Vielnik Bread

In your recipe box, you probably have a few different bread recipes that you probably use all the time. You probably have your standard bread recipes that you use more than any other recipe. These recipes are probably delicious and probably time proven. However, despite the tastiness of your favorite bread recipes, you may be hankering for a change—you might want to mix things up a bit. If you're looking to add some new blood to your own personal cookbook, then here is something for you to try out!

Vielnik bread is one of my favorite bread recipes. Here are the ingredients you'll need to make this stellar recipe:

• 1-1/2 tablespoons of yeast
• 1-1/2 tablespoons of sugar
• 1/2 cup of water
• 1/4 cup of vegetable oil
• 1-1/2 cup of warm milk
• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 1/2 tablespoon of salt
• 6–8cups of flour

The first thing you need to do is to proof the yeast. Proofing the yeast means getting it ready before putting it in the dough, starting the yeast reaction. To proof the yeast, combine the yeast and the sugar (the 1-1/2 tablespoon measurement) in with the water; the water should be on the hotter side of warm, because cold water won't allow the yeast to react. In a large mixer—preferably a Bosch mixer or a KitchenAid—combine the vegetable oil, the warm milk, the sugar (the 1/2 cup measurement), and the salt.

Once the yeast is proofed and those four ingredients combined, add three cups of flour to the Bosch (or KitchenAid) ingredients. Mix the dough so the flour is well combined. Then you need to add the proofed yeast to the mixture. (You'll know when the yeast is successfully proofed when it starts to bubble and rise.) After the you mix the yeast in, add an additional two to three cups of flour. Add it gradually to form a good dough. Don't hesitate to add what you need, but you also shouldn't add too much flour—dry flour is no good at all. Do not let the dough rise at all before you proceed to the next step.

The cool part about Vielnik bread is its finished form: the pieces of the dough are placed to form a spiral shaped loaf of bread. To do this, you need patience and time. Pinch off medium sized balls of dough and roll them into thin rectangles. Brush each small rectangular piece of dough with some melted butter and roll up the rectangle in a jelly roll style and twist the rolled up piece of dough into a spiral (as in breadsticks). Start making a large spiral with the bread pieces: use each bread piece to add on to the larger spiral. This single recipe makes either one large round or, more preferably, two medium rounds.

Let the rounds rise until they are double in size. Bake them at 350 degrees for twenty or so minutes; the final product should look light brown on top. Once the rounds are finished, brush the tops of the rounds with butter. When you serve this most delicious bread, your guests should take the bread by breaking off the pieces of bread as they are made in the spiral. Make this bread—Vielnik bread—and your cooking will be a hit!