Koledna Pitka (Bulgarian Christmas Bread)

A recipe for Koledna Pitka (Bulgarian Christmas Bread)! This yeast-based bread can be twisted and twirled into a variety of shapes for a festive addition to the holiday table.

I first came across the inspiration for this Koledna Pitka (Коледна питка, Bulgarian Christmas Cake) recipe 10 years ago over on Seasons and Suppers.

I am updating today with new photos and a few adjustments to the recipe based on how we currently love the bread. The result is an enriched dough filled with buttery layers that are twisted or braided into a festive shape perfect for celebrating.

This Bulgarian Christmas Bread is best the day it is baked, especially while still warm. Leftovers can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to two days.

Forming the Dough

Do not pack in the flour when measuring or you may end up with too much. To measure flour, gently spoon it into the measuring cup and level with a knife without pressing down. The most accurate way to measure is by weight.

When adding the yeast to the milk, make sure the milk isn’t too hot or it will damage the yeast. The temperature should be about 105˚F (40˚C)- just warm enough to activate the yeast.

If the dough is too crumbly and just won’t come together, add some more water a splash at a time.

Add just enough flour to create a smooth and workable dough. Too much flour or overworking will cause the bread to become dense.

In a warm kitchen, the first rise should take about 1-1 1/2 hours to double in size. During the winter with cooler temperatures, it sometimes takes closer to 2 hours.

If desired, you can form the dough, then cover and refrigerate overnight. Bring to room temperature for one hour before arranging into the desired shape.

Koledna Pitka Shapes

While looking through recipes, I came across so many different shapes and styles for this bread. The patterns can become quite intricate to represent sunflowers, wreaths, coils, and other designs.

When updating the post, I went with a fairly basic sun-shaped bread that still looks beautiful after rising and baking with minimal effort.

After the base dough has risen until doubled, divide it into four equal pieces. Roll each piece into a thin circle about 12 inches (30.5 centimeters) wide. Brush very softened (nearly melted so it doesn’t tear through the dough) butter between the circles and stack to create the distinct layers. Some recipes even add grated cheese or other fillings.

After stacking the circles, place a 3-4 inch (8-10 centimeter) bowl upside down and lightly press into the center of the top circle. This will be the center of the sun.

While the bowl is still in place, use a bench scraper or sharp knife (if it isn’t sharp, the layers may stick together) to make four equal cuts all the way through the dough from the bowl to the edge at the 12 o’clock, 3 o’clock, 6 o’clock, and 9 o’clock positions.

Make more cuts from the bowl to the edge equally between each of these original cuts to create 8 equal cuts in all.

Remove the bowl and carefully transfer the dough to the prepared springform pan or baking dish. You can also assemble the bread on a piece of parchment for more easy transport.

Once in the pan, twist one of the strips either to the left or the right two or three times to fan out the layers. Gently tuck the edges under to keep them from unraveling.

Repeat with the remaining strips, twisting them all in the same direction and keeping an equal distance between them.

Once assembled, cover the pan with a towel and allow to rest one last time before baking. It should take about 30 minutes to 1 hour at room temperature for the dough to puff up enough to fill in the space between the twists.

Bake the bread in a 350˚F (180˚C) oven until golden brown and cooked through. This usually takes about 35-40 minutes in my conventional oven.

Since this is a thicker bread, I like to use a thermometer inserted into the thickest part at the center to check for doneness around 190˚F (88˚C).

Dairy-Free Koledna Pitka

When I first made Koledna Pitka in 2015, I used Seasons & Suppers‘ dairy free recipe as the base. It has a blend of flour with water, vegetable oil, honey, and salt.

This version is perfect for those who are vegan (substitute the honey) or are fasting before Christmas.

A Few More Koledna Pitka Notes

One of the traditions is to leave a coin in the bread while kneading the dough. Whoever finds it will have good luck for the following year. If doing this, take care when eating as it can pose a choking risk.

During this latest update, we opted out of the coin tradition since my son recently got braces and I didn’t want him accidentally knocking off a bracket. Seasons and Suppers used a whole pecan as a substitute for a coin. When I do include a coin in the dough, I usually wrap it in foil first.

