Braided sweet bread Vianočka

I bring you a braided bread very traditional in countries like the Czech Republic or Slovakia. Its name is vianočka and it is a soft sweet bread with a hint of vanilla delicious. Its name comes from the word vianoce, which means Christmas, and the braid originally represented baby Jesus wrapped in his little blanket. But nowadays it is not made only at Christmas; it's enjoyed all year long. The reason is simple: it's so good it would be a shame to eat it only during such a short time of year!

Is Vianočka the same as Challah?

When you see this bread, you have probably thought of the popular Jewish challah bread (challah), right? The truth is that vianočka has nothing to do with it, except for the pretty braided shape.

Today's bread, the vianočka, unlike challah, is made with butter instead of oil, milk instead of water and quite a bit more sugar. It also includes vanilla extract and lemon zest. The result is a sweet bread, soft and cloud-like, that melts in your mouth and disappears in no time.

Bring it to the table for breakfast or tea, plain or with a bit of butter and seasonal fruit, with chocolate or jam. It always disappears very quickly.

Try the recipe and you'll see it will become your favorite breakfast.

Emile Henry artisanal bread oven and NO.W mug from Revol

Ingredients

For the preferment

• 150 g strong flour
• 150 g lukewarm milk
• 2 g dry yeast

For the dough

• The preferment
• 600 g strong flour
• 225 g lukewarm milk
• 110 g butter at room temperature
• 110 g sugar
• 7 g dry yeast
• 3 egg yolks from large eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• Zest of 1 lemon

For decoration

• 1 beaten egg for brushing
• Sliced almonds

Method

FIRST DAY
1) Prepare the preferment:

1. In a wide glass jar, mix the strong flour with the yeast.
2. Add the milk and mix well until you obtain a homogeneous consistency.
3. Put the lid on the glass jar, but not fully closed, and store it in the refrigerator for about 12 hours, ideally overnight. It should double in volume, but if it hasn't doubled by the next day, continue with the recipe anyway.

SECOND DAY
Prepare the dough:

1. About an hour before making the dough, take the preferment out of the fridge so it can warm up. Do the same with the eggs and the butter.
2. Sift the flour into a bowl and sprinkle the dry yeast on top. Mix with a spoon.
3. Add the sugar and lemon zest and mix again.
4. Add the milk, egg yolks, vanilla extract and butter and mix gently with your hands.
5. Finally, add the preferment and mix with your hands until the flour begins to absorb all the liquids well.
6. Turn the dough out onto a work surface and knead for 15 minutes using the French kneading technique. You can also knead with the KitchenAid mixer using the dough hook attachment.
7. Shape the dough into a ball and place it back in the bowl. Cover the bowl with a cotton cloth and let it rest at room temperature until the dough doubles in volume, approximately 3 hours.

3) Shape the Vianočka

1. Once the dough has doubled in volume, degas it by pressing with your knuckles and knead it lightly again on a work surface very lightly dusted with flour.
2. Divide the dough into 6 equal pieces and shape each piece into a ball.
3. Let the balls rest for 10 minutes to relax the gluten, covered with a cloth so they don't dry out.
4. Meanwhile, you can prepare the base of the Emile Henry mould and grease it with a little butter. Grease the edges well too so the dough won't stick once it rises in the oven.
5. Leave the mould lid to warm in the oven at 50 °C.
6. Roll each ball into a rope about 45 centimeters long.

Emile Henry artisanal bread oven and Revol individual porcelain bowl

4) Bake the Vianočka

Discover the step-by-step in this video:

Notes

• Fermentation times are indicative and depend greatly on the ambient temperature in your home. It may be less if your kitchen is warm or longer if it's cooler.
• You can make this type of bread on a baking tray, but I like to make it in the Emile Henry mould for several reasons:
• During the second fermentation the mould keeps a nice shape in the braid so it grows upward rather than outward.
• It's easier to cover with its lid rather than plastic, so the dough doesn't dry out during fermentation.
• Warming the lid before placing it on top can speed up the second fermentation phase
• There are other variations of the recipe where raisins are added to the dough previously soaked in rum, but in our home we prefer the version without raisins.
• If you forget to make the preferment you can prepare the dough directly without it by adding the preferment ingredients to the dough. But I recommend, if possible, always making it with the preferment. It makes the braid even tastier, lighter and keeps it tender longer.
• If it seems too large, you can make 2/3 of the recipe (so you don't have issues separating yolks). But around here this sweet bread always disappears fast and when we get going with it, we make more. You can also make the whole batch and freeze the leftover piece to thaw or toast another day.
• If for any reason your vianočka goes stale, it's ideal for making French toast.