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    Home » Recipes » Bread Recipes

    Veka White Wheat Bread

    Published: Jan 4, 2022 · Modified: Mar 1, 2023 by Petra Kupská

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    Do you like bread? Try veka, white bread from the Czech Republic! I have a simple yeast dough recipe for you that delivers two loaves of soft bread with a crispy golden crust.

    Czech veka white wheat bread slanted slices.
    Table of Contents hide
    ➜ What Is Veka Bread?
    ➜ Ingredients
    ➜ Instructions with Photos
    ➜ Serving
    ➜ Storage
    ➜ Useful Tips
    Czech Veka White Bread

    ➜ 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

    Czech veka bread ingredients listed.

    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.

    Making dough for Czech veka bread. All ingredients in a bowl.

    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.

    Rising of yeast dough for czech veka bread.

    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.

    Rolled up veka dough on a working surface, with rolling pin.

    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.

    Brushing two loaves of veka bread with an egg wash.

    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.

    Two loaves of baked veka bread.

    ➜ 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.

    Czech open-faced sandwiches made on veka bread.

    ➜ 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

    Tried this recipe?

    Leave a review down in the comments! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

    Follow me on Facebook and Pinterest. Subscribe to my newsletter. Send me any question about Czech cuisine to my e-mail. I love hearing your feedback!

    Czech veka bread recipe.

    Czech Veka White Bread

    Do you like bread? Try veka, white bread from the Czech Republic! I have a simple yeast dough recipe for you that delivers two loaves of soft bread with a crispy golden crust.
    Print Pin
    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Cook Time: 18 minutes
    Leavening:: 1 hour 15 minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour 48 minutes
    Servings: 2 loaves
    Calories: 1041kcal
    Author: Petra Kupská
    Prevent your screen from going dark
    Course: bread
    Cuisine: Czech

    Ingredients

    • 4 cups all-purpose flour (520 g) plus more if the dough is too sticky
    • 1 and ¼ cups lukewarm water (300 ml)
    • 2 teaspoons dry yeast
    • ¼ teaspoon granulated sugar
    • ½ Tablespoon salt
    • 1 and ½ Tablespoons vegetable oil sunflower or Canola

    Instructions

    • Add the flour, dry yeast, sugar, and salt to the bowl. Pour in the lukewarm water and oil.
    • Knead into a smooth, 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, add little by little more flour until the dough is elastic on the surface.
    • 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.
    • 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.
    • Turn the rolled oval with the longer side towards you and use your hands to roll it up. Transfer both pieces of veka on a baking sheet lined with baking paper. Press the ends of the bread in slightly. Cover with a kitchen towel and leave to rise in a warm place for a further 30 minutes.
    •  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.
    • Brush the proved veka loaves on top with a whisked egg and water mixture.
    • Place the brushed vekas in the oven with steam and quickly close the door. Reduce the oven temperature to 400°F (200°C). Bake for about 15-18 minutes until the surface is golden.

    Notes

    • Makes 2 loaves of veka bread.
    • Allow the veka pastry to cool completely. Then cut it in a bias into ½ inch (1-1,5 cm) thick slices.
    • 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.
    • Use the slices of veka to make Czech open-faced sandwiches or top them with various spreads, e.g., garlic cheese spread, or ham spread.
     

    DISCLAIMER: Because I come from Central Europe, my recipes are based on metric units such as grams or milliliters. Check out how I convert metric units to the U.S. system:

    Conversion chart

    Nutritional Estimate pro portion

    Calories: 1041kcal | Carbohydrates: 196g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 1763mg | Potassium: 382mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin C: 0.04mg | Calcium: 47mg | Iron: 12mg
    Do you like the recipe?I would be happy for your feedback! Please, rate the recipe and share your opinion or questions in comments bellow. Thank you very much.
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Dennis Williams

      October 28, 2022 at 3:52 pm

      Easy recipe and splendid results! I bake a lot of yeast breads and this turned out well the first time. Happy Independence Day (today)!

      Reply
      • Petra Kupská

        October 30, 2022 at 3:53 pm

        Thank you, Dennis! Not only for your nice words but also for the Independence Day wishes! 🙂

        Reply

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    Hi there, I’m Petra, a self-taught home cook and a Czech mom of two teen boys with more than 20 years of cooking experience. I am here to share traditional recipes from the Czech Republic, a small country in the very heart of Europe.

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