Vianočka: Slovak braided raisin and almond bread

Tip: tap a step to mark it as done.

1. Soak the raisins

   Rinse the raisins, pour the rum over them, and let them soak while you prepare the dough.

2. Activate the yeast

   Crumble the yeast into half of the lukewarm milk. Add 1 tsp of the sugar and 1 tbsp of the flour, taken from the total amounts. Let stand for 10 minutes until foamy.

3. Knead the dough

   Sift the flour into a bowl and add the remaining sugar, vanilla sugar, salt, and lemon zest. Add the yeast mixture, remaining milk, and egg yolks, and knead for 5 minutes. Gradually work in the softened butter and knead for another 5 minutes, until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the bowl.

4. Let the dough rise

   Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let the dough rise in a warm place for 60 minutes, until doubled in size.

5. Divide the dough

   Drain the raisins and briefly knead them into the dough. Divide the dough into two portions in a 3:2 ratio. Divide each portion into 3 equal pieces and roll each piece into a rope about 35 cm long.

6. Braid the loaf

   On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, braid the three thicker ropes to form the bottom braid. Press down lightly along its center with your palm. Braid the three thinner ropes, place this braid on top of the bottom one, and tuck the ends underneath. Insert wooden skewers through the loaf in two to three places to keep the top braid from sliding off during baking.

7. Let the loaf rise

   Cover the loaf and let rise for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 170 °C (340 °F), using conventional (top and bottom heat).

8. Bake

   Brush the loaf with beaten egg, sprinkle with sliced almonds, and bake for 40–45 minutes. If the top browns too quickly, loosely cover it with aluminum foil halfway through baking. The baked loaf should sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.

9. Let cool

   Remove the skewers and let the loaf cool on a wire rack. Slice only once cooled, or the crumb will become gummy.

Tip: To bake the loaf ahead, let it cool, wrap it in plastic wrap, and freeze. Thaw it still wrapped at room temperature to keep it moist.

This recipe was translated from the Slovak original: Vianočka s hrozienkami a mandľami – pletená z dvoch vrkočov