David Atherton’s plaited loaf (Kozunak plait)
- Portion size: Makes 1 loaf (10 slices)
- Hands-on time 25 min, plus soaking, resting and proving. Oven time, 30 min.
- Difficulty: medium
This is a Kozunak plait – a celebratory bread that hails from Bulgaria. It’s essentially a plaited enriched loaf – similar to the Jewish challah. Adding honey to the recipe and brushing with egg wash ensures you get a lacquered golden brown finish. In Bulgaria the flavourings in this loaf vary, but plump raisins and the plaited shape are a must.
Recipe taken from Good to Eat by David Atherton (Hodder & Stoughton £25)
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Ingredients
- Fat-fingered pinch saffron threads (or less if you prefer)
- 200ml warm water
- 50g raisins
- 220g caster sugar
- 450g strong white bread flour
- 50g strong wholemeal bread flour
- 10g instant (fast action) yeast
- Heaped 1/2 tsp salt
- 100ml semi-skimmed milk
- 40g softened unsalted butter
- 30g runny honey
- 1 tsp vanilla paste
- Finely grated zest 1 lemon, or 10 drops lemon oil
- 25g grated butternut squash or carrot
- 1 medium free-range egg
- 10g pearl sugar nibs (from the baking aisle of supermarkets)
- 10g caster sugar
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Method
- Soak the saffron in a bowl with the warm water for 10 minutes. Add the raisins to a heatproof bowl, just cover with boiling water and leave these to soak for 10 minutes too.
- Toss the flours, yeast and salt together, then add the milk and saffron water and mix to form a shaggy dough. (Combine until the dough just comes together.) Cover with a beeswax wrap or cling film and rest for 15 minutes.
- Knead for 1 minute in the bowl. Add the butter, honey, vanilla, zest/lemon oil and squash/carrot. Knead until incorporated and smooth (about 15 minutes). It will be sticky at first – it’s easiest to use a dough hook in a stand mixer (see Know-how). Drain the raisins, then knead into the dough. Cover and leave in a warm place until doubled in size (about 1 hour).
- Knock back the dough (push it down to remove any large air bubbles), then decide how you want to plait the bread – I like a three-strand plait. (To see a video showing how to plait the loaf, scroll down to Tips)
- Put the loaf on a lined baking tray, cover with an oiled piece of cling film and leave until doubled in size (about 30 minutes, but don’t worry if it takes longer). Heat the oven to 200°C fan/gas 7.
- Beat the egg, then use a soft brush to egg wash the plait. Sprinkle with the sugar nibs, then the sugar. Bake for 5 minutes, then reduce the temperature of the oven to 180°C fan/gas 6. Bake for a further 25 minutes. Cool slightly before eating.
Nutrition
- 261kcals Calories
- 4.8g (2.6g saturated) Fat
- 6.8g Protein
- 46.5g (8.7g sugars) Carbs
- 2.5g Fibre
- 0.3g Salt
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