Kolach (Ukrainian Christmas bread)

Method

1. Make the poolish the night before. Mix the yeast and 150ml water in a large bowl, then stir in the flour to create a paste. Cover and leave in the fridge overnight.
2. The next day, add the kefir (or milk or water), egg yolks, salt and honey (or sugar) to the poolish (which should have risen and turned a little spongy). Mix well with a whisk, then tip in the flour and mix roughly with a spoon. Wet your hand with water and continue to mix by hand. The mixture will look rough and ragged, but there shouldn’t be any dry patches of flour. Cover and leave to hydrate for 30 minutes to an hour at room temperature.
3. While you wait for the dough to hydrate, finely chop your mixed peel (if it’s in large pieces), dried fruit and/or nuts.
4. Fill a small bowl with water. Wet your hand and take a handful of mixed peel, fruit or nuts and sprinkle it on top of the dough. Stretch one of the sides up and flip it over. Keep wetting your hand (this stops the dough from sticking to it so much), then keep sprinkling, stretching and folding until the filling is used up. Cover and leave to rest for another 30 minutes to an hour until the dough has nearly doubled in size.
5. Sprinkle your work surface with flour and pull the dough out of the bowl. Lightly knead it, moving it around the dusted flour – you don’t need to knead too intensely; you just want to bring it together into a smooth dough. Shape it into a tight ball and cut into 4 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a tight ball and cover, then leave to rest for at least 15 minutes to allow the gluten to relax.
6. You’ll need quite a large clear space on your work surface, so make sure there’s enough room. Very lightly dust your surface with flour, then begin rolling each ball into a cylinder, elongating it into a 30cm rope from the middle outwards. If it starts to stick too much, add a tiny sprinkling of flour where it sticks, then continue.
7. Pinch the 4 ropes together at one end. Now it’s time to being plaiting them. Take the rope nearest to you and thread it over the second rope, under the third rope and over the final rope. Take the new rope nearest to you and again thread it over the second, under the third and over the final one. Repeat this over-under-over process again and again, gently stretching and rearranging the ropes to keep them an even length as you work until the ropes are fully plaited together. Pinch the 4 ends together to create a neat finish.
8. Line a baking tray with baking paper and give it a light dusting of flour. Put an ovenproof dariole mould or small bowl in the centre. Shape the plaited loaf around it, pinching the two ends together to create a circle. Lightly cover the kolach and leave to prove for a final 30 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 180°C fan/gas 6.
9. Gently glaze the kolach with the beaten yolk and milk mixture, ensuring it’s thoroughly covered, then sprinkle liberally with poppy seeds. Put the kolach on the middle shelf of the oven and bake for 30 minutes, then turn the tray around 180 degrees to ensure an even bake and cook for another 10 minutes. The poppy seeds will make the kolach look quite dark but don’t worry – it will be delicious.
10. Remove the tray and let the kolach rest for at least 15 minutes to 1 hour. Lift the mould out from the centre and transfer the kolach to a serving plate. Serve sliced with salted butter and a cup of coffee or tea. It’s also amazing toasted for breakfast the next morning or served with cheese.