June is the peak wedding season – weddings in May are said to bring bad luck, in July there is risk of thunderstorms and bad weather and in August it might be too hot or too windy. No wonder many couples prefer June connected with fair and stable weather.
Weddings are usually associated with a number of traditions – the most common being wedding pastry preparation. This is most frequently organized by the bride’s mother, often in company with grandmothers and friends. However, the bride herself should not participate in baking, otherwise her marriage will be doomed to hardship and crying babies.
There are several types of wedding pastry – to announce the upcoming wedding, invite to it and those offered as gifts wedding guests take home after the ceremony. Moreover, the pastry includes special “corner” pieces – some say it is because they are baked in the corner of the baking tray, others because of their square shape and different filling in each corner. According to a popular saying, those who eat a corner pastry shall marry within a year. In Moravia, the pastry used to vary significantly in size – from very tiny ones to large pieces that had to be carried by two men. In Doudleby region there were two-tier cakes, in Chodsko region they featured rosemary twig in the middle.
Filled with at least three types of fillings, the pastry can vary significantly in dough (butter-based, yeast or rolled), they can be filled, with crumble, double filling, etc... It is important to not to spare on ingredients and, above all, really enjoy the baking!
Procedure
Crumble yeast into pieces, add one tablespoon of sugar and a bit of lukewarm milk. Put on a warm place to let the yeast ferment.
In a large bowl, grate cold butter, add softened lard, both types of flour, pinch of salt, mixed egg yolks, the remaining lukewarm milk and the fermented yeast mixture. Knead until having smooth, non-sticky dough. Let rise for at least 30 minutes (in the meantime, prepare the fillings).
When the dough is ready, roll into a thicker layer and cut out the pastries (if preparing pastries from larger quantity, take just a part of the dough and place the rest in the fridge to avoid its overrising). Using your finger or a small jar, squeeze each round-shaped piece, put a bit of filling (using a teaspoon) and press slightly. Bake on a buttered tray at 180°C for about 15 minutes until golden brown. While they are still warm, dip them in melted rum-flavoured butter and wrap them in sugar.
Wedding pastry fillings
Quark filling: Mix softened quark with egg yolk, vanilla pudding and raisins, add sugar if necessary.
Nut filling: Grind walnuts or hazelnuts, cook them with sugar and a bit of milk. Let cool down.
Poppy seed filling: Grind poppy seed and cook it with sugar and a bit of milk. Let cool down.
Plum-jam filling: Mix plum-jam with grated lemon zest, cinnamon and vanilla sugar.
Extra tip:
If you want to make your pastries really good-looking, trim them with almonds or raisins (as we did).