Pazinski Cukerančić

Pazinski Cukerančić

A traditional sweet bread from the Pazin region of Istria, Croatia. This enriched yeasted dough, fragrant with lemon zest and enriched with eggs, milk, and butter, is shaped into twisted braids and baked until golden — a staple of Croatian festive pastry.

Prep

30 min

Cook

35 min

Total

65 min

Serves

8

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •500 g (17½ oz (about 4 cups)) all-purpose flour
• •7 g (2¼ tsp) active dry yeast, or one 7 g sachet
• •120 g (½ cup) granulated sugar
• •240 ml (1 cup) whole milk, warm (about 38 °C / 100 °F)
• •120 g (½ cup (1 stick)) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
• •4 whole egg yolks, from large eggs, plus 1 whole egg for wash
• •1 whole lemon, untreated, zest only
• •1 pinch fine sea salt
• •15 ml (1 tbsp) neutral oil or additional melted butter, for greasing

Steps

1. 1 Bloom the yeast: stir yeast with a teaspoon of the sugar into 60 ml of the warm milk. Let stand 8–10 minutes until foamy. If no foam forms, discard and start with fresh yeast.
2. 2 In a large bowl, whisk the 4 egg yolks with the remaining sugar, salt, and the finely grated zest of the whole lemon until pale and slightly thickened.
3. 3 Add the bloomed yeast mixture, the remaining warm milk, and the melted butter. Whisk to combine.
4. 4 Add the flour gradually, mixing with a wooden spoon, then turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead 8–10 minutes until smooth, soft, and elastic. The dough should pull away from the surface and spring back when poked.
5. 5 Lightly oil a clean bowl, place the dough inside, cover with a damp kitchen towel, and let rise in a warm spot 60–90 minutes, until roughly doubled in size.
6. 6 Punch down the dough and divide into 3 equal pieces (about 290 g each). Roll each piece into a rope about 40 cm long.
7. 7 Pinch the three ropes together at one end and braid loosely. Tuck the ends underneath to seal. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat for a second loaf (or bake in two batches).
8. 8 Cover the loaves and let proof 25–35 minutes, until visibly puffy. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180 °C (350 °F).
9. 9 Beat the remaining whole egg with a fork and brush gently and evenly over the loaves, taking care not to deflate them.
10. 10 Bake on the middle rack for 30–35 minutes, until a deep golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center reads 92 °C / 198 °F. The internal egg-rich crumb must reach this temperature to be safely set; if you prefer a softer, paler top, tent loosely with foil after 20 minutes.
11. 11 Cool on the sheet 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature. Keeps in an airtight container 2 days; refresh in a 150 °C / 300 °F oven for 5 minutes.