The Stove
Hungarian Easter Twisted Bread (Fonott Kalács)
Kalács has Jewish origins and it’s a popular food in many Eastern & Central European countries, including Hungary. It is a yeast-based bread enriched with eggs and is popular in Hungary at both Easter and Christmas. It’s super delicious and definitely worth baking at home.
Enjoy this classic Hungarian Easter twisted bread recipe!
Ingredients
- 4 cups flour
- 3 ½ tbsp melted butter
- 25 g fresh yeast or 2 1/2 tsp dry yeast
- 2 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 ⅕ cup milk
- 2 eggs
- 1 egg yolk
Instructions
- Dissolve the sugar and yeast into the warmed milk, cover, and put aside for 10 minutes.
- Put the flour, salt, melted butter, 1 egg, and 1 egg yolk in a large bowl, mix, and pour in the activated yeast mixture.
- Knead the dough for 10-15 minutes, cover, and leave to rise for about 1 hour in a warm place until it doubles in size.
- Place the dough on a floured surface and divide into 6 equal parts. Roll each part into a ball, cover, and leave to rise for 10 minutes. Then roll the dough balls into sticks.
- Take 3 rolled sticks and braid them, joining the ends. Do the same for the other 3.
- Place them gently on baking paper, beat the remaining egg and brush over the top. Let it rest for 30 minutes while you preheat the oven to 356° F/ 180 °C.
- Bake at 356° F/180 °C for 35-45 minutes. Let them cool before serving.
Key facts
- Who: Kalács