Vánočka

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title: "Vánočka" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["czech-cuisine", "braided-egg-breads", "yeast-breads", "sweet-breads", "christmas-food"] description: "Plaited bread" topic_path: "general/czech-cuisine" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vánočka" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Plaited bread ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox food"]

Field	Value
name	Vánočka
image	Vanocka.jpg
image_size	250px
alternate_name	Vianočka, houska
country	Czech Republic
type	Sweet bread
main_ingredient	eggs and butter, yeast, sugar, raisins, flour, almonds
::

| name = Vánočka | image = Vanocka.jpg | image_size = 250px | caption = | alternate_name = Vianočka, houska | country = Czech Republic | region = | creator = | course = | type = Sweet bread | served = | main_ingredient = eggs and butter, yeast, sugar, raisins, flour, almonds | variations = | calories = | other =

Vánočka () is a plaited bread, baked in Czech Republic and Slovakia (in Slovak called vianočka) traditionally at Christmas time. Such special festive Christmas bread made from white flour, either in the form of a wedge or of plait, was first mentioned around 1400 by Benedictine monk Jan of Holešov in his work Treatise on Christmas Eve. According to his interpretation, this pastry symbolized Christ Child wrapped in cloth.{{cite book | title= Výbor z české literatury od počátků po dobu Husovu | url = https://is.muni.cz/el/1441/podzim2005/CJ3MP_LSC1/um/stedry_vecer.pdf|access-date=2018-02-09|language=cs

Vánočka was further referred to during the 16th century, where it could only be made by a baker who was a guild craftsman. During the 18th century, people took the recipe into their homes and began baking it themselves. It is rich in eggs and butter, making it similar to brioche. Lemon rind and rum add colour and flavour; the dough can also contain raisins and almonds and is plaited like challah. A vánočka may be built up from three progressively smaller plaits stacked on top of one another; this is sometimes interpreted as a rough sculpture of the baby Jesus wrapped in cloth and lying in a manger.

It has a reputation for being difficult to prepare, so in many households superstitions and special customs were attached to the baking process in the past. When making vánočka, it was said that one must think of everyone dear to you. Another custom was to avoid touching the vánočka with metal. Finally, the person who was making the vánočka should jump up and down while the dough rises.

The bread is named after Vánoce meaning Christmas in Czech (Vianoce in Slovak).

Out of identical dough, a loaf called mazanec is made at Easter.

References

References

1. Peggy Wolff. (10 December 2015). "Christmas bread recipes like grandma made are back".
2. "Czech Christmas".
3. "Radio Prague - the international service of Czech Radio".
4. (25 December 2004). "Vanocka: Czech Christmas bread done right | Radio Prague International".
5. "Vanocka - Vánoèka - Czech Christmas Bread Recipe".

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