Catholic Recipe: Heilige Kapfe (Saint's Plaits)

Ideal for a nameday breakfast after Mass, this recipe comes from Lillian Langseth-Christensen's book, Gourmet's Old Vienna Cookbook, which includes beautiful color plates.

DIRECTIONS

Make any preferred sweet roll dough from your favorite recipe or ready-mix. When the dough is ready for shaping, make into small uniform mounds 3 to 4 inches in diameter. Press each mound with the heels of the hand alternately until an oval with two liplike parts and a groove in the center is formed. Pull the thick part opposite you with the fingers of both hands toward the center groove and press it down firmly. Reverse the procedure and pull in the other side. Press firmly with the heel of the hand to seal the two thick parts along the center. Roll the elongated piece gently into a cylindrical shape with small pointed ends.

Lay three elongated pieces together and braid them. Place each plait carefully on a greased baking sheet. Allow room for them to rise. Let them rise, covered in a warm place. Brush the rolls with water and bake them in a hot oven (450°) for about 15 minutes. Place a pan of hot water on the oven bottom to assure a crisp crust. Cool on a wire rack.