Go Back

Bread Machine Easter Bread

In Central and Eastern-Europe kolach or kalach is a traditional  braided sweet or savoury bread that’s used for celebrations, such as weddings, Easter and Christmas. This Bread Machine Easter Bread is a Hungarian sweet bread version, called kalács, which is a bit similar to brioche. This recipe is super easy , thanks to the bread machine which kneads and proofs the dough. It can easily be dairy-free if plant-based milk and butter are used.  I love it for breakfast with honey – many people  serve it with freshly cooked ham and boiled egg.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours 10 minutes
Resting Time 4 hours
Total Time 2 hours 25 minutes
Servings: 6 people
Cuisine: Mid&East European
Calories: 1234
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 250 ml milk or plant-based milk
  • 50 g butter or dairy-free margarine melted
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 500 g flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 50 g sugar
  • 1 pack vanilla sugar approx. 8g
  • 1 pack 7g instant yeast
  • For the glaze:
  • 50 ml milk or plant-based milk
  • 1 teaspoon of sugar

Method
 

  1. Put the ingredients in the above order into the bread machine.
  2. Set the machine to the DOUGH (or kneading) program, this will knead and proof the dough.
  3. When the program ends (should be about 90-110 minutes later), remove the dough onto a large, lightly floured chopping board.
  4. Divide it into three parts, then roll each into 30 cm long sausages. At one end, stick them together, then braid them tightly and stick the other end together too.
  5. Place the braided bread onto a baking sheet, lined with parchment paper, then brush the top with half of the glaze.
  6. Bake in the middle of a preheated oven at 170°C for about 35-40 minutes until golden brown.
  7. Take it out of the oven and brush with the remining glaze immediately.
  8. Let it cool, then serve.