Vegan Easter Sweet Bread

Easter is approaching, and with it, numerous offers of kozunak (sweet Easter bread). We are all tempted by these delicious pastries, but we wish they weren't full of improvers, flavorings, and colorings, right? That's why Iliana from the ZELEN team got inspired and whipped up a healthy vegan kozunak for us! We really enjoyed it and are sharing the recipe so you can make it at home. 🙂
To begin, arm yourself with patience, time, and a smile!

Ingredients:

• 100 gr. "drunken" raisins
• 150 ml. sesame milk
• 100 ml. unrefined sunflower oil or sunflower oil
• 70 gr. coconut oil
• 500 gr. whole wheat or white flour (Ani made it with whole wheat to make the kozunak healthier, even though it was a bit more challenging for her.)
• 2 tsp. gluten-free vegetable yeast
• 50 gr. Muscovado sugar
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• zest of one lemon
• 50 gr. walnuts
• 50 gr. sunflower seeds
• 1 banana
• 1 tsp. Bourbon vanilla
• orange essential oil (optional)
• sesame seeds for sprinkling
• water (as much as it takes)
   

Instructions:
First, make your sesame milk and "drunken" raisins for a richer kozunak flavor. Soak the raisins in rum (it should cover them) and let them sit for 24 hours. Sesame milk is made from 3 tablespoons of tahini, mixed with 150 ml. water.

In a very warm kitchen, let all ingredients reach room temperature. Melt the coconut oil in a double boiler and mix it with the regular oil. It is essential that the melted fat is used only when it has cooled down and is not hot to the touch.

Sift the flour, then add the yeast, sugar, salt, grated lemon zest, walnuts, and sunflower seeds. Stir everything well. In a separate bowl, mash the banana, along with the vanilla and, if desired, 3-4 drops of orange essential oil. Add the resulting mixture to the bowl with the flour, as well as the sesame milk and 2/3 of the fat.

Knead a soft and sticky dough, slowly adding lukewarm water and flour. Then, transfer the dough to an oiled surface. Add the "drunken" raisins and start kneading. Add small amounts of the remaining fat until it's all used up. Knead with love and positive thoughts to make the kozunak even more delicious. 🙂

Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl, cover it with plastic wrap, and then with a towel to keep it dark and warm, and let it rise for 2-3 hours. Carefully remove the risen dough, again onto an oiled surface, and divide it into three equal parts to braid. Place it in a well-oiled baking dish. Brush with fat on top, then sprinkle with whatever you like. In our case, it was sesame seeds and sugar for shine. Cover again with plastic wrap and let it rise for another half an hour.

Meanwhile, the oven should be preheated to 160 degrees Celsius. To prevent the kozunak from burning, bake it covered with aluminum foil for the first 30 minutes, then remove the foil and continue baking for another 30 minutes.

The result is an amazing aroma of vanilla, orange, and lemon throughout the kitchen, and beyond! A wonderfully delicious kozunak, which is also healthy!

Share your festive kozunak with #зеленкозунак!