I almost cried watching this, so many beautiful memories from my childhood. My mother was Czech my father Slovak, I was born in Munich while my parents were waiting to be accepted in another country. We migrated to Austral and have been here ever since. Now my grandchildren are asking me about our traditions and now I can show them this, this has been the best Christmas present! Thank you
Thank you so much for your channel. I am 4th generation Czech here in the states and have become the Christmas Hoska (Vanocka) maker in the family. My family has lost the language but we keep the recipes.
+Daphne Vrstal Booth Oh wow, that is so wonderful you are keeping the recipes and traditions alive! That is a heartbeat of Czech Cookbook to keep the culture and food alive and unlocked into English and out of grams. :)
My babička passed away two years ago now and my mom and I found this video to help us make the vánočka she would every Christmas.. it tasted just like hers and brings back so many memories- thank you so much ❤️
I could not have made this without your video! I watch it as I am braiding. Thank you so much, it’s a new tradition and makes me feel like I am honoring my Czech ancestors. Besides that, it’s delicious.
I love your instructions! My grandmother taught me to make houska. We made only one braid from 3 strands. This is even prettier! Also we like to use golden raisins.
There is no Christmas with out Vánočka because Vánočka is Christmas!! I remember hiding in the back of my high school classes buttering chunks of Vánočka that I had hidden in my school bag because I can not stop eating it!
my wife is Czech and all your recipes are the same as the ones she has grown up with. I made this and it was perfect. Thanks for all your hard work on this. I love how you have coverted everything to american (all purpose flour, 1 stick of butter), it's awesome. Vesele Vanoce! My wife is from Hradec Kralove by the way.....
I watch this video every year as I make my Vanocka! My mother passed on her recipes when she passed 7 years ago, but I like to have several references. Yours is my favorite! I always have so much fun braiding with you. Thank you so much for the joy you bring to people with you recipes! From Paula, first born in the U.S., second generation Czech from Wisconsin now living in Seattle. I lived in Prague for 8 years in the 90s, so Czech Christmas traditions are special to me. BTW, I'd love to know your name. Vesele Vanoce!
This brings so many memories. I am the first generation in the US, and my parents and grandmother are from Czech. I wish I have watched and learned from them. Unfortunately, I was young when I lost them. Thank you for giving me the memories that I once had. :)
Dakujem velmy pekne za recept "Vanocka". Ja som upiekla dve na vianoce♥. Some trohu urobila chybu na kisnutjie...ale stale chutily dobre. I was born in Czechoslovakia and love our traditional cooking. Svieckovu, kniedliky, polievky, zakusky, kolace.... Wishing you a healthy, happy & prosperous 2015!
Thank you Elka for your sweet comment! Hopefully next time will Vanocka rise well. ;) On my website www.czechcookbook.com I have lots more recipes for our Czech goodies. ;) Wishing you happy new year 2015!!!
Thank you for these great recipes!! I miss home like never before, with having the pandemic being stuck at university and not being able to fly home for the holidays back home to Czech. So these recipes helps to make me have some part of home here in the US. Děkuji moc! Přeji hezké svátky!
I can't remember the last time I've had Vánočka - we have always called it houska in our house, whether that's right or wrong I don't think I can change now. ;) I am going to try making some this year with my 11 year old daughter - she will love the braiding part, especially! Thank you for the recipe!
That is wonderful John to keep the tradition alive and get your daughter involved! Yes long time ago it used to be called Houska, but these days houska in CZ is small braided salty bread. :) Wishing you success!
@@czechcookbook My grandmother, then later my mother and my aunt would make Houska every Christmas to keep the tradition going. They put golden currants, candied citron and candied cherries in the dough. I prefer your idea of using raisins instead. They did use the same almonds on top and the lemon zest inside. We used to toast and butter it. Great with coffee. Thank you for this recipe and for the laughs at your outtake braiding the bread!
