Fonott Kalács - Hungarian Plaited Bread
Rated 4.6 stars by 5 users
Servings
6
Prep Time
90 minutes
Cook Time
40 minutes
Fonott kalács is a Hungarian plaited bread similar to a braided loaf. It is sweet with a shiny golden crust and pillowy texture, perfect for breakfast. Enjoy with a spoonful of floral honey or some rich and moreish plum jam for an indulgent start to your day.
Ingredients
- 250g all-purpose flour
- 125ml milk
- 10g fresh yeast
- 40g icing sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- ¼ tsp salt
- 30g butter
- Grated peel from one lemon
- 20g currants
- 1 whole egg
Directions
- Mix the icing sugar with the lukewarm milk in a bowl, then crumble in the fresh yeast and let it rise for 5-7 minutes.
Sift the flour and add the salt and grated lemon peel in a separate bowl. Mix, then add the cubes of butter and the risen years. Beat in the egg yolk and knead the mixture into a shiny dough.
- Cover the bowl with a tea towel and let it rise until it has doubled in size, which will take 30-40 minutes.
- When it has risen, divide it into six equal portions and let it rest for 10-15 minutes. Roll out the small balls on a board lightly covered with flour, roll them up like a bagel and then roll them into 30-35 cm ropes.
- Lay the ropes parallel to one another (vertically). Pinch them tightly together at the top, and then fan them out.
- Begin by taking the strand farthest to the right and weave it toward the left through the other strands using this pattern: over, under, over. Take the strand furthest to the right and repeat the weaving pattern: over, under, over. Repeat this pattern, always starting with the strand farthest to the right, until the whole loaf is braided. Tuck the ends under to give the loaf a finished look.
- Carefully transfer the loaf onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, brush it with an egg beaten with a fork and let it rest for 30-40 minutes.
Before baking, brush again with the egg, place in an oven pre-heated to 170 Celsius and bake for 35-40 minutes.