Hostess At Heart

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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!

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5 from 1 vote

Hungarian Egg Twist Bread Recipe

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.
Prep Time 30 mins
Cook Time 30 mins
2 hrs 30 mins
Total Time 3 hrs 30 mins
Servings 24 slices
Author Hostess At Heart

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 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 rise until doubled (1 hour).
  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Combine the egg yolk and the milk together. Brush over 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 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: 132kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 24mg | Sodium: 43mg | Potassium: 40mg | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 155IU | Calcium: 18mg | Iron: 1mg
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? That’s awesome!Mention @hostessatheart or tag #hostessatheart!

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 [email protected].

If you are a food blogger and would like to join us, just send Stacy an email with your blog URL to [email protected].

Pin it now!

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.

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

 Let’s keep in touch!  You can find me on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube! Better yet, enter your email address in the box below and never miss a recipe!

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.

Comments

  5. Giramuk's Kitchen says

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

    Reply

  7. Lili says

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

    Reply

  9. carolinescookingblog says

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

    Reply

  10. Michelle @ Giraffes Can Bake says

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

    Reply

    • Julie is Hostess At Heart says

      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.

      Reply

      • Michelle @ Giraffes Can Bake says

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

        Reply

  11. Julie is Hostess At Heart says

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

    Reply

  12. tentimestea says

    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!

    Reply

  13. Jhuls says

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

    Reply

  14. Ginger says

    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!

    Reply

    • Julie is Hostess At Heart says

      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.

      Reply

    • Julie is Hostess At Heart says

      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.

      Reply

    • Julie is Hostess At Heart says

      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!

      Reply

  17. cookingwithauntjuju.com says

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

    Reply

    • Julie is Hostess At Heart says

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

      Reply

      • cookingwithauntjuju.com says

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

        Reply

  19. Shari says

    Your bread looks amazing, Julie! Just perfect. I bet your mother-in-law and husband loved it. I had never heard of this bread so it was fun to learn about it. Thanks for sharing the recipe!

    Reply

  20. culinarycam says

    I LOVE that you and Renee, from Magnolia days, both took trips to Hungary. I have never made bread from there…I will now! Thanks for joining the #BreadBakers fun.

    Reply

  21. Celebrating Sunshine says

    My mother makes a similar bread. Yours looks awesome! I’m sure it goes well with red wine. 🙂

    Reply

  22. Loretta says

    Wow Julie, you’ve turned quite the pro overnight haven’t you? I love how you are challenging yourself in the bread department, this bread looks just gorgeous! You’ve done such a great job with it, and what wonderful entries with the rest of the bakers 🙂

    Reply

    • Julie is Hostess At Heart says

      Thanks Loretta! I agree that there are some amazing entries with this group. I’m having fun and unlike some things that I make I never have to give bread away. 🙂 Have a great day!

      Reply

  23. Robin @ A Shaggy Dough Story says

    Beautiful bread! I’m with John on the nuts (feh, who needs ’em?) but I’ll be adding the raisins back in when I make this—which I will soon because it’s definitely calling my name. Thanks for sharing it!

    Reply

  30. Karen @ Karen's Kitchen Stories says

    That bread, and those photos are just beautiful. It is funny how different versions of the same bread exist.

    Reply

    • Julie is Hostess At Heart says

      Thank you Karen! I love seeing how everyone interprets them too. That goes back to my belief that recipes are often more about the story. I see by your title that you agree too!

      Reply

  31. accidentalhr says

    That bread, and those photos are just beautiful. It is funny how different versions of the same bread exist.

    Reply

    • Julie is Hostess At Heart says

      Thank you so much! I agree that it is funny how recipes are interpreted and the history of them too. 🙂

      Reply

  34. Wendy, A Day in the Life on the Farm says

    That is one gorgeous loaf of bread. I hope your husband appreciates your good care of him.

    Reply

    • Julie is Hostess At Heart says

      Thank you Wendy! He takes pretty darned good care of me too. I try to spoil him when I can. 🙂

      Reply

  37. Jenni Field (@PastryChfOnline) says

    What a beautiful bread! You were very kind to leave out the raisins and nuts, too! I imagine this bread would make delicious French toast also. Yum. =)

    Reply

    • Julie is Hostess At Heart says

      Thank you Jenni! I thought about making French toast too but I didn’t have enough left over. Next time.

      Reply

  40. bakersandbest says

    All of these wonderful breads I am learning so much about this month! Yours looks wonderful, though I think I’ll have to add a few things back in if I try it : )

    Reply

    • Julie is Hostess At Heart says

      Thank you! I am with you but couldn’t eat the whole thing so made sure I’d have help.

      Reply

  42. Renee Dobbs says

    We both took a virtual trip to Hungary for this event. I like your sweet bread and will put it on my to-bake list.

    Reply

    • Julie is Hostess At Heart says

      Thank you Renee! I’m on my way to your side of Hungary. This was a fun project! I’m headed over to see your experience with Hungary. Thanks for stopping by.

      Reply

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