Thank you so much for posting this video! For years I have been telling my family I was going to make Vanocka but always ended up too intimidated and felt like it was just going to be too much work. This year, I decided that I was going to surprise my brother and make this for our Christmas Eve brunch with our kids. My grandmother used to make Vanocka every year and she always let me help with it. My mom never made it and after my grandmother died, we never had it again, but always talked so fondly about the bread and the experience of making it together. I followed your video exactly as I was making it on Dec 23rd and, though my braiding was slightly lacking - I think I added too much extra flour, feeling my dough was too sticky, but I think I made it slightly on the dry side which made the braiding not stay together as well. But it did not affect the taste one bit! When my brother came over on Christmas Eve, I took the bread out of the plastic wrapping so that he could just smell it first! He was so excited! And then we tasted and I was so proud! He said it tasted exactly like Grandma's ! And all of our kids enjoyed it and after hearing us talk about it for years, they finally got to experience what it actually was as well! This will be my new Christmas tradition! Thank you so much for giving me the confidence to try making it :)
How wonderful to be brave and make Vanocka to surprise your brother! I am proud of you! And I am sure next time it will be even more perfect since you know about the flour now. :) So wonderful you decided to have it as your Christmas tradition again. :)
I am so glad I found your channel! I lived in Prague for 2 years and LOVED the food. Since returning yo the US, I have been missing Czech food. I will be making these amazing recipes.
My mother (and now I) made Houska with candied red and green cherries, pineapple and raisins and walnuts for Christmas! We braid it and layer it also, and put on a glaze made of powder sugar and milk and decorate the top with the red and green cherries to look like wreathes! It is wonderful toasted!
Thank you. :) There is plenty of videos to go through and I will be making more. While I am here in the Czech Republic I also try to do some video blogs.
My Mom makes a braided bread for Christmas and Easter that has white raisins and slivered almonds in the bread. It is a sweet bread and so wonderful. She lets hers rise in a warm oven and the yeast really rises a lot more. It is very shiny and stretchy. It is very similar to your bread. We braid it and we make several other breads with this dough.
Your channel brings so much joy to my life! I want to make Christmas special for my Partner and am preparing Svickova and many other dishes for him and you are helping me so much! Thankyou so much
I just made this tonight! Even though I used the skewers, the top 2 layers sort of *slid* to the side - I don't care though - it's beautiful! Thank you so much for sharing - I can't wait to have this tomorrow morning
I'm enjoying all of your great recipes, just like I did growing up in Zlin! But I think we are missing out on a recipe for likerove spice. My mom and I would go to the bakery every weekend and get this amazing treat. I would love to learn how to recreate these amazing egg liqueur pastries. The last time I went to visit I gained about 20 lbs trying to get my fill lol.
+Eva Novakova :D I hear you. How can anyone resist. :) Yes, I love likerove spicky. The problem is that they are made by using special form. Until I can find the way for people to buy those forms I won't be able to recreate them. :( But I am hopeful and I will try to find the way. :)
My husbands mother is Czech and father is Polish…I was handed down this recipe and it is a favorite for sure! Great video as I have no one to give me tips. What brand of yeast do you use? I have Red Star in packets….Thank you!
That is an awesome recipe. I love heritage foods. I also loved your baking board. Could you please give us the dimensions on it? I have a small kitchen, and something like your board would be a big help. Btw, my wife loves all the recipes that I have made for her from your channel, as do I. Our heritage makes for some mixed foods we both love, and we love to sample others as well. She is Italian and I am German. Both born and raised in America. We do not speak our families native language, but we all speak food. Thank you for all the wonderful recipes so that I can share them with my family and friends.
Thank you Jeffry for you nice comment. :) I am glad you enjoy my video recipes. :) I bought a fold up table in Ikea, that can be attached to the wall and It got rebuilt to be a board. I loved the size of it and it worked. But you can easily make it from wood from a hardware store. Dimensions are: The big piece is 2' 5". x 1' 8". Two small pieces of wood for the sides each measure 2' 5" x 3". I hope that helps. :)
How beautiful the bread looked as well as delicious! I bet the leftovers would make a wonderful bread pudding, is there a Czech recipe for that? Thank you for another great video!
