Cozonac is a traditional Romanian sweet bread enjoyed during Christian holidays. It is made with a rich dough and can be baked in various shapes with different fillings. It is difficult to find outside of Romania and Bulgaria, but recipes are easily available.
Cozonac is a classic Romanian sweet bread that is often served on Christian holidays. It is enjoyed at Christmas and welcomed at Easter and can be compared to other European sweet breads such as panettone, even if the shape is different. The bread is also traditional in many Bulgarian homes and could be spelled Kozunak.
The dough for this bread is quite rich, a combination of flour, butter, eggs, sugar, yeast and milk. Most recipes also contain raisins. Cozonac can be baked in a variety of shapes, and some Romanians link these shapes to specific religious events. A braided bread could be made for Passover and be symbolic of Christ’s body before rising from the dead, although this can vary.
The sweet bread dough for the cozonac can be baked as is, or some recipes make much more elaborate use of the dough. Occasionally the dough is wrapped around a spiced nut filling, or it is rolled around chopped pieces of Turkish Delight, rose-flavored candies. Some recipes call for a sweetened cream cheese filling, and others suggest giving the dough a tangy flavor by adding lemon zest. The remarkable variety of recipes and types of cozonac make it a truly adaptable bread or dessert for a variety of occasions.
It can be very difficult to find cozonac outside of Romania and Bulgaria. If you’re lucky enough to live near a Romanian, Bulgarian or Eastern European bakery, you might have some luck. Otherwise, you’ll have to make this delicious bread from scratch. If you’re good at baking bread, this should prove to be a minor problem because recipes abound and tend to be easily made by most bakers. Having a bread maker can help with kneading, although you’ll want to take the dough out for a second rise, and then you can shape the dough for baking.
Cozonac can look especially appealing as it cooks and turns a deep rich brown. To add extra sweetness to the top of the bread, it can be sprinkled generously with powdered or granulated sugar. Some recipes also call for sprinkling raisins or nuts on top before baking.
Generally, although the bread may look delicious warm, it’s traditional to serve the cozonac when it’s completely cooled. However, some are happy with warm bread, which can be especially good as an afternoon snack with a cup of coffee, tea or milk.
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