Christmas Traditions

[Pete]

Does your family have them? What are they?

My oldest tradition is a family one. My grandmother, who was born in 1888 in Czechoslovakia passed down the recipe for Vanocka (Vahn-ooch-Ka) - a holiday bread. Every year, I spend part of a day baking several loaves. It's hard to tell in this picture, but the loaf is about 18 inches long and oh-so-yummy! A newer tradition, with me and my daughter, is to go to the woods for the slaying of a tree. We go on our hunt next weekend.

[Jennie@ifish]

It's so funny that Pete and I grew up with the same tradition.

Ours is basicly the same recipe, and takes citron, but ours was known as OH... No... I can't think of the word!!! HORRORS!

Hulska! That's right! Sheesh! That scared me! I hate getting old!

Anyhow, I can't spell it, but it's spelled something like Hoska bread.

It's SO good! Isn't that strange that we'd have the same Christmas braided bread?

Pete, that is so beautiful! I can't wait to taste it!

Toasted, it's to die for!

[3riversBob]

Pete, I really don't have any traditions but have wanted to start some. I think my first tradition should be coming to your house each year and sharing a Vanocka.

Bob

[Mokai]

Yum..That looks great Pete...We need smell-o-vision here on i-fish so I can take a big whiff of that bread...Snniiffff... My Significant Other (Shiella) and our Lab (Sage) have our tradition of going out to the woods to harvest a tree also..We are going out next weekend as well..Happy hunting..

[8-guage]

Please reveal what the ingredients are in the Vanoochka bread Pete.
It looks devine and you baked it perfectly!

[8-guage]

Found this on a web site. Interesting history to this bread! Nice tradition!
Pete, did you jump up and down while it was rising?
The Vanocka (a special bread made for Christmas) has a long history and is still popular today. The first reference to a vanocka was in the 16th century, and over the long years it has gone through many small transformations. In the past, it went under such names as huska or calta, and in some places in the Czech Republic today it can be found under a wide variety of names: pletenice, pletanka, stedrovice, stedrovecernice, stricka, strucla, zemle, and ceplik. At one time, a vánoèka could only be made by a baker who was a guild craftsman.

In the 18th century, people began to bake them at home by themselves. The first of the home-baked vanocka had to be given to the master of the house, so that the grain would prosper in the following year. At the end of Christmas Eve dinner, a large vanocka was sliced up. In some areas, a slice was given to the livestock, so they'd be healthy and safe from evil spirits.

Preparing a vanocka wasn't, and isn't, simple and therefore a variety of customs are followed in preparing the dough, braiding and baking it to ensure success. The woman of the house had to mix the dough while wearing a white apron and kerchief, she shouldn't talk, and she was supposed to jump up and down while the dough was rising. Another old custom was to bake in a coin. The person who found it in their slice was assured of health and wealth for all of the following year. A burnt or ripped vanocka was a bad omen.

Today, the vanocka is an indispensable and necessary part of the Christmas holidays, whether made at home or bought in a store. Even today there are handy people capable of making the lower braid out of seven strands (it's most often made from four), or else they braid the whole vánoèka together at once from six strands.

Now you can try to bake one with the help of our recipe!

6 cups of medium flour
9 teaspoons of sugar
4 ounces of butter
1 tablespoon of yeast
1 cup of milk
1 yolk
a pinch of salt
vanilla sugar
a lemon rind
a nutmeg nut
star anise
3 tablespoons of raisins
3 tablespoons of almonds
an egg for the icing