Cinnamon Christmas Bread by Pavel Berky

INSTRUCTIONS

• 1
  Sift the flour into a bowl, add a pinch of salt, sugar, yeast, one whole egg, two yolks, milk, and cottage cheese. Let all the ingredients mix in a mixer until combined. Then add softened butter and mix until a smooth, elastic dough forms. Cover the bowl with the dough with plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm place for about 1 hour.
• 2
  Turn the risen dough out onto a work surface. Knead the dough a few times with your hands to push out excess air. Divide it into three equal parts. Set one aside for now, and divide the remaining two in half again. Roll these four pieces into thicker strands about 25 cm long.
• 3
  Roll out the reserved piece of dough to a thickness of about 1 cm. Brush it with melted butter, sprinkle with cinnamon and brown sugar. Roll the dough up like a roulade and then cut it lengthwise into two strands.
• 4
  Prepare all the strands on the work surface and braid the Christmas bread. Then transfer it to a baking sheet, cover with a cloth or plastic wrap, and let it rise for another 15-20 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200 °C.
• 5
  Brush the Christmas bread with beaten egg yolk and bake for 10 minutes at 200 °C, then reduce the temperature to 160 °C and bake for another 35-45 minutes until golden brown. After 30 minutes, check with a skewer to see if the bread is baked. You will know it is done if the skewer comes out clean without any dough sticking to it. If not, let it bake for another 5-10 minutes.
• 6
  After baking, remove it from the oven and let it cool.