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Kolach
Braided Christmas ring bread
Колач: Ukrainian braided Christmas ring bread stacked three high with a candle
UkrainianKolach is the bread at the centre of the Ukrainian Christmas Eve table: three braided rings of rich white dough stacked on top of each other, for the Holy Trinity, with a candle set in the middle. It stays there all through the Holy Supper and is shared afterwards. The dough is lightly sweet with egg and butter, and the braids bake to a deep, glossy brown. A single ring is fine for a smaller household. Chef's tip: braid the strands loosely, as they need room to swell; tight braids tear open in the oven.
- Total time
- 100 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 16
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups milklukewarm
- 1 ¾ lb strong white flour
- 2 ½ oz caster sugar
- 2 tsp salt
- 3 eggs
- 2 ⅞ oz buttermelted
- 1 eggbeaten with 1 tbsp milk
- 1 candle (optional)for the table
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Mix 1 ¾ lb strong white flour, ⅓ oz fast-action dried yeast, 2 ½ oz caster sugar and 2 tsp salt. Add 1 ¼ cups milk, 3 eggs and 2 ⅞ oz butter and knead for 10 minutes to a smooth, firm, elastic dough, firmer than a soft bun dough so the braids hold.
10 minStep 2: Cover and leave in a warm place for 1½ hours, until doubled.
Step 3: Divide the dough into 3 parts of decreasing size (for a large, medium and small ring). Divide each part into 3 and roll into long ropes. Braid each set loosely and join the ends into a ring.
20 minStep 4: Set each ring on its own lined tray, or nest them one inside the other on a large tray. Cover and leave for 45 minutes until puffy.
Step 5: Brush with 1 egg. Bake at 350°F (325°F fan): the small ring for 25 minutes, the larger ones for 30–35 minutes, until deep golden and hollow-sounding underneath. A common mistake is opening the oven early, which collapses the braids.
35 minStep 6: Cool, then stack the rings on a platter from largest to smallest and set 1 candle in the centre.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 250 kcal
- Protein
- 7 g
- Carbs
- 40 g
- Fat
- 7 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does kolach take?
- About 100 minutes in total: 60 minutes to prepare and 40 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 16 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of milk?
- Oat, soy or almond milk, same amount (use unsweetened for savoury dishes).
- What can I use instead of fast-action dried yeast?
- Fresh yeast, three times the weight.
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