Edna's Houska

Everything I ate in the home of my childhood best friend's parents was incredibly delicious. And once I got over my hesitancy to try new foods, I was able to experience the full range of Italian and Polish dishes served in their home. Edna and Andy were as amazing as parents as they were cooks. This perspective (seen first through the eyes of a ten year old) was one that never changed. I may have been one of those kids who almost spent as much time at their dinner table as their children did. In retrospect, the genesis of my love of gathering friends and family around food began in their home. So each time I make one of Edna's recipes, it feels as if I am momentarily time traveling back to those carefree days of my youth. So the other day I decided to make Edna's Houska.

So what exactly is Houska? Well here is the simple answer. It is a rich, egg, slightly sweet yeast bread, one that almost every Eastern European culture (especially the Polish, Czech and Bohemian cultures) has a name for or version of. Typically the bread is braided, studded with golden raisins (although some versions omit the raisins) and contains candied fruit (or lemon zest). It is a bread traditionally associated with the Christmas, New Year or at Easter holidays. Around which holiday or holidays the Houska is served generally depends on traditions of the various Eastern European cultures where some version of the bread is made. Just like Challah (another sweet yeast bread) is eaten year round and traditions aside, I actually think it would be a shame to enjoy this incredibly flavorful, moist bread a few times a year. And getting a bit of a youthful jolt shouldn't have to be limited either.

When I first received this recipe from Edna, the mother of my childhood best friend, my initial reactions were 'maybe this is beyond my culinary capacity, maybe I will just to have to wait until I am invited for Easter dinner to experience it again, and why didn't I spend time watching her cook than I did eating hat she made'. These were just a few of my thought process I had (and remembered from) more than 30 years ago. Yes, this is how long I have had this recipe. Many things have changed over the course of the past 30 years, including how I view the making of this bread. It is actually not as complicated as my first impression lead me to believe. 

This is a bread recipe using cake yeast as opposed to granulated yeast. The cake yeast is usually found in the refrigerated dairy section of the grocery store. In addition to the yeast, eggs, milk, sugar, flour, Imperial margarine, golden raisins, lemon zest, vanilla and salt are all you need to make this sweet bread.

Sometimes when a recipe calls for the zest of a lemon we think of it as an optional ingredient. If that thought has ever crossed your mind before, this bread will have you make a permanent paradigm shift.

It all begins with scalding one cup of milk over medium-high heat in a medium sized saucepan. The milk is heated through enough to be considered scalded when small bubbles form around the edges of the pan. Once it reaches this state, remove from heat and add in the Imperial margarine, vanilla, lemon zest, sugar and salt. Stir until the butter and sugar have melted. The margarine will melt easier if you cut it up into tablespoons. The milk mixture should be lukewarm (you want to be certain not to cook the eggs) before you add the four lightly beaten eggs and the yeast/water mixture. After stirring and blending these ingredients, pour into the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a dough hook.

Six cups of flour are added one at a time, each one being fully incorporated before adding the next one. After all of the flour is added, the golden raisins are mixed in for approximately one minute or until blended in the dough. You will think the dough needs more flour because it will be slightly sticky. Resist the temptation to add more flour as you will end up with a drier, less moist bread.

The dough is scraped onto a lightly floured surface and kneaded for several minutes (or until it is not longer sticky and has a smooth finish). The kneaded dough is placed in a large buttered bowl. Before covering the bowl with plastic wrap, turn the dough bowl over so all sides of the bread are coated in butter. Place the covered bowl in a warm place and allow the dough to rise for 1 hour to allow it to double in size.

After the dough has gone through the first rise, transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface. The dough is cut into 4 equal pieces. Each quarter is then cut in half (so you end up with 8 equal pieces).

Each piece is rolled into a log approximately 14-16 inches in length. The braids are formed by using two of the logs. When the logs are formed, tuck each end under and place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. The finished braided logs are covered with a light towel (flour sack towels work best) and the dough goes through a second rising period of 1 hour. Because the logs will almost double in size, I use two baking sheets.

The beautiful golden finish on the Houska comes from the egg wash. Using the two remaining eggs, separate the eggs. Using only the yolks, add 2 teaspoons of water and stir until well blended. Brush each of the loaves so the entire surface of the dough is covered. Place baking sheet in a preheated 350 degree oven and bake for approximately 20 minutes. Remove baking sheets from the oven and transfer breads to a cooling rack. I generally bake my bread in the center of the oven, one baking sheet at a time. I envy those of you with double ovens.