Mary Ann North Wind Acres Mann :) Great idea! We actually have something similar to bread pudding and I will definitely make a video one day. It is baked with sliced apples and it is so delicious. :)
Simply awesome! Everything I cook following you directions turns out perfect ! I need to be your neighbor ! Do you wanna build a snowman :-) ( love frozen)
I must try this recipe with all purpose flour. I've been using Wondra and want to know how is it different. Also my husband's aunt says in Canada they sell flour similar to Czech 'polohrubá' flour. It's I think called Peter Pan. We go there pretty often, but I keep forgetting to check it out 😣
Thank you for this video. I am a born Canadian with a Czech father. I learned this recipe from my grandmother many years ago. I grew up with this being a part of my Christmas traditions. I continue to make it every year, and hope to pass it on to my children. I think my recipe is almost twice as much! I will try making it with your proportions instead. I learned a number of subtle techniques from watching you make this. I like the idea of 4-pieces on the bottom, 3 in the middle and 2 on top. That makes so much sense. I did 3 / 3 / 2. I like your use of wooden sticks, I have used metal skewers. Mine has rum-soaked raisins and almond slivers inside. I will try throwing the almonds onto the outside! Here is my version... ua-cam.com/video/5N2xh_KYaps/v-deo.html
+Ralph Evans You have an amazing heritage. It is so nice to see how you keep your family traditions and recipes alive. Great job making your Christmas bread! :)
Hey, we just tried your recipe twice and the second time the dough was too wet, are there any ways to fix this without putting too much flour? Thank you.
@@czechcookbook Ano muje kamrada. I know very little Czech. As I have Ashkenazi Jewish DNA , our people were mainly living in Central and Eastern Europe and their culinary and style of cooking was very much influenced by those nations. Czech Republic like Poland has a old and rich Jewish culture. Yes we do not use raisons. Love your cooking though. Love from Austraia ❤
I almost cried watching this, so many beautiful memories from my childhood. My mother was Czech my father Slovak, I was born in Munich while my parents were waiting to be accepted in another country. We migrated to Austral and have been here ever since. Now my grandchildren are asking me about our traditions and now I can show them this, this has been the best Christmas present! Thank you
That is sooooooooooooo sweet, Laura! God Bless! ♥♥♥
God bless you I know how it feels I lost mom and dad and I just feel alone empty inside cause soon it will be Christmas
Ja jsem velice rada za recept. Zila jsem v CR 25 let a ted sem se vratila domu nedavno. Im so happy that I can finally make this. Dekuji moc
My pleasure ☺️
Thank you so much for your channel. I am 4th generation Czech here in the states and have become the Christmas Hoska (Vanocka) maker in the family. My family has lost the language but we keep the recipes.
+Daphne Vrstal Booth Oh wow, that is so wonderful you are keeping the recipes and traditions alive! That is a heartbeat of Czech Cookbook to keep the culture and food alive and unlocked into English and out of grams. :)
My mom called this houska , at least that’s what it sounded like, and it really brings back great memories. Thank you for all your work.
Yes long time ago it used to be called houska. :)
@czechcookbook - 🎄a delicious & messy tradition in our home, too! I loved the ‘bloopers’ at the end 😆
I had been looking for ways to incorporate Czech recipes in the end of the year holidays to help me remember my grandmother. Thank you very much.
My babička passed away two years ago now and my mom and I found this video to help us make the vánočka she would every Christmas.. it tasted just like hers and brings back so many memories- thank you so much ❤️
I could not have made this without your video! I watch it as I am braiding. Thank you so much, it’s a new tradition and makes me feel like I am honoring my Czech ancestors. Besides that, it’s delicious.
That is beautiful! Thank you for keeping the traditions alive! :)
Thanks for the great recipes! I really love Czech cousine :) greetings from México!
Thank you :) Many greetings to Mexico!
I love your instructions! My grandmother taught me to make houska. We made only one braid from 3 strands. This is even prettier! Also we like to use golden raisins.
Every Christmas, I revisit this video for a reminder how to make this beautiful bread. Thank you. 😘
Here I am again
There is no Christmas with out Vánočka because Vánočka is Christmas!!
I remember hiding in the back of my high school classes buttering chunks of Vánočka that I had hidden in my school bag because I can not stop eating it!
