Spelt Easter Bread

Sweet Christmas Spelled Easter

Mazanec is an absolute classic that must not be missing from any festive table. This time, we bring you a recipe from our food blogger Markétka - Lžička cukru, who decided to try it with our spelt flour from Vysočina. Thanks to the spelt flour, the mazanec has a slightly nutty and fuller flavor – we haven't had a better one yet!

Ingredients

For the dough:

20 g dried yeast
160 g milk
320 g smooth spelt flour Nominal
70 g granulated sugar
90 g semi-coarse spelt flour Nominal
110 g melted butter
2 egg yolks
egg
tablespoon of rum
pinch of salt
40 g almond slices
50 g raisin
To finish:
beaten egg for brushing
25 g melted butter

For this recipe you need the following products:

First, weigh all the ingredients. In a large bowl, mix the yeast, half of the lukewarm milk, a tablespoon of smooth spelt flour, and sugar. Mix everything and let the yeast rise for 15 minutes. When the yeast is active and bubbly, add the remaining flour, sugar, and milk, butter, egg yolks, lemon and orange zest, rum, vanilla paste, and a pinch of salt. Let it rest for 5 minutes.
Knead the dough until it is smooth and soft. Knead the dough for at least 8 minutes in a mixer, or longer if kneading by hand. Properly kneaded dough will not stick to the bowl or the hook, and it will be elastic and shiny. If it is not, add a tablespoon of flour. At this point, add half of the almond slices and all the raisins, and incorporate them into the dough.
Form the dough into a ball, lightly dust it with flour, cover the bowl with a cloth, and let it rise in a warm place for at least 60 minutes. When the dough has doubled in size, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead it a few more times.
Shape the dough into a neat round loaf and place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover with a cloth and let it rise for another 60 minutes.
When the loaf has risen, preheat the oven to 200°C with fan. Brush the loaf with beaten egg and sprinkle with the remaining almonds. To ensure the loaf doesn't spread out, you can pierce it with skewers.
Place in the preheated oven for 10 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 150°C and bake for another 35 minutes or so, until the top is nicely golden. Before taking it out of the oven, check if it is fully baked using a skewer; it should come out completely dry.
If not, cover with foil and bake for another 5-10 minutes. After removing from the oven, immediately brush with melted butter, transfer to a wire rack, and let cool completely.