Serves 10+

For Bread:

• 1 kilogram all-purpose wheat flour

• 14 grams dry active yeast

• ½ liter (2 cups) milk, slightly warmed

• 90 grams granulated sugar

• 14 grams vanilla sugar

  • If you don’t have access to vanilla sugar packets, you can make your own by mixing a few drops of vanilla extract with 14 grams of granulated sugar

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 90 grams unsalted butter, melted

• 1 handful raisins, optional

For Glaze:

• ½ lemon zested

• Juice of 1 lemon

• 1 cup powdered sugar

For Bread:

1. In a large bowl, sift the flour. Make a well in the middle and pour in the yeast, 125 milliliters (½ cup) milk, and 20 grams (~2 tablespoons) sugar. Carefully submerge as much yeast into the milk-sugar mixture and let it rest for 30 minutes. The mixture will slowly start to produce little bubbles on the surface, which is what you want as it means the yeast is working!

2. Pour the remaining sugar, vanilla sugar, and salt into the bowl, followed by the remaining milk and melted butter. Using a wooden spoon, start from the center of the dough with the yeast-milk mixture and knead the dough together until you can no longer knead the dough with the spoon. If you are using raisins, this is when you should pour them in.

3. When kneading with your hands, take a portion of the dough edge and fold it towards the middle of the dough before pressing it down with your knuckles. Using this method, knead everything into a smooth dough with no more pockets of flour, that doesn’t stick to your hands, and isn’t too firm.

4. Put the dough back in bowl and cover it with a towel. Let it proof in a warm place (such as in your closed oven, that’s off, but with the oven light on) for 1 hour.

5. Decide whether you want to make one large bread or two smaller ones. For one large bread, cut the dough into 3 equal pieces. If you’re baking two smaller breads, cut the dough into 6 equal pieces.

6. Roll each portion into long strands that are all equal in length and relatively equal in diameter. Using three strands, combine them at one point and braid the dough into a tight plait. Put the bread on a baking tray, cover with a towel, and let it proof for an additional 19 minutes.

7. If you’re baking one bread, bake until the outer edges of the bread turn a slightly darker brown, about 30-40 minutes.

8. If you’re baking two breads, also bake until the outer edges of the bread turn a slightly darker brown, but only about 20-25 minutes. You don’t want the bread to get too dark, so be vigilant the last few minutes and remove the bread before it gets too dark.

9. Let the bread cool on the baking tray for 5-10 minutes.

 For Glaze:

1. While the bread is cooling, add the lemon zest, lemon juice, and powdered sugar to a bowl. Mix together until the sugar has fully dissolved and the consistency is syrupy

   • The glaze shouldn’t be too thin or else it won’t stick as well to the bread. If that’s the case, add a bit more powdered sugar to thicken it up.

2.  While the bread is still warm, use a pastry brush to spread the lemon-sugar glaze over all visible surfaces of the bread. The whiter part down the center of the bread will be extra gooey and soft when you eat it, so adding a bit of extra glaze to that part will make it taste even better!

3. Let the glaze cool for at least 1 hour to allow the glaze to seep in and harden a bit.

4. You can also bake the bread and glaze it the night before and wrap it in aluminum foil.

5. When you’re ready to eat, slice the bread and eat it plain or with butter or your favorite spread.

6. Enjoy!