+James Swift Aww, that is a sweet story. :) Thank you for sharing that. :)
my wife is Czech and all your recipes are the same as the ones she has grown up with. I made this and it was perfect. Thanks for all your hard work on this. I love how you have coverted everything to american (all purpose flour, 1 stick of butter), it's awesome. Vesele Vanoce! My wife is from Hradec Kralove by the way.....
Thank you Tom for such a nice feedback. I am glad it turned out great! Greetings to your wife. I am from Brno. :) Vesele Vanoce!
Very good
Perfect recipe. It came out perfect.
Such a good explanation! Thank you!
I watch this video every year as I make my Vanocka! My mother passed on her recipes when she passed 7 years ago, but I like to have several references. Yours is my favorite! I always have so much fun braiding with you. Thank you so much for the joy you bring to people with you recipes! From Paula, first born in the U.S., second generation Czech from Wisconsin now living in Seattle. I lived in Prague for 8 years in the 90s, so Czech Christmas traditions are special to me. BTW, I'd love to know your name. Vesele Vanoce!
Thank you Paula for kind and touching words!
This brings so many memories. I am the first generation in the US, and my parents and grandmother are from Czech. I wish I have watched and learned from them. Unfortunately, I was young when I lost them. Thank you for giving me the memories that I once had. :)
Thank you Alice! It makes my heart happy to do. ☺️
@@czechcookbook I can't wait to cook Czech foods for my Italian family😀
Dakujem velmy pekne za recept "Vanocka". Ja som upiekla dve na vianoce♥.
Some trohu urobila chybu na kisnutjie...ale stale chutily dobre.
I was born in Czechoslovakia and love our traditional cooking. Svieckovu, kniedliky, polievky, zakusky, kolace....
Wishing you a healthy, happy & prosperous 2015!
Thank you Elka for your sweet comment! Hopefully next time will Vanocka rise well. ;) On my website www.czechcookbook.com I have lots more recipes for our Czech goodies. ;) Wishing you happy new year 2015!!!
Thank you for these great recipes!! I miss home like never before, with having the pandemic being stuck at university and not being able to fly home for the holidays back home to Czech. So these recipes helps to make me have some part of home here in the US. Děkuji moc! Přeji hezké svátky!
That makes me happy to hear! I hope you will be able to visit soon! Wishing you Merry Christmas and let's make the most of it. :)
I can't remember the last time I've had Vánočka - we have always called it houska in our house, whether that's right or wrong I don't think I can change now. ;)
I am going to try making some this year with my 11 year old daughter - she will love the braiding part, especially! Thank you for the recipe!
That is wonderful John to keep the tradition alive and get your daughter involved! Yes long time ago it used to be called Houska, but these days houska in CZ is small braided salty bread. :) Wishing you success!
@@czechcookbook My grandmother, then later my mother and my aunt would make Houska every Christmas to keep the tradition going. They put golden currants, candied citron and candied cherries in the dough.
I prefer your idea of using raisins instead. They did use the same almonds on top and the lemon zest inside. We used to toast and butter it. Great with coffee. Thank you for this recipe and for the laughs at your outtake braiding the bread!
I have to make Vánočka for my son's report on Czech holiday traditions. I LOVED this video! Thank you so much for this great demonstration and recipe.
+Kristen Smith Glad you enjoy the video. :) I hope it turned out great. :)
Thank you so much for posting this video! For years I have been telling my family I was going to make Vanocka but always ended up too intimidated and felt like it was just going to be too much work. This year, I decided that I was going to surprise my brother and make this for our Christmas Eve brunch with our kids. My grandmother used to make Vanocka every year and she always let me help with it. My mom never made it and after my grandmother died, we never had it again, but always talked so fondly about the bread and the experience of making it together. I followed your video exactly as I was making it on Dec 23rd and, though my braiding was slightly lacking - I think I added too much extra flour, feeling my dough was too sticky, but I think I made it slightly on the dry side which made the braiding not stay together as well. But it did not affect the taste one bit! When my brother came over on Christmas Eve, I took the bread out of the plastic wrapping so that he could just smell it first! He was so excited! And then we tasted and I was so proud! He said it tasted exactly like Grandma's ! And all of our kids enjoyed it and after hearing us talk about it for years, they finally got to experience what it actually was as well! This will be my new Christmas tradition! Thank you so much for giving me the confidence to try making it :)
How wonderful to be brave and make Vanocka to surprise your brother! I am proud of you! And I am sure next time it will be even more perfect since you know about the flour now. :) So wonderful you decided to have it as your Christmas tradition again. :)
Thank you for sharing this with us. My grandmother made this (fewer braids) and I am looking forward to making this. My mouth is watering.
