Vánočka

Ingredients

• 600 g strong white bread flour
• 100 g caster sugar
• 10 g fine salt
• 14 g dried yeast
• 250 ml warm milk
• 120 g butter, softened
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 whole egg
• zest of 1 lemon, finely grated
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 100 g raisins
• 2 tbsp dark rum
• 60 g blanched almonds, roughly chopped
• 1 egg, beaten, for glazing
• 30 g flaked almonds
• icing sugar, for dusting

Before you cook

• Soak the raisins in the rum with one tablespoon of warm water for 20 minutes.
• Chop the blanched almonds roughly.
• Grate the zest from the lemon.
• Take the butter out of the fridge an hour ahead so it is properly soft.

Steps

1. Whisk the yeast and one tablespoon of the sugar into the warm milk and leave it for 10 minutes, until it foams.
2. Put the flour, the remaining sugar, the salt and the lemon zest into a large bowl and make a well in the middle.
3. Pour the yeasted milk, the egg yolks, the whole egg and the vanilla into the well, then mix to a rough dough.
4. Knead the dough for 8 minutes, until it is smooth and stretchy.
5. Work the softened butter into the dough a spoonful at a time, kneading for a further 8 minutes until it is silky and no longer greasy.
6. Drain the raisins and knead them into the dough together with the chopped almonds.
7. Cover the bowl and leave the dough to rise somewhere warm for 90 minutes, until it has doubled in size.
8. Knock the dough back and divide it into nine pieces: four of 110 g, three of 90 g and two of 70 g.
9. Roll every piece into a rope, making the four heavy ones 35 cm long and the rest slightly shorter.
10. Braid the four thickest ropes into a flat plait and lay it on a lined baking sheet.
11. Braid the three middle ropes and set that plait along the top of the first, pressing it gently into place.
12. Twist the two thinnest ropes together and lay the twist along the very top.
13. Push a long wooden skewer down through all three tiers at each end so the loaf cannot topple as it proves.
14. Cover the loaf loosely and prove it for 45 minutes, until it looks puffed and springs back slowly when pressed.
15. Heat the oven to 180C fan.
16. Brush the whole loaf with beaten egg and press the flaked almonds onto the top braid.
17. Bake the vánočka for 10 minutes, then drop the oven to 160C fan.
18. Bake for a further 35 to 40 minutes, tenting the loaf with foil once the crust is deep gold.
19. Cool the loaf completely on a rack, then pull out the skewers.
20. Dust the vánočka heavily with icing sugar before slicing.