15–17 cups of flour, 1 cup of milk and 20 eggs, 200 g of butter. And also 15 tablespoons of sugar, 3 teaspoons of salt, 40 g of dry yeast.
Sponge
Heat the milk, do not bring it to a boil. The milk should be warm, not hot. Pour it into a large deep bowl and mix with the yeast. Add 2 tbsp. l. sugar and mix well. Next, sift and pour 1/3 cup of flour into the liquid. Opara should be slightly thick, like pancake batter. Sprinkle it with a little sifted flour on top and cover the bowl with a dry, clean towel.
Keep it for about an hour, maybe a little more.
Dough
Next, we prepare all the other ingredients for the dough: separate the egg yolks and egg whites. Leave one yolk in the cup - we will use it to grease the pastry. Grind the other 19 egg yolks with sugar. The dough itself should be kneaded only by hand.
Mix the grated yolks with the foam. Sift the flour into a separate bowl. Separate 1-2 glasses separately. Mix the rest with egg yolks and egg yolks. Beat the whites into a thick foam with a mixer and add them to the dough.
Melt the butter in a water bath, add salt to it and also mix it into the dough. Then you should knead the dough for a long time and carefully. It may take you about 30 minutes to knead the dough so that it turns out to be loose and elastic. During the kneading, one should have good thoughts and wish the newlyweds a happy life together. When the dough stops sticking to your hands, transfer it back to the bowl, cover with a towel and leave in a warm place for 2 hours to rise.
When the dough rises, form a loaf. For this, it is necessary to separate about 800-900 g of dough for the formation of decorative elements. Form the rest into a large ball. Put this ball on a baking sheet, moisten it with a little water on top. Periodically grease it during the production process, because the loaf can increase in volume while the details for decoration are being formed. And if not lubricated, the dough may crack.
Decor
Viburnum symbolizes wealth and love. In addition to the elements on the pastry, fresh bunches of viburnum are placed next to the loaf.
The braid, which is woven from thin strips of dough, is placed along the lower edge of the pastry. It symbolizes the sun and vital energy.
Ears of wheat are a symbol of fertility and abundance.
Roses are a symbol of love, that's why they are often depicted on cakes, and they are made the largest.
And leaves are a symbol of youth and wealth, they are also used to decorate pastries. A pair of birds, doves or swans, which are a symbol of a couple in love, are also often depicted on a cow.