Wishing you the best of success and I hope it will bring wonderful memories. :)
I am so glad I found your channel! I lived in Prague for 2 years and LOVED the food. Since returning yo the US, I have been missing Czech food. I will be making these amazing recipes.
I hope you enjoy my recipes. :)
My mother (and now I) made Houska with candied red and green cherries, pineapple and raisins and walnuts for Christmas! We braid it and layer it also, and put on a glaze made of powder sugar and milk and decorate the top with the red and green cherries to look like wreathes! It is wonderful toasted!
Sounds amazing! :)
Awesome :-) I love Vánočka!
You are great teacher. Your recepies are easy to understand and follow I just subscribed and can't wait for more videos. Thank you.
Thank you. :) There is plenty of videos to go through and I will be making more. While I am here in the Czech Republic I also try to do some video blogs.
Thank you so much for helping us make the bread!
:)
My Mom makes a braided bread for Christmas and Easter that has white raisins and slivered almonds in the bread. It is a sweet bread and so wonderful. She lets hers rise in a warm oven and the yeast really rises a lot more. It is very shiny and stretchy. It is very similar to your bread. We braid it and we make several other breads with this dough.
That is wonderful!
I'm making your version this time! Deke!!♡♡
Just made this bread and it smells wonderful!!
Yay! I hope you enjoy it! :)
Your channel brings so much joy to my life! I want to make Christmas special for my Partner and am preparing Svickova and many other dishes for him and you are helping me so much! Thankyou so much
I am happy to hear! :)
Excellent !!
Thank you :)
I just made this tonight! Even though I used the skewers, the top 2 layers sort of *slid* to the side - I don't care though - it's beautiful! Thank you so much for sharing - I can't wait to have this tomorrow morning
Sometimes it slides to the side little bit. No worries, it still tastes the same. ;) I hope you enjoyed it. :)
@@czechcookbook my husband and I loved it!! What a special treat! I can't wait to do this every year ❤️
this saved my life
+Peter Clanton Glad to hear! :)
amazing!
TheHardPlastic thank you :)
I'm enjoying all of your great recipes, just like I did growing up in Zlin! But I think we are missing out on a recipe for likerove spice. My mom and I would go to the bakery every weekend and get this amazing treat. I would love to learn how to recreate these amazing egg liqueur pastries. The last time I went to visit I gained about 20 lbs trying to get my fill lol.
+Eva Novakova :D I hear you. How can anyone resist. :) Yes, I love likerove spicky. The problem is that they are made by using special form. Until I can find the way for people to buy those forms I won't be able to recreate them. :( But I am hopeful and I will try to find the way. :)
My husbands mother is Czech and father is Polish…I was handed down this recipe and it is a favorite for sure! Great video as I have no one to give me tips. What brand of yeast do you use? I have Red Star in packets….Thank you!
I think it was also Red star. Just not rapid rise. 😊
That is an awesome recipe. I love heritage foods. I also loved your baking board. Could you please give us the dimensions on it? I have a small kitchen, and something like your board would be a big help. Btw, my wife loves all the recipes that I have made for her from your channel, as do I. Our heritage makes for some mixed foods we both love, and we love to sample others as well. She is Italian and I am German. Both born and raised in America. We do not speak our families native language, but we all speak food. Thank you for all the wonderful recipes so that I can share them with my family and friends.
