Rizdvyanyi Kalach (різдвяний калач, Christmas ring bread)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •A large mixing bowl or stand mixer
• •A kitchen scale
• •Two parchment-lined baking sheets
• •A pastry brush
• •Small oiled metal rings or ovenproof ramekins for the hollows
• •A heatproof candle holder for serving

Instructions

1. 1

   Wake the yeast

   Pour 200ml of the lukewarm milk into a large bowl. It should feel like a warm hand, never hot. Stir in the yeast, one spoonful of the sugar, and 200g of the flour until you have a thick batter, then cover and leave it until it rises, bubbles, and smells faintly sweet and beery.

   If the yeast mixture sits there like paste with no bubbles and no smell, don't bargain with it. Start again now, before the whole loaf is depending on it.
2. 2

   Mix the dough

   Add the remaining flour, remaining milk, sugar, honey, eggs, melted butter, and salt. Mix until no dry flour is hiding at the bottom of the bowl. The dough should look a little rough at first, then gather itself into one soft mass as the flour drinks.

   Hold back a handful of flour if your kitchen is dry. You can add it during kneading, but you can't easily rescue a dough made stiff from the first minute.
3. 3

   Knead until supple

   Knead by hand on a lightly floured table until the dough is smooth, satiny, and springs back when you press it, or use a mixer on low until it pulls cleanly from the bowl. It should be firmer than pampushky dough because it has a job to do: hold the braid, keep the ring open, carry the candle hollow without slumping.

4. 4

   Let it rise

   Oil the bowl lightly, tuck the dough inside, cover it, and leave it in a warm place until doubled and puffy. When you press it with one finger, the dent should stay for a moment before slowly filling. Watch that, not the clock; winter kitchens have their own opinions.

5. 5

   Divide for rings

   Turn the dough out and press the air from it gently. For a stable stack, divide it into three piles: one large, one medium, one small. If you like numbers, aim for about 700g, 520g, and whatever remains. Divide each pile into three equal pieces, so you have nine pieces in all.

6. 6

   Roll the ropes

   Roll each piece into a long rope, thinner at the very ends and even through the middle. These are the krucheni ropes, the twisted strands. If a rope snaps back like an elastic band, cover it and leave it alone for a few minutes; dough relaxes when you stop arguing with it.

7. 7

   Braid the kalachi

   For each ring, lay three ropes side by side, pinch the top ends together, and braid with steady hands, not pulling too tight and not leaving it loose. Bring the two ends together to form a circle, tucking one braid end under the other so the join sits neat and strong. Make the center hole wider than seems sensible; it will shrink as the dough wakes again.

8. 8

   Proof the rings

   Move the rings to parchment-lined baking sheets. Set a small oiled metal ring or ovenproof ramekin in each hollow to keep the opening clean, then cover loosely and leave until the braids look puffed and rounded. A light touch should leave a slow, soft dent. If the dough sighs flat, it has gone too far.

9. 9

   Glaze and bake

   Brush the rings with the egg-yolk glaze, let it settle for a few minutes, then brush again for a deeper golden crust. Scatter poppy or sesame seeds if using. Bake at 180C until the plaits are honey-gold, the sides feel firm, and the bottom sounds hollow when tapped. The small ring may finish first; pull it out when it sounds right.

10. 10

    Cool and stack

    Cool the rings completely on a rack before stacking, largest on the bottom and smallest on top. Set a small heatproof candle holder through the hollow, not wax directly into the bread. Light it at the table, then slice the kalach thick once everyone has had their look.

Chef Tips

• •The dough should be supple, not slack. A wet dough makes lovely buns, but a Christmas kalach needs clean shoulders and a hollow that stays open.
• •If your family keeps Sviata Vecheria strictly lean, replace the milk with water, the butter with 70ml sunflower oil, and the eggs with 80ml extra water. Glaze with strong sweet black tea instead of egg. The crumb will be tighter, and it belongs to that table.
• •Stack only fully cooled rings. Warm bread compresses, and the lower braid will lose its shape before the candle is even lit.
• •Make the center hole larger than you think and use an ovenproof form during proofing and baking. Bread is ambitious; it will try to close the circle.
• •Leftover kalach makes beautiful fried slices the next morning with butter and honey, or a bread pudding if the holiday table has been too generous even for you.

Advance Preparation

• •The dough can do its first rise overnight in the fridge after kneading. Let it stand at room temperature until soft and awake before dividing and braiding.
• •The shaped rings can be refrigerated overnight, loosely covered, then brought back until puffy before glazing and baking.
• •Baked kalach keeps well for one day wrapped in cloth. Refresh briefly in a low oven, cool completely, then stack for the table.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 105g)