Ukrainian Christmas Bread Kalach is one of the most popular recipes during the Christmas season and is especially served at Christmas Eve dinner. This Kalach bread is a symbol of prosperity and good luck in Ukraine and can be made in a long shape as I did, or in a ring shape. From what I have read, Christmas is very much celebrated in Ukraine, and traditions are respected by many. As you know, I love traditional Italian recipes, but foreign ones fascinate me, and when I find some recipe that someone shares with me, especially original ones, perhaps local, well I can’t help but prepare it. Then, it seems like a simple braided bread, but it has a scent and flavor that captivates you; just looking at it makes me want to eat it all, and indeed, at home, they devoured it. With this dough, you will make 2, but if you want, you can easily halve the doses and make just one. They have the habit, as I have been told, of putting many dishes on the table, as we also do in my region of Abruzzo. If you make this recipe or others on the blog, send me the photos, and I will publish them on my page with your name. Approx. 1475 Kcal for each whole braid
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 3 Hours
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 2 braids
- Cooking methods: Electric oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Christmas
Ingredients to make Ukrainian Christmas Bread Kalach
- 1 cup whole milk
- 7 g fresh yeast
- 1.4 oz sugar
- 1.4 oz all-purpose flour
- 17.6 oz all-purpose flour
- 1.2 oz sugar
- 1 tsp honey
- 1.8 oz butter
- 1 packet vanillin (or 1 teaspoon of liquid vanilla)
- 2 eggs (medium)
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 drop water (or milk)
- as needed poppy seeds
Preparation of Ukrainian Christmas Bread Kalach
First, prepare the pre-dough, in a bowl put the warm milk and dissolve the yeast in it, then add the sugar and flour, mix well and let it rest for 15 minutes or until bubbles form on the surface. When the pre-dough has the bubbles, make the actual dough by adding to this pre-dough the rest of the sugar, honey, eggs, vanilla, and finally the flour little by little until it is well incorporated and a well-worked dough is obtained. Form a ball, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise for about 2 hours or until doubled.
Once risen, transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface, form a ball again, divide it into two, and each half into 3 parts.
With the three pieces of dough, form 3 long and narrow strands, but not too much, make a braid and place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Do the same with the other 3 pieces….
….let rise again for about 40-45 minutes. Once this brief rise is achieved, beat an egg yolk diluted with a drop of water or milk in a glass and brush our braids. Sprinkle the surface with poppy seeds and bake in a preheated oven at 350°F for 30-35 minutes, checking the baking…..
……if it browns too much on the surface during baking, cover with foil, then remove it one minute before the end of the baking. Once baked, take our Ukrainian bread out of the oven and wrap it in a tea towel to cool.
It keeps in a plastic bag for 3-4 days, and if you don’t consume it right away, it can be sliced and frozen. When needed, let it thaw at room temperature… maybe a few seconds in the microwave after thawing, and it will seem freshly baked.
