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List of Traditional Products · Podlasie · Bakery and confectionery

Mielnicki korowaj weselny

A round wedding loaf of yeast dough, decorated with bird figures, a sun and a moon. Baked the evening before the wedding to the sound of singing, with a coin hidden inside for luck.

OriginMielnik, the Mielnik Land
CategoryBakery and confectionery
On the list since27 November 2019
Bielsk PodlaskiOstrów MazowieckaHajnówkaSiemiatyczePruzhanyMałkinia GórnaBrańskKleszczeleSokołów PodlaskiKamyanyetsSharashovaWysokie MazowieckieŁochówCiechanowiecSzepietowoWęgrówDrohiczynCzyżewVysokayeMielnicki korowaj weselny020 kmN© OpenStreetMap

History

Korowaj is a rite older than Christianity, and its symbolism is tied to fertility and plenty. Among the Orthodox inhabitants of the Mielnik Land it was still commonly baked in the 1950s. On the evening before the wedding, the women of the bride's family gathered at her house. The godmother began with a prayer, an older matchmaker kneaded the dough, and everyone else sang. At the wedding the korowaj was cut by the starosta or the senior groomsman, and the first slice, the one with the sun and moon, went to the newlyweds. Since 2006 Mielnik has held the Wedding Korowaj Festival, and the korowaj itself has been on the list since 2019.

Recipe

Korowaj (following the proportions from the product sheet)

Makes: 1 korowaj of about 2 kgTime: 3 h 30 min

Ingredients

  • 1.2 kg plain flour, type 450 (cake flour)
  • 100 g fresh yeast
  • 300 g sugar
  • 3 eggs and 6 egg yolks
  • 250 ml milk
  • 125 g butter, melted
  • a pinch of salt
  • 1 egg for brushing
  • 1 coin (washed and wrapped in baking paper)

Method

  1. Dissolve the yeast in the warm milk with a tablespoon of sugar and 3 tablespoons of flour. Leave for 15 minutes to rise.
  2. Cream the eggs and yolks with the rest of the sugar. Combine with the starter, flour and salt and knead for about 15 minutes, pouring in the butter at the end.
  3. Set aside about a quarter of the dough for decoration. Shape the rest into a round loaf, pressing the coin into the middle. Place on a baking tray in a springform tin or on baking paper.
  4. From the reserved dough make a plait to go around the edge, plus figures: little birds, a sun, a moon, pine cones. Stick them to the loaf with water.
  5. Leave in a warm place for about an hour, until it has clearly risen. Brush with beaten egg.
  6. Bake at 170°C for about 60 minutes. If the top browns too fast, cover it with paper. In a wood-fired bread oven it is baked at a lower temperature, about 150°C.
TipThe finished korowaj is laid on ears of wheat and covered with a white, lace-trimmed towel.

Where to taste and buy

It is best to see and taste it at the Wedding Korowaj Festival in Mielnik, held there since 2006. Check the date with the Mielnik commune.

Description based on the entry in the Ministry of Agriculture's List of Traditional Products. The quantities in the recipe are our own suggestion for the home kitchen. Product sheet on gov.pl →

Stay in Klejniki

Most of these flavours are within an hour's drive of our house. A kitchen with a wood-fired range is waiting, in case you feel like baking something.

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