Veka White Wheat Bread

Do you like Czech bread? Try Veka, a white baguette-like bread common in Czech stores! I have a simple yeast dough recipe that makes two loaves of soft bread with a crispy golden crust.

➜ What Is Veka Bread?

Veka is a traditional pastry from the Czech Republic. It has a shape of a long thin loaf. After baking, the bread is cut diagonally into slices.

Czechs use slices of veka as a base for open-faced sandwiches, richly garnished with ham, cheese, boiled eggs, and potato salad.

In the US, the closest equivalent to veka is a baguette, known as French bread.

TIP: Veka bread resembles a shape of Czech bread dumplings, but the preparation of both dishes is different.

➜ Ingredients

To make Czech veka white bread, you'll need:

• All-purpose flour
• Water; lukewarm
• Dry yeast; just stir into the dough and then knead with lukewarm water. The dough contains only a little fat. It will rise quickly; there is no need to make a yeast starter in advance.
• Sugar; to activate the yeast
• Vegetable oil; sunflower or Canola, or try melted (not hot) lard
• Salt

Egg wash for veka bread: crack an egg in a bowl and whisk it with a bit of water.

✅ You’ll find the exact amount of ingredients below in the recipe card, which you can also print out.

➜ Instructions with Photos

STEP 1: Add the flour, dry yeast, sugar, and salt to the bowl. Pour in the lukewarm water and oil.

STEP 2: Knead into a smooth, firm and elastic dough: First, roughly mix all the ingredients in a bowl with a fork. Dump the pre-made dough onto a work surface and finish with your hands. If the dough is too sticky, gradually incorporate more flour into it until the surface is smooth. Knead the dough properly; there shouldn’t be any lumps in it.

If you have a stand mixer with a kneading attachment, process the dough for veka in it. It will save you effort.

STEP 3: Divide the dough into two equal pieces and shape it into buns. Dust them with a bit of flour to prevent the surface from drying out. Cover the buns with a clean kitchen towel and leave them to rise in a warm place for about 45 minutes.

TIP: I put the dough in the oven with a pot of hot water on the bottom to rise. The moist and warm environment does wonders for the yeast dough!

⤍ Learn how to make dough rise in the oven.

STEP 4: Roll out each of the risen buns on a work surface lightly dusted with flour into an oval about 13 inches (32.5 cm) long.

STEP 5: Turn the rolled oval with the longer side towards you and use your hands to roll it up. Transfer both pieces of veka to a baking sheet lined with baking paper. Press the ends of the bread in slightly. Cover with a kitchen towel and leave to rise for another 30 minutes in a warm place.

STEP 6: Heat the oven to 425°F (220°C), and place the rack in the center. Place a small pot of boiling water in the bottom of the oven and close the oven door to allow steam to build up inside.

STEP 7: Brush the risen veka loaves on top with a whisked egg and water mixture.

STEP 8: Place the brushed vekas in the steaming oven and close the door quickly. Reduce the oven temperature to 400°F (200 °C). Bake for about 15–18 minutes, until the surface is golden.

➜ Serving

Allow the veka pastry to cool completely. Then cut it on a bias into ½ inch (1-1,5 cm) thick slices. Use these to make Czech open-faced sandwiches or top them with various spreads, e.g., garlic cheese spread, or ham spread.

➜ Storage

Veka bread tastes best the day you bake it. I've found that veka is soft and moist for up to three days after baking.

If you don't use veka up, wrap it in a kitchen cloth and store in a dark place, such as a bread bin.

➜ Useful Tips

• The whisked egg with water (egg wash) will ensure that the crust of veka gets a shiny, golden finish. It will be crispier as well. If you want to enhance this effect even more, brush the veka bread with whisked egg only before it goes into the oven.
• Carefully place a saucepan or pot of hot water in the oven to make a steamy environment inside. Ensure the saucepan has no plastic parts that could suffer in the hot oven.
• The classic Czech veka bread is smooth on the surface, without the slashes that French baguettes usually have.

More Czech bread:

• Rohliky – white bread rolls
• Housky – braided rolls
• Czech rye bread – chléb
• Rye bread rolls – dalamánky