Placek (Polish Easter Bread)

Directions

• For the first dough, heat the milk on the stovetop to 105-115° F.
• In a mixing bowl, combine the milk, yeast, and sugar. Let it sit for 10 minutes, then add the hour, whisking it into a soupy batter. Cover with a damp towel and let it rise for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, make the second dough. Cream the butter with the sugar or monkfruit sweetener using a hand mixer or standing mixer. Add the eggs one at a time, beating to combine with each addition. Add the salt, nutmeg, and zest.
• Finally, beat in 2 cups of the flour, making a smooth, cake-like batter. When the first dough is done rising, add it to the second dough and stir to combine.
• If you have a standing mixer with a bread hook, switch over. Otherwise, you’ll need to use your hands to “knead” the batter. Add the remaining 3 cups of flour and knead for about five minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. This dough is very wet, so the kneading process will be sticky and messy.
• Once the dough is smooth, transfer it to a clean, well-greased mixing bowl. Cover with a damp towel and set it in a warm space to rise until it is doubled in size (between 1 and 2 1/2 hours).
• Meanwhile, make the crumble top. Combine the butter, sugar or monkfruit, and flour, mixing in the butter with your fingers until it’s the texture of cornmeal. Add the sliced almonds and set the crumble aside.
• Grease five 9x5” loaf pans or a combination of various baking pans making up roughly that volume. You can make this bread in loaves, cake pans, mini loaf pans, or however you like. It is a good idea, though, to use pans with straight edges as it will be easier to get the loaf out without ruining the crumble top.
• Once you’ve selected your pans and greased them, cut some strips of parchment paper long enough to go under the loaf and hang over the pans by about an inch. You will use the parchment to carefully lift out the bread from the pan after they’re baked.
• Once the dough has doubled in size, grease your hands and divide the dough between your pans. The dough will still be pretty sticky and wet, so you don’t really need to “form” a loaf shape. Divide your crumble-top across the pans and press it with your hands to stick it down to the dough. Cover the loaves with a damp towel and let them rise for another 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 325° F and bake for 30-50 minutes, until the loaves are golden brown and the center is cooked through. A good way to test this is to insert a skewer or chopstick into the center of the loaf and see if it comes out clean.
• Set the loaves on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes, then remove them from the pans by lifting them out using the parchment.
• Cool for at least another 10 minutes before serving. Placek is delicious served with butter or on its own.