Hungarian Egg Twist bread is perfect for everyday or dressed up for a special occasion. You can sprinkle nuts or other additions into this sweetened bread or eat it as is.
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.
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.
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John loves fresh 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 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.
Yields 24
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.
3 hr, 30 Prep Time
30 minCook Time
4 hrTotal Time
Save RecipeIngredients
- 1 cup *scalded milk, cooled to 110 degrees F
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 4 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon 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 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 dough and turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Cut into three equal sized pieces and allow to rest covered 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 raise until doubled (1 hour).
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Combine egg yolk and milk. Brush over entire surface of braid. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer registers 190 degrees F. Tent with foil if crust browns to 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 easteuropeanfood.about.com
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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.
Now Food is meant for sharing so I am taking this recipe over to my friends at Fiesta Friday hosted by Angie of The Novice Gardner and her cohosts Ginger’s Ginger & Bread and Loretta’s Safari Of The Mind.
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