I topped the bread with a sprinkling of sesame seeds after brushing with the egg wash. This is optional. I have also seen the bread decorated with poppy seeds or nigella seeds.

Looking for more holiday baking?

Try my:

• Joulutorttu (Finnish Christmas Tarts)
• Neujahrsbrezel (German New Year’s Pretzel)
• Gingerbread Cinnamon Rolls

This recipe was originally posted in December 2015 and updated in December 2025.

Koledna Pitka (Bulgarian Christmas Bread) Recipe

Adapted from The Food Kooky

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Koledna Pitka

A recipe for Koledna Pitka (Bulgarian Christmas Bread)! This yeast-based bread can be twisted and twirled into a variety of shapes for a festive addition to the holiday table.

Course Bread

Cuisine Bulgarian

Keyword bread, Bulgaria, Bulgarian, Christmas, winter, yeast

Prep Time 45 minutes minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes minutes

Resting Time: 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 2 hours hours 50 minutes minutes

Servings 1 Loaf

Ingredients

Dough:

• 1 tablespoon (9 grams) active dry yeast
• 1 cup (240 milliliters) lukewarm milk 105-115˚F, 40-46˚C
• 5 cups (625 grams) all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon (12 grams) granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons fine salt
• 1/4 cup (65 grams) plain whole milk yogurt
• 1/4 cup (60 milliliters) sunflower oil or vegetable oil
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg white save the yolk for topping
• 1/4 cup (60 milliliters) lukewarm water 105-115˚F, 40-46˚C

For assembly:

• 4 tablespoons (58 grams) butter completely softened at room temperature, plus more for greasing
• 1 large egg yolk
• 2 tablespoons (30 milliliters) milk
• sesame seeds optional

Instructions

To form the dough:

• In a small bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the lukewarm milk and stir to combine. Let sit at room temperature until frothy, about 10 minutes.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook or a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, and salt.
• Mix in the frothy yeast milk mixture, yogurt, sunflower oil, egg, and egg white.
• Once incorporated, slowly add just enough water to bring together a dough. If still too crumbly after kneading, add a little more water. If too wet to handle, slowly add a little more flour.
• Knead on a lightly floured surface until the dough becomes smooth and elastic. Place in lightly greased bowl, cover, and let rise at room temperature until doubled, 1-2 hours.

To assemble:

• Grease a 10 inch (25.4 centimeter) round springform pan or baking dish with butter. If using a spring form pan, place on a rimmed baking sheet to catch any butter that may seep out.
• Lightly flour a large work surface.
• Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces and form each into a smooth ball.
• Place one ball on the floured work surface and cover the other pieces with a towel.
• Roll the ball into a thin circle about 12 inches (30.5 centimeters) wide. Cover the circle with 1/3rd of the softened butter.
• Roll another piece into a thin circle the exact same size. Place on top of the buttered circle. Brush with another 1/3rd of the butter.
• Roll a third piece into a thin circle the same size. Place on top of the buttered circles and brush with the rest of the butter.
• Roll the last piece into a thin circle and place on top of the buttered circles to create 4 layers.
• Place a 3-4 inch (8-10 centimeter) bowl upside down in the center of the top circle. Press lightly to form a round indentation.
• While the bowl is still in place, use a bench scraper or sharp knife to make four equal cuts all the way through the dough from the bowl to the edge at the 12 o'clock, 3 o'clock, 6 o'clock, and 9 o'clock positions.
• Make more cuts from the bowl to the edge equally between each of these original cuts to create 8 equal cuts in all.
• Remove the bowl and carefully transfer the dough to the prepared springform pan or baking dish.
• Twist one of the strips either to the left or the right two or three times to fan out the layers. Gently tuck the edges under to keep them from unraveling.
• Repeat with the remaining strips, twisting them all in the same direction and keeping an equal distance between them.
• Cover the pan with a towel and allow to rest at room temperature until puffed and most of the space between the twisted strips has filled in, 30 minutes to 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 350˚F (180˚C).
• In a small bowl, beat together the egg yolk and milk to form a smooth egg wash.
• Lightly brush the egg wash over the entire surface of the puffed dough. If desired, sprinkle with sesame seeds.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden and cooked through the center, 35-40 minutes.
• Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing.
• Enjoy the Koledna Pitka warm or at room temperature.