Mazanec is a sweet-smelling bun traditionally cooked in the Czech Republic on Easter Saturday and served on Easter Sunday. The closest Australian equivalent are Hot Cross Buns – a tradition inherited from the British.
Ingredients:
- 230 g of coarse flour
- 100 g semi-coarse flour
- 1/2 cube of yeast
- 115 ml warm milk
- 60 g sugar
- 1 packet of vanilla sugar
- 70 g of soft butter
- 4 g of salt
- Rind from 1 lemon
- 1 egg
- 35 g sultanas
- 35 g slivered blanched almonds
- Slivered blanched almond for decoration
- Beaten egg for basting
Method:
Start out by making the dough. Mix the semi-course and course flour into a bowl. Make a small well in the flour and pour 2/3 of the milk and yeast into it. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet by taking from the sides bit by bit, until the dough is the consistency of pancake dough. Sprinkle the surface with a thin layer of coarse flour and leave to rest in a warm place for 30 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients (both sugars, butter, salt, lemon peel and the egg), pour in the remaining milk and work the dough. With an electric beater on low speed it should take about 10 minutes.
Then mix in the sultanas and almonds. Take out the dough and leave for 30 minutes to rest on a cooking board (either wooden or plastic).
Roll the dough out into a cob, place it on a baking tray and leave it in a warm place to rise for at least an hour. You can tell that it has properly risen when the dough returns to its original shape after lightly pressing it with your finger. Once the mazanec has fully risen, baste with a whipped egg, sprinkle with almond flakes and finally, cut the shape of a cross into the top of the dough. Cook for 40 – 50 minutes in an oven pre-heated to 160 C.
