Serbian Family Slava Bread--Kolac

By Kathryn Washburn Breighner


We had a Serbian theme for Christmas Eve. Marty spent four hours making sarmas, stuffed cabbages. My mother-in-law celebrates Orthodox Christmas and one of her traditions is this special yeast bread, called kolach that is often served for the Serbian Slava celebrations. Hidden in it is a coin: he or she who pulls a slice from the loaf and has the coin will have good luck for the next year.

The bread is somewhat sweet and it has sugar, lemon juice, milk, sour cream and butter so it is rich and tasty. Once the dough has risen once and been punched down, the dough is divided into 3 logs and then the logs are braided and placed in an angel food cake pan for the second rising and baking. My bread came out gorgeous and we have been nibbling on it but no one has yet found the coin!

In a small bowl, mix together and let this rise for about 30 minutes.
2 pk yeast
1/2 c warm milk
5 T sugar
5 T flour

In a stand mixer, add and mix:
1 c water
2 t salt
3 egg yolks (save the egg whites to wash the bread)
2 t lemon juice
1 c milk
1/4 c softened butter
1/4 s sour cream

Then add 5-6 c of flour in 1/2 c increments and mix with the dough hook of the stand mixer until the dough just begins to pull away from the side of the bowl. The dough will be sticky.  Place the dough in a large, oiled bowl, covered with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm spot until double.

Punch down the dough, place on a floured bowl and knead for 2-3 minutes until the dough is smooth. Divide the dough into 3 pieces and roll each into a log about 3" x 10". Braid the logs, place in an oiled angel food cake pan, overlap the ends of the braids and pinch together. Take a coin wrapped in foil and push it down, vertically, between two of the braid pieces. Let the dough rise again until double.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes until the top is browning. Brush the top of the loaf with the egg white and bake for 10 minutes.  Remove the pan from the oven and invert the bread on a cookie sheet placing another cookie sheet on the bottom of the angel food cake pan. Slide the bread out of the pan onto the cookie sheet (the top of the bread will be on the cookie sheet) and flip the cookie sheets so the bread is top side up again. Bake for 10 minutes, brush the sides with a the egg white wash and bake for another 10 minutes or until the sides are golden. Remove from the oven and take the bread out of the bottom section of the angel food cake pan.

Slice and hope you find the coin!  And if you are lucky, you'll have some leftover the next day for French toast.