SLAVSKI KOLACH

Ingredients:

1/2 cup water - 2 pkg. dry yeast - 1 teaspoon sugar; Add yeast to water, let rise.

1 stick unsalted butter

1 1/2 cups sugar

8 egg yolks

1 1/4 cups warm milk

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons vanilla

1 lemon (juice and rind)

7 1/2 cups *5 Roses Brand flour

Beat butter, sugar, yolks, and salt. Add yeast mixture. flour, vanilla, lemon, milk, and make your dough. Knead dough until it is smooth and elastic. Let rise 1 1/2 hours, punch down, let rise again for 1 hour.

Next, make  4  12oz. dough balls and 1 8oz. dough ball. Grease a large 10 inch diameter, deep round soup pot, then line with waxed paper or parchment paper on bottom and sides. Grease and lightly dust the paper with flour. Place the 4 balls of dough on the bottom and the small one on the center top. Let rise again for 1 hour and 40 minutes. Then put the braid around the kolach. Let rise for 25 to 35 minutes. Brush with beaten egg wash and place the decorative trim as pictured. Cover loosely with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Make sure that your kolach is covered when it is raising.

DECORATING DOUGH

(Hard Dough) 2 1/4 cups *Pillsbury flour only and 3/4 cup water. Make the dough and set aside to rest. It has to be very hard.

(Braid Dough) 9oz. of hard dough and 3oz. of kolach dough. Knead the 2 doughs together. Divide and roll into 3 strips to make your braid.

With the remaining hard dough, cut shapes of your choice after rolling it out very thin. Use religious symbols as shown (an Orthodox Cross, grapes, bible, 4 - C's, dove, etc.)

Note: Do not put egg wash on decorating dough or braid dough; it stays white.

Our sincere thanks go to Manda for sharing her recipe. She has made many slavski kolaches for Sunday School, Karageorge, Church, and Kolo Slavas.