Jidáše

Just before Easter and it's time for another Czech speciality. Last year I published a recipe for wonderful mini mazance, this year I chose to make jidáše (yi-dah-she, sg. jidáš, pl. jidáše), a specific kind of sweet bread that resembles the tangled beard of Judas (after whom they are named) or as another tale goes, the entwined bread represents the rope upon which Judas hanged himself in the end. However, the tradition of jidáše goes further beyond Christianity to the age of paganism. Then, obviously not called after Judas, it was actually a ritualistic bread in various shapes, it could even look like animals. This proto-jidáš was eaten on what is now called Maundy Thursday before the sunrise. It was covered in honey to protect people against diseases and snake bites.

Now, I'm not the one to dwell on religious symbolism of food too much but even today, not all jidáše look like two entwined ropes, so I guess the pagan legacy is still there in our folk culture. Along with the infamous whipping girls with a special Easter stick (...traditions), the Czech Easter is not the same without jidáše and nádivka (a kind of stuffing that is actually eaten on its own and it's absolutely delicious, maybe I'll post the recipe some other time too).


I'm quite happy about how my jidáše turned out. I went creative on the shapes, making only three in the classical rope-entwined shape and made couple Cthulhu inspired, and others just how I imagined pagans would do it. One large is a shaped like a bird and then there are two bird-snakes that my mom made. See if you can spot them all on the photos :]

Jidáše
for 12 jidáše you will need:

• 40g yeast (one cube)
• a teaspoon of sugar
• 200ml sweet cream
• 500g sifted all-purpose flour
• 100g sifted confectioners' sugar
• a pinch of salt
• 100 + 50g butter
• 3 yolks and 1 egg for coating the jidaše
• lemon zest of 1 lemon
• 2 tablespoons of honey

1. Mash the yeast in a medium bowl with a teaspoon of sugar until in resembles paste. Pour in lukewarm sweet cream and stir. Mix in a spoonful of flour and let rise for about 7 minutes in a warm place until foam forms.
2. In an electric mixer with a hook attachment, combine the flour, confectioners' sugar and the salt. Add in 100g of softened butter cut into cubes and stir to combine. Make a well in the middle and pour in the yeast mixture and the yolks and let it knead until it turns into a tough shiny dough.
3. Cover the bowl with a rug and let rest for an hour in a warm place after which knead it briefly.
4. Preheat the oven to 170° C and line a baking tray with parchment paper. 
5. Divide the dough into 12 equal parts and roll each into a long shape, fold it in the middle and twist the ends into each others. Or be creative and make an 8 shape or even something else.
6. Place the jidáše on the tray and cover with the beaten egg. Transfer in the oven and bake for about 25 minutes until the jidáše turn golden.
7. In the meantime melt and stir the 50g of butter with honey and as soon as the jidáše are out of the oven, cover them with the butter-honey mixture. You might want to apply a second coating when after several minutes.