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Bread · Czech cuisine

Mazanec

Mazanec – the round Czech Easter loaf of sweet yeast dough, with a cross cut into the top and almonds.

AI illustration of Mazanec
AI illustration

At a glance

Origin
Czech Republic; a traditional Easter bake.
Dough
Sweet yeast dough of semi-coarse flour, butter, sugar, yeast, milk, egg yolks and raisins.
Production
Shaped into a round loaf, second rise, cross cut, egg wash, topped with almonds.
Ratio
Example: 400 g flour, 100 g butter, 70 g sugar, 20 g yeast, 200 ml milk, 3 egg yolks, 50 g raisins; luxury version 20–22% fat on flour.

Mazanec is a sweet Easter bread of yeast dough shaped as a round loaf. Its dough is usually the same as that of the vánočka; in the luxury version it contains 20–22% fat, most often butter, on flour weight. While the vánočka has become an all-year product, the mazanec in its traditional shape remains a seasonal Easter item. It is classed as fine bakery ware (jemné pečivo).

One newspaper recipe uses semi-coarse wheat flour, butter, sugar, yeast, milk, egg yolks and raisins. The risen dough is shaped into a loaf, left to rise again, the top is cut in a cross, brushed with beaten egg and scattered with chopped almonds.

In folk Easter symbolism the round mazanec was meant to recall the sun.

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