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Duivekater
Lemon Christmas bread
Duivekater: Holland's long, shaped lemon Christmas and New Year bread
Duivekater is an old festive bread from Holland and Zeeland, baked for St Nicholas, Christmas and New Year's Eve. It is a long, flat, glossy loaf of rich, lemon-scented sweet dough, shaped with cuts at both ends that curl like a bone or a pair of legs; bakers once also made it for church feast days. Slices are eaten with butter. Chef's tip: give the shaped loaf a full second rise before cutting the ends, or the cuts close up in the oven.
- Total time
- 70 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 12
Ingredients
- ¾ cup milklukewarm
- 1 ⅛ lb strong white flour
- 2 ⅝ oz caster sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 lemonszest only
- 1 egg
- 2 ⅝ oz buttersoft
- 1 egg yolkbeaten with 1 tbsp milk
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Mix 1 ⅛ lb strong white flour, ¼ oz fast-action dried yeast, 2 ⅝ oz caster sugar, 1 tsp salt and 2 lemons. Add ¾ cup milk and 1 egg and knead for 5 minutes, then knead in 2 ⅝ oz butter for another 5–7 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic.
12 minStep 2: Cover and leave in a warm place for 1 hour, until doubled.
Step 3: Roll the dough into a flat oval about 40 cm long and 15 cm wide, slightly narrower in the middle. Set on a lined tray.
Step 4: Cover and leave for 45 minutes, until puffy. Then with scissors or a sharp knife make two 8 cm cuts into each end and curl the four flaps outwards like scrolls. Score a few shallow lines down the middle.
5 minStep 5: Brush with 1 egg yolk. Bake at 375°F (350°F fan) for 25–30 minutes, until deep, glossy brown and hollow-sounding underneath. A common mistake is a thin, weak egg wash: brush twice for the classic shine.
28 minStep 6: Cool on a rack and slice thickly.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 250 kcal
- Protein
- 6 g
- Carbs
- 40 g
- Fat
- 7 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does duivekater take?
- About 70 minutes in total: 40 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 12 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of milk?
- Oat, soy or almond milk, same amount (use unsweetened for savoury dishes).
- What can I use instead of fast-action dried yeast?
- Fresh yeast, three times the weight.
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Perfect for:Christmas