⅓ cup lukewarm milk 110-115°F/42°C
- ½ teaspoon granulated sugar
- 4 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast
Yeast dough:
- 6 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 stick unsalted butter softened at room temperature
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 ⅓ cups lukewarm milk 110-115°F/42°C
- 2 Tablespoons lemon zest freshly grated
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 Tablespoons raisins
- 4 Tablespoons chopped nuts e. g., blanches almonds
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg optional
- 4 eggs to insert into the dough
Topping:
- 1 egg for egg wash
- 3 Tablespoons chopped nuts to sprinkle on the bread
- 2 Tablespoons powdered sugar to dust the baked bread (optional)
Instructions
- Make yeast starter: Mix 1/3 cup lukewarm milk with 4 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast and 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar. Let it sit in a warm place until the yeast activates. You'll see foam with bubbles forming on the surface, indicating that the mixture is ready.
- Make yeast dough: In a mixing bowl, combine 6 cups all-purpose flour, 1 1/3 cups lukewarm milk, 3/4 cup granulated sugar, 2 Tablespoons lemon zest, 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, and 3 egg yolks. Pour in the entire mixture with the activated yeast.
- Knead the dough in the mixer with the dough hook attachment for about a minute until everything roughly comes together.
- Turn off the mixer and add 1 stick unsalted butter (softened), cut into pieces, and 1 teaspoon salt to the mixture. Process on medium speed for another 8-10 minutes, scraping down the dough that is sticking to the sides of the bowl.
- Finally, add 4 Tablespoons chopped nuts and 3 Tablespoons raisins to the dough. Knead at low speed for a maximum of one minute. If you soaked the raisins in rum beforehand, drain them in advance!
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and shape it into a ball. Place it in a sufficiently deep bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let it rise in a warm place until the dough doubles in size. This may take up to two hours. Midway through the rising process, briefly knead the dough by hand to support further rising.
- Braid the bread: Divide the proofed dough into four pieces – each for one braided bread. Roll out each portion of dough into a single strand about 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick. Fold the strand in half, leaving space in the middle for inserting an egg. Loosely twist the ends together, pressing them firmly together at the bottom. I sealed the ends using the tines of a fork. Process the remaining pieces of dough in the same way.
- Transfer the braided breads to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Insert an egg into the eye at the bend. Cover with a clean towel and let it rise for another 30 minutes.
- Beat 1 egg with a fork in a bowl and brush the egg wahs over the braided breads on all sides. Finally, sprinkle their surfaces with 3 Tablespoons chopped nuts.
- Baking: Preheat the oven to
350 °F. Bake for 23 minutes until the surface turns golden brown. If desired, sprinkle 2 Tablespoons powdered sugar over the cooled breads.
Notes
- Makes 4 sweet braided breads about 13 inches (33 cm) long.
- After cooling, you can sprinkle the surface of the braided bread with powdered sugar.
- Raisins and nuts are added at the very end of dough processing. The kneading hook may smash the raisins while working the dough, and the nuts may also break into small pieces.
- STORAGE: Sweet braided bread will stay fresh for up to five days when stored in a cool place, covered with a clean towel.
- The bread is also freezer-friendly! For optimal softness and freshness after thawing, put the bread into the freezer as soon as it cools. It will keep well for up to three months in the freezer.
- To thaw, simply place the frozen braid on the kitchen counter and let it sit at room temperature. It should be ready to enjoy within an hour or two, depending on the ambient conditions.
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