Czech Vánočka

Czech Vánočka (Christmas Pastry) recipe
#pastryrecipe
📜 Ingredients for one piece (20 slices):
500g (1.1 lb) all-purpose flour
150g (5.3 oz) sugar
100g (3.5 oz) butter
60g (2 oz) lard
42g (1.5 oz) yeast
3 eggs
250ml (8.5 fl oz) milk
100g (3.5 oz) raisins
100ml (3.5 fl oz) rum
50g (1.5 oz) walnuts
100g (3.5 oz) peeled almonds
1 pinch of salt
powdered sugar for serving
All ingredients should be at room temperature.
Soak the raisins in rum.
In a large bowl, beat together butter and sugar until smooth. Add all-purpose flour, lard, yeast, a pinch of salt, one whole egg, one egg yolk, and milk.
Knead the dough for at least 5 minutes. It should be sticky. Let rise in a warm place for 2 hours.
Crush walnuts and half of the peeled almonds in a mortar until you get a fine mixture.
After 2 hours, incorporate raisins and the mixture into the dough and knead it once more. Let it rise for another 2 hours.
Dust the dough with flour, roll into a log shape, and divide it into 9 pieces - 4 large, 3 smaller, and 2 small ones. Roll each piece into a rope, about 60cm (24 inches) long.
Braid 4 large ropes in the following order: put the first one over the second one, the third one over the fourth one, and the move first one under the fourth one. Repeat until you get a braided base. Pound it slightly to flatten the surface, and place it into a baking form. Braid 3 smaller ropes in the following order: put the first one over the second one, and the third one over the first one. Repeat. Place it on top of the large braid. Twist the last 2 ropes together and place them on top of the second braid, tucking ends under the large braid.
Brush the dough with one whole egg and sprinkle with the rest of the peeled almonds. Stick several wooden skewers vertically into the dough to help keep the shape. Cover it with a kitchen towel and let it rest for one hour.
Preheat oven to 160°C/320°F. Then, let it bake for 50 minutes.
After finishing, take out the skewers. Let cool completely before slicing, and dust with powdered sugar, if desired.

[@HeartofEuropeRecipes]

looks great !!!

[@nicoleh5748]

Beautiful! Looks delicious! 😍