Thank you Jeffry for you nice comment. :) I am glad you enjoy my video recipes. :) I bought a fold up table in Ikea, that can be attached to the wall and It got rebuilt to be a board. I loved the size of it and it worked. But you can easily make it from wood from a hardware store. Dimensions are: The big piece is 2' 5". x 1' 8". Two small pieces of wood for the sides each measure 2' 5" x 3". I hope that helps. :)
How beautiful the bread looked as well as delicious! I bet the leftovers would make a wonderful bread pudding, is there a Czech recipe for that? Thank you for another great video!
Mary Ann North Wind Acres Mann :) Great idea! We actually have something similar to bread pudding and I will definitely make a video one day. It is baked with sliced apples and it is so delicious. :)
czechcookbook Sounds delicious too! I'll look forward to that video for sure :)
Mary Ann North Wind Acres Mann :)
Thank you. I have no connection with my heritage. I hope this is the beginning of a new tradition for me.
Simply awesome!
Everything I cook following you directions turns out perfect !
I need to be your neighbor !
Do you wanna build a snowman :-) ( love frozen)
:D Hehe. Not that easy here in Cali. ;) I am glad everything is turning out perfect. :) I am recording vepro, knedlo, zelo as we speak. :)
I must try this recipe with all purpose flour. I've been using Wondra and want to know how is it different. Also my husband's aunt says in Canada they sell flour similar to Czech 'polohrubá' flour. It's I think called Peter Pan. We go there pretty often, but I keep forgetting to check it out 😣
we will have Czech Christmas this year in Brazil :)
Aww, how wonderful! :)
Very nice bread mine has more egg yolks, butter and mace when put in toaster it almost fries
+Jon Skorepa Thank you :) Yes, they are many different recipes for vanocka.
Could I have the extact measurements for this please? Dekuji chci to udelat manzelovi
Tady jsou i v metrických měřítkách 😊Mám to vše i v tištěné kucharce.
www.czechcookbook.com/christmas-bread-vanocka/
Thank you for this video. I am a born Canadian with a Czech father. I learned this recipe from my grandmother many years ago. I grew up with this being a part of my Christmas traditions. I continue to make it every year, and hope to pass it on to my children. I think my recipe is almost twice as much! I will try making it with your proportions instead. I learned a number of subtle techniques from watching you make this. I like the idea of 4-pieces on the bottom, 3 in the middle and 2 on top. That makes so much sense. I did 3 / 3 / 2. I like your use of wooden sticks, I have used metal skewers. Mine has rum-soaked raisins and almond slivers inside. I will try throwing the almonds onto the outside! Here is my version... ua-cam.com/video/5N2xh_KYaps/v-deo.html
+Ralph Evans You have an amazing heritage. It is so nice to see how you keep your family traditions and recipes alive. Great job making your Christmas bread! :)
Hey, we just tried your recipe twice and the second time the dough was too wet, are there any ways to fix this without putting too much flour? Thank you.
Every flour hydrates differently. If it is too wet it probably needs more flour.
How much grams is the flour?
Here is metric system recipe www.czechcookbook.com/christmas-bread-vanocka/
@@czechcookbook thank you!
Do you use all purpose flour?
Yes
what kind of of flour you used??
Just regular all purpose flour.
Thank you very much,,,
I'm indonesian but my husband from czech Republic and I will make for him in this week😊
That is wonderful! I am sure he will be very happy! :)
This is also a very typical Jewish pastry called Challah.
Yes but Challah is more on a salty side. We add only little bit of salt into ours so it is nicely sweet and have raisins inside. :)
@@czechcookbook Ano muje kamrada. I know very little Czech. As I have Ashkenazi Jewish DNA , our people were mainly living in Central and Eastern Europe and their culinary and style of cooking was very much influenced by those nations. Czech Republic like Poland has a old and rich Jewish culture. Yes we do not use raisons. Love your cooking though. Love from Austraia ❤
@@persianprince1979 Yes we do and we love our Jewish communities.
@@czechcookbook Thank you. Where in the US are you based? We also make Piroshki in Russian or the Polish say Pirogi. Czceh make it as well?
Normally in California but now I am CZ for some time. Mainly Slovaks makes pirogi (pirohy). 😊
Is this Houska?
Yes
My family makes this every Christmas. Amazing. We toast it ad butter it.