Kozunak (Easter Cake)

Ingredients:

1  kg	flour
30-40  g	bread yeast
150  g	sugar
5	eggs
1  tsp.	salt
400  g	milk
2  standard packs	vanilla essence
1	grated lemon peel
150  g	butter

Directions:
Slightly warm the milk, and add to the half of it the yeast, a part of the sugar and several tablespoons of flour. Stir throughly until it is runny in consistency. Dust lightly with flour and leave it to rise till its volume becomes double. Stir the remainder of the milk, the sugar, the eggs, the salt and the melted butter. Add the well-risen dough, the flour, the vanilla powder and the grated lemon peel. Work up the dough and leave it to rise for about 1 hour.

Shape the dough. Most commonly you can split the dough into three sections and braid together.

After you shape the dough, leave it again to rise. When the upper surface starts to harden a bit, lay a coat of egg yolk on it and powder it with crystal sugar. You may also add some almonds on the top, or raisins, or both. Bake in an oven at 200 Celsius degrees for about 30 minutes.

Course: Bread   |    Number of Servings:    |    Author: Bulgarian National Cusine