Wedding Karavai
Description
To prepare a wedding karavai, you need to make a simple enriched yeast dough. It's similar, in my opinion, to baking Easter bread. Of course, the result also depends on the oven: the better the oven, the less heat it loses, the more evenly it bakes, and the more beautiful the karavai will turn out. See the recipe below. The baking is ready. Serve at the table.
Instructions
- 1
Step 1
First, dissolve the yeast with a teaspoon of sugar in a cup of warm milk.
- 2
Step 2
Separate the egg whites from the yolks. Reserve one yolk for brushing. Rub the 4 yolks with the remaining sugar, then add the yeast mixture to them.
- 3
Step 3
Beat the egg whites into a foam. Sift the flour and pour it into a deep bowl or saucepan, making a depression in the center. Pour the yeast mixture combined with the yolks, egg whites, vegetable oil, and salt into the flour. Mix thoroughly.
- 4
Step 4
Then knead the dough thoroughly. Usually, it rises directly during kneading, so there's no need to set it aside separately to rise. If it sticks too much to your hands, add a bit more flour. Knead for about 20 minutes. Then divide the dough into portions: shape one portion into a round ball and place it onto a baking sheet (lined with parchment paper). To help the loaf hold its shape, use a round springform pan, but remove the bottom. Next, divide the remaining dough into a few more portions, setting aside a smaller piece for decorations. Make a couple of ropes, braid them together like a plait, as shown in the photo. To make the pieces stick together, simply moisten them with water. Moisten the ball (our center) with water and place the first braid around it.
- 5
Step 5
In the same way, "attach" the second braid and decorations made from the same dough. The overall appearance depends on your personal preferences.
- 6
Step 6
Brush the loaf with egg yolk and place it in a preheated oven at 180 degrees. First, put it on the lower rack, and once the loaf has browned, cover it with foil and move it to the middle rack. Do this carefully so the loaf doesn't collapse. Bake for 70–80 minutes.
- 7
Step 7
Don't take the loaf out of the oven right away; open the oven door and leave it inside for 15 minutes, covered with foil. While the wedding loaf is still warm, brush it with sugar syrup.