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Hungarian Egg Twist Bread

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Hungarian Egg Twist bread is perfect for every day or a special occasion. You can sprinkle nuts or other additions into this sweetened bread or eat it as is.

A close up of a loaf of Hungarian Egg Twist Bread sitting on a piece of parchment paper.

John’s parents came over for Easter dinner. I don’t know anyone who enjoys baked bread as much as my mother-in-law so I always enjoy having some freshly baked bread when we have them over. I knew she would love this Hungarian Egg Twist Bread.

A loaf of Hungarian Egg Twist Bread with the front slices cut from the front. A jar of jam sits in the background and a knife with jam sits on the front slice of bread.

My bread recipe submission was also due with #BreadBakers. The theme this month was Easter, Passover and Springtime Bread from Around the World, which was perfect timing for my Easter dinner.

One thing that I learned is that there are often variations of the same bread in other countries. The Hungarian egg twist is also referred to as fonott kalacs.

Kalacs (kaw-lahch) refer to any yeast-raised cake or sweet bread. They are braided and can be in a loaf or in a circle. They can also be sprinkled with walnuts or fruits.

A loaf of Hungarian Egg Twist Bread with the front slices cut from the front. A jar of jam sits in the background and a knife with jam sits on the front slice of bread.

John loves freshly baked bread too but doesn’t like raisins or nuts in baked goods, so I made my bread without either. I do baby that boy.

This bread is slightly sweet and has a hint of fresh lemon. It’s also delicious and makes a great toast with jam.

The instructions said to bake this bread for 50 minutes or 190 degrees F. I checked my bread at 40 minutes and it was already at 206 degrees F. Next time I will check my bread at 30 minutes. I enjoyed making this bread and will make it again.

Don’t have time to make it now? Pin it for later!

Hungarian Egg Twist Bread Recipe

Author: Hostess At Heart
Hungarian Egg Twist bread is perfect for everyday or dressed up for a special occasion. You can sprinkle in nuts and dried fruit or other additions to this sweetened bread or eat it as is.
5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
2 hours 30 minutes
Total Time 3 hours 30 minutes
Course Bread
Cuisine American, Hungarian
Keyword: Homemade bread, Hungarian Egg Twist
Servings: 24 slices

Ingredients
 
 

  • 1 cup milk *scalded and cooled to 110 degrees F

  • 1 tsp sugar

  • 4 tsp active dry yeast

  • 4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp salt

  • 4 ounces butter 1 stick, softened and cut into pieces
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 
Grated zest of 1 lemon
  • 1/2 cup light raisins optional
  • 1 large egg yolk mixed with 1 tablespoon milk

Instructions
 

  • Stir 1 teaspoon of sugar and yeast into cooled scalded milk and let sit for 5 minutes or until activated.
  • In the bowl of a stand-up mixer, fitted with a dough hook, combine flour, salt, butter, sugar, 2 eggs, zest, and raisins. Mix until the dough is smooth and elastic. Place the dough in a well-oiled bowl, turning the dough once to coat both sides.
    Cover with greased plastic wrap and allow to rise until doubled in a warm place (1 to 1-1/2 hours).
  • When risen, punch down the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Cut it into three equal-sized pieces and allow it to rest covered for about 5 minutes.
    Roll each piece of dough into a 20-inch rope. Braid the three pieces into one long twist or join ends into a circle. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet, tucking ends under. Cover with greased plastic wrap and allow to rise until doubled (1 hour).
  • Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.  Combine the egg yolk and the milk together. Brush over the entire surface of the braid.
    Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer registers 190 degrees F. Tent with foil if the crust browns too quickly.
    Let rest at least 20 minutes before slicing.

Notes

*Scalding milk is heating it to 180 degrees F.  It used to be done to kill bacteria in the milk and to kill the enzyme that prevented thickening.  This isn’t the case anymore with pasteurized milk, but it is still done because it also makes cake spongy and breads light. Adapted from https://www.thespruce.com/eastern-european-easter-bread-recipes

Nutrition

Calories: 132kcalCarbohydrates: 19gProtein: 2gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 24mgSodium: 43mgPotassium: 40mgSugar: 3gVitamin A: 155IUCalcium: 18mgIron: 1mg

Nutritional Disclaimer

This recipe was calculated using the exact brands and measurements I used to make this recipe. If you are following a strict diet please note changing anything will cause the nutritional info to change. My calculations are intended as a guide only.

Tried this recipe?Let me know how it was!

Here are the other beautiful breads from this month’s Bread Bakers group!


Bread Bakers

What is Bread Bakers? It’s a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all our of lovely bread by following our Bread Bakers Pinterest Board. Links are updated after each event on the Bread Bakers home page.

How is the monthly theme determined? We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

Would you like to join in the fun? If you are a food blogger, send an email with your blog name and url to Stacy at foodlustpeoplelove@gmail.com.

If you are a food blogger and would like to join us, just send Stacy an email with your blog URL to foodlustpeoplelove@gmail.com.

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Here are a few of my other favorite bread recipes for Bread Bakers!

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Two photo collage for Pinterest. The top photo is of a loaf of Hungarian Egg Twist Bread. The bottom photo is of the loaf of Hungarian Egg Twist Bread with the front slices cut from the front. A jar of jam sits in the background and a knife with jam sits on the front slice of bread.

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5 from 1 vote

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101 Comments

  1. This is one BEAUTIFUL bread! I love baking bread too and i definitely need to try this! It looks absolutely gorgeous!

    1. Thank you Dini! To me, there is something magical about baking bread. It is so rewarding.

  2. Lovely bread Julie! It’s great how you’re experimenting baking lots of different things! And it is perfect braiding! 🙂

    1. Thank you Lili! I do love to experiment. I so so much inspiration with our blogging community!

  3. Looks lovely and I like the idea of the slightly lemon flavor in there. And a great idea having baking challenges too!

    1. Thank you Caroline. I liked the bit of lemon too. It upped the bit of sweetness I think.

  4. Wow, this bread looks insanely good! The texture on that cut load, I want to dive onto it and use it as a pillow!

    1. Ha! I am having fun in my kitchen now days. I love it when something turns out, but as you know, that isn’t always the case.

      1. Haha yes, all the failures are worth it when you make something that looks like this!

  5. Thank you Trisha! I grew up baking and love it . I also see some of the beautiful things people make and am amazed!

  6. What a beautiful bread and lovely golden crust! I (tried) to make a braided bread the other day and it was an utter disaster (then again I even find braiding hair difficult!)–so I really appreciate how perfect this braiding looks!

  7. Ohhh, butter would be perfect with your bread, too. Looks perfect for anytime of the day. Happy FF, Julie. xx

  8. This looks absolutely stunning, Julie! Your photographs made me almost weep … Thank you so much for bringing this glorious bread along to this week’s Fiesta Friday party! Your bread club sounds intriguing … I might have to check it out!

    1. Thank you Ginger! It is a very laid back friendly group and only one assignment a month makes it easy. It also makes sure that my hubby gets homemade bread at least once a month.

    1. Thank you so much! It had a nice crumb that was great to eat but I loved that it was also strong enough to hold up as French toast.

    1. I apologize for not responding earlier. I found this note in spam. I loved making this bread and will try other braids in the future!

  9. Another good looking bread Julie! I hope you are not eating too much bread and gaining back the weight you lost 🙂

    1. Thank you! I do love that stuff but am being pretty careful. Especially since I’m not as active right now.

      1. That’s good – I found I have been making way too much bread and eating it – not good for my waistline!