Houska is delicious all on its' own, but when you schmear room temperature butter on it, it goes from simply delicious to additively delicious. Loaves of this bread will disappear before your eyes. Literally. It is also one of those breads perfect for making french toast or a bread pudding. That is, if you have any left after serving it. While eating this bread may not bring you back to your youth, it will bring you to a place you will want to return to again and again. Yes, life is too short to exercise restraint in making this bread for only one or two holidays a year. 

Recipe
Edna's Houska
Makes 2 very large or 4 perfect sized loaves

Ingredients
1 cup whole milk
1 cup (8 ounces/226g) margarine (recommend either Land O'Lakes or Imperial), cut into tablespoons
3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
Zest of one lemon
1 Tablespoon vanilla
2 ounces cake of yeast (dissolved in 1/2 cup of lukewarm water) See notes
6 large eggs, room temperature, divided
6 cups (768g) of all purpose flour, plus more as need and when kneading
15 ounces (425g) golden raisins

Directions
1. Scald milk. Add margarine, sugar, salt, zest of lemon and vanilla. Stir until margarine and sugar are melted. Remove from heat.
2. Lightly whisk 4 eggs until blended.
3. When milk mixture is lukewarm (95-105 degrees F), add lightly beaten eggs and yeast/water mixture. Stir until combined. Transfer to bowl of a standing mixer.'
4. Fit standing mixer with bread dough hook. Add flour 1 cup at a time, mixing until blended with each cup. Dough will be rather sticky. 
5. Add raisins and mix at medium speed until combined (less than 1 minute)
6.  Lightly flour a surface. Put all dough on floured surface and knead for several minutes (until dough is no longer sticky and comes together in a smooth ball). Kneading will take approximately 3-4 minutes. Note: Continue adding flour as needed while kneading. Dough should not stick to the surface before putting in the buttered bowl.
7. Place dough in a well buttered bowl. Turn dough over so all sides of the dough are covered in butter. Cover dough with plastic wrap, top with a light weight towel, and let rise in warm place for 1 hour or until the dough has doubled in size.
8. Lightly flour a surface. Remove dough from the bowl and place on lightly floured surface. Cut dough into 6 or 9 equal pieces. (6 pieces for 2 large loaves or 9 pieces for three perfect sized loaves).
9. Roll each piece into a log. Braid two logs (tucking ends under) and place on parchment paper lined baking sheet. Continue until you have 4 braided logs. Note: Alternately, cut each piece of dough into 3 pieces and braid accordingly.
10. Cover braided logs with a light weight towel (use flour sack towels if you have them). Let rise in a warm place for 1 hour.
11. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F).
12. Make an egg wash using remaining 2 eggs but use the egg yolks only. Mix in 2 teaspoons of water (or milk) into 2 egg yolks and whisk until well blended. Brush wash on top of dough. Make sure the entire surface of bread is covered with egg wash. Note: Adding milk instead of water will create a more golden baked bread surface.
13. Bake for approximately 20 - 24 minutes (top will be beautifully browned).  When tapped, the bread will sound hollow.
14. Transfer bread to a cooling rack. Allow to cool to room temperature.
14. Using a serrated knife, slice and serve with softened butter.

Notes: (1) Recipe updated April 2020. (2) If you cannot find cake yeast in the refrigerated section of your grocery store use three 1/4 ounce packages of the granulated active yeast. (3) When measuring the flour I used a 128 per cup weight.

Over the course of my lifetime thus far my perspectives on a variety of things and people have either remained unchanged or have changed (nothing insightful about this observation, I mean really, what other options are there? Sometimes I can say the most ridiculous things. But bear with me, if you can stop laughing that is, this is going somewhere). Whether those perspectives are reaffirmed or altered is mostly dependent on how I choose to see them. I came across a quote the other day 'What we see mainly depends on what we look for.' The more I thought about it, the more I thought maybe there was wisdom in those words. The more time I spend looking for the positive, for the potential, or for goodness, the more I see. The more time I spend on finding reasons to not like something or someone, to focus on differences, or to pass judgment, the less I see (in them).

Had I never gotten over my reluctance to try new foods when I was younger, I may never have come to appreciate the wonderful foods served in the home of Andy and Edna or have had the opportunity to spend so much time at their dinner table or have learned early on how to make friends and family feel so welcomed, so special. I could go on with a million (maybe not a million, maybe hundreds) of examples of the outcomes associated with what I looked for in my experiences and in others. But regardless of how many of these I might share, I still come to the same conclusion. Yes, I really do believe the wisdom in the words 'what we see mainly depends on what we look for.' How we choose to see experiences or people really does affects our memories, relationships, and yes, maybe even our destinies.