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Dr. Kristina Gremski uses this recipe to bake traditional Czech Vanocka during the holiday season.
Dr. Kristina Gremski, Upper School Science Department Chair and Biology Teacher, enjoys baking Vanocka, a traditional Czech Christmas cake, during the holiday season.
Ingredients
Four cups of flour
One egg
One-half cup of butter
One teaspoon of salt
One-half cup of sugar
One tablespoon of lemon rind
One tablespoon of vanilla
One cup of warm milk
One package of dry yeast, softened and raised in one-fourth cup of warm water
One-fourth cup of blanched almonds, cut in slivers
One-half cup of raisins
Directions
1) Mix all dry ingredients. Then, add in the butter.
3) Add the slightly beaten egg to warm milk, and stir in raised yeast.
4) On a floured board, work the liquid into the flour mixture, kneading the dough for ten minutes until it has risen in bulk.
5) Return the dough onto the board and knead in almonds and raisins.
6) Divide the dough into nine parts. Roll each part by hand in strips 20 inches long. Make three layers of twists, the bottom one out of four strands, the middle one out of three strands, and the top one out of two.
6) Have a greased baking sheet ready and form the cake on it, stretching and shaping the twists so that they sit firmly on top of each other. If necessary, secure with toothpicks.
7) Let the cake rise again. Then, brush with a mixture made of part egg and part milk. Bake at 350°F for 45 minutes until done.
8) Do not cut until the following day.
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