Пухкав и ароматен Козунак на Конци в хлебопекарна (Fluffy and fragrant Stringy Kozunak in a breadmaker)

Portion / macro estimates given in the source: • 1/7 portion ≈ 430 kcal — Macros (approximate): Carbohydrates ~65 g, Fat ~14 g, Protein ~9 g • 1/6 portion ≈ 500 kcal — Macros (approximate): Carbohydrates ~75 g, Fat ~16 g, Protein ~10 g

For years I searched for the perfect recipe for stringy kozunak in a breadmaker. From many sources and a lot of reading I put together the perfect recipe – the ratio of ingredients and the temperatures! And as a bonus – the breadmaker kneads it.

Directions: Dissolve the sugar in the lukewarm milk (temperature 35°C). Then in part of it add 2 tablespoons of the sifted flour, and once you have stirred it into a paste, crumble in the fresh yeast and leave it to bubble up (proof).

Meanwhile, lightly beat 3 eggs at room temperature, add to them the rest of the milk, and half of the melted fat (the three types described above, mixed). Add the essences, the rakia, the liquid sweetener, the vanilla and the yeast. Stir.

Set aside 100 g of the flour. Begin adding the rest of the flour to the wet ingredients one spoon at a time. Pour the ready mixture into the breadmaker. The next steps depend on the model of the appliance. If you have a short kneading program (for example for pasta), run it. If not, run your normal kneading and rising program, but be prepared to stop it and start it again from the beginning after 15 minutes.

After the first 15 minutes, run the pasta program again (or restart the main program) and begin adding the set-aside flour one spoon at a time, waiting for each spoonful to be absorbed before adding the next.

After another 15 minutes, start the main program from the beginning (kneading and rising; mine is 1 hour and 15 minutes) and, while it mixes, begin adding the set-aside fat one spoon at a time. Wait for it to be absorbed before adding the next.

Let the program finish. The dough should have doubled in volume. Warm up the room (it must be very warm for you, about 30°C).

Turn the dough out onto a greased surface and form strands, make a braid as you wish and place it in a greased pan 25 cm in diameter. Keep in mind that for it to rise well and for the kozunak to be soft, the braids must be loose and placed at a distance from one another in the pan.

Let it rise a second time in the oven at 45–50°C for between half an hour and an hour and a half (depending on how much sugar you put in, as well as on the yeast). The more sugar there is in the dough, the more slowly it rises. It should double in volume.

Take it out into the warm room, and set the oven to raise the temperature to 170°C (or 190°C if it has no fan).

In the meantime, brush the kozunak with the beaten set-aside egg white and the tablespoon of fresh milk. You can sprinkle with thermo (heat-stable) sugar, or with wet hands sprinkle regular sugar.

Put the kozunak into the heated oven and immediately reduce to 150°C with fan or 160°C without fan. You will need to bake for about 30 minutes.

When it is baked, open the oven but give it a few minutes to cool down in it. Do not take it out abruptly into the cold.

Afterwards brush it with a cold sugar syrup made from equal amounts of water and sugar.

I sincerely recommend watching the video to orient yourself as to how the dough looks at each moment, as well as for an idea about braiding.

Below I give you several important tips:

• All ingredients at room temperature!
• The flour must be fine (for banitsa or kozunak, and sifted 3 times, to incorporate air).
• The rakia gives extra food to the yeast, do not skip it.
• Too much sugar weighs the dough down and the kozunak does not turn out airy. The ideal ratio is up to 250 g sugar per 1 kg of flour. If it is not sweet enough for you, add liquid sweetener. The sugar must also be dissolved in advance in the milk. Do not put it in as crystals. The easiest way is to boil the milk with it so it dissolves, and cool it to 35°C.
• The kozunak turns out best with 3 kinds of fat. That is why there are so many in this recipe. Their total amount is 90 ml. They are not added all at once. They are divided in half. The second half is added a spoon at a time after the dough has been kneaded (after about 30 minutes).
• There is no breadmaker with a kozunak program, so you will need to stop and restart your dough program 3 times, or run 2 pasta programs and then run the kneading and rising one. The room in which you will shape and prove it must be warm!!! After all, you will take it out of the warmth to shape it, and then after it rises a second time it will stand outside while the oven heats up!
• Put it into a hotter oven and immediately reduce. Kozunak is baked at low temperatures for a long time. For 1000 g of flour put it in at 190°C and reduce to 160°C; for 550 g put it in at 170°C and reduce to 150°C.
• Bake with steam or with a few bowls of water around the pan.
• Dough weighing under 1 kilogram is baked for 30 minutes, 1 kilogram – 45 minutes, 1.5 kilograms – 1 hour, 2 kilograms – an hour and a half.