I was so proud of myself for making this Houska Braid Bread for the first time ever. This is one of those handed down recipes from my "Baba" (or Grandma) that she would make for Easter and Christmas each year. I actually made it as a gift for my Dad for his birthday which was at the end of April and he loved it! Apparently after researching on the internet I found this out to be a traditional Bohemian Bread. My Baba was Bohemian which made perfect sense to me.
Here is the recipe:
Houska Braid Bread
(makes 2 loaves)
1 cup milk scalded
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup cream
4 eggs (beaten)
2 pkg. yeast dissolved in 1/2 cup lukewarm milk
2 tsp. lemon rind
1/2 tsp. mace
8-9 cups flour
1 cup yellow raisins
1 cup chopped blanched raisins
Scald milk and add butter, sugar, cream, and eggs. Add to the yeast mixture. Mix in lemon rind, mace, and then add flour, raisins, and almonds. Knead until smooth. Place in greased bowl and let rise until doubled. Punch down and divide in half. Divide each into 3 parts and braid. (great tutorial on braiding bread here.) Bake at 350 degree for 40 to 45 minutes. I brushed the top of the bread with an egg wash too. Enjoy!
What are your favorite handed down family recipes?
