In Bulgaria, this bread is among many other food items on the dinner table at gatherings during the Christmas season. The traditional dinner table is decorated with a centerpiece bread with any of the numerous designs. I picked mine to be sunflower shaped bread. A coin is hidden in the bread and the person who gets the coin is deemed lucky. 

There are a lot of European cultures where the hidden coin tradition is followed. 

For Day 24 of this Mega Marathon, it is the letter X. Since X is a difficult letter to pick up recipes for, I used Xmas as a short form for Christmas and made a Christmas bread which can be a centerpiece for any festive occasion.



Recipe Source here
Ingredients - 

Warm water 1/2 cup (more if needed)
Active dry yeast 1 tsp
Sugar 1 tsp
All purpose flour 2 cups
Salt 1/2 tsp
Vegetable oil 2 tsp
Honey 1 Tbsp

Method Of Preparation -


In a bowl of warm water, add sugar and yeast, mix well and set aside for 10 minutes until it froths up.

In a stand mixer bowl, add flour, salt, vegetable oil and honey. Whisk well and add in the yeast solution.

Knead into a soft and pliable dough.

In a well oiled bowl, place the dough, cover and set aside in a warm place for the dough to double. [about 90 minutes].

Punch the dough and knead for a minute or so on a well floured surface.

Roll out the dough into a circle about 3/4 inch thick.

I used a round plate about 8 inches in diameter to cut out a perfect circle. Removed the excess and set aside. [If you are skilled enough to roll out a perfect circle, then it is better to set aside a small portion of dough aside.]

Transfer the circle of dough onto a parchment lined baking tray.

Mark a center point and make a 'plus shaped slit through the center to the outer edge leaving about an inch. Then make 2 more slits through the center to make 8 petals, so to say.[Refer the picture]. 

Pull the 8 petals backwards and make the edges pointed.

Roll out a circle with the small portion set aside earlier. Fit the circle in the middle of the petals and stretch it with your fingers to make a perfect fit.

It should resemble a sunflower (!). Cover with cling wrap and set aside for 30-45 minutes for a second rise.

Prick the center with a fork to release any air bubble, sprinkle black poppy seeds or black sesame seeds or like me use kalonji (onion seeds).

Bake in a preheated oven at 375 °F. Bake until the crust is golden brown. I had to bake for 32 minutes.

Remove and slice when it is still warm.

Apply butter and enjoy the bread!

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 75




Preparation Time 30 minutes + 2 hours resting time + baking time 32 minutes
Makes 1 sunflower 8 inches in diameter
Posted by Harini R on Friday, April 28, 2017

10 comments

  1. Sowmya :) Says:
  2. That is such a pretty looking bread Harini. I had baked this some time back but did not know of its origin or significance. Very interesting and beautiful bread.

     
  3. Priya Suresh Says:
  4. This xmas bread looks very catchy with a beautiful shape. A very pretty centerpiece bread.

     
  5. Srividhya Says:
  6. The sunflower shape is perfect and those step pics helps a lot to understand. Perfect bread for X

     
  7. Wow ! That's a. very pretty looking bread , I wouldn't feel like eating it . Yes the step by step pics are a great help , though I wonder when will I have the courage to bake it.

     
  8. Namratha Says:
  9. It truly is a centrepiece worth all the attention. It is so pretty I couldn't take my eyes off of it. Very nicely done!

     
  10. Srivalli Says:
  11. Amazing Harini, that Christmas bread has turned out awesome..must say it looks so pretty that I wouldn't want to slice it..:)..such a wonderful find.

     
  12. Pavani Says:
  13. That is a showstopping bread -- looks so pretty. You have done an excellent job in shaping it Harini. Awesome!!

     
  14. The sunflower shaped Bulgarian bread is looking fabulous . Must have tasted amazing.

     
  15. Perfectly shaped and an awesome bake.. Perfect pick!!

     
  16. How beautifully shaped and this bread would make for a lovely centerpiece. Wonderful bake Harini!

     
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