This week in the bread baking blog, we're making Greek Easter Bread. This Easter bread is braided and contains hard boiled eggs, dyed red for fertility, symbolizing the Resurrection of Christ.
"For Easter, many Greeks dye eggs a bright red to symbolize the blood of Christ. They have a charming game for cracking the eggs that is played by both the young and old. Two people each take an egg and, holding them by the large end, take turns trying to crack the others' egg by striking it with their own. The person whose egg cracks first loses. The winner has good luck all year long." -- Betsy Oppenneer Breads from Betsy's Kitchen.
Greek Easter Twist
Makes: 2 Loaves
The recipe for this Easter bread is from Breads from Betsy's Kitchen by Betsy Oppenneer.
Ingredients:
- 2 scant tablespoons or 2 (1/4-ounce) package active dry yeast
- 1/2 cup warm water (about 110 degrees)
- 1 cup warm milk (about 110 degrees)
- 1 cup soft butter
- 4 large eggs, beaten
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1 tablespoon crushed anise seed
- 1 tablespoon orange peel
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 6 to 7 cups unbleached flour
- 8 to 12 hard-boiled eggs, dyed bright red
Glaze
- 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water
- Coarse sugar or sesame seeds
Preparation:
1) Hard boil 8 to 12 eggs. I plan to use 8 eggs - 4 for each loaf but you can use more (or less) if you like.
2) Dye the eggs red. Here is a picture of the red eggs. I've never dyed Easter eggs red before. Very interesting and beautiful!
3) Grate the orange peel. Here is the grated orange peel (or part of it anyway). It takes a little time to grate it yourself but it is definitely worth it. I used about 4 oranges to get a tablespoon.
4) Crush the anise seed. Here is a picture of the crushed anise seed. It smells wonderful! I sure hope it tastes as good as it smells.
Directions:
In a large bowl, stir yeast into water to soften.
Add milk, butter, eggs, honey, anise seed, orange peel, salt, and 3 cups flour.
Beat vigorously for two minutes.
Gradually add flour, 1/4 cup a a time, until the dough begins to pull away from the side of the bowl.
Turn dough out onto a floured work surface.
Knead, adding flour a little at a time, until you have a smooth, elastic dough. Put dough into an oiled bowl. Turn to coat the entire ball of dough with oil.
Cover with a tightly woven towel and let rise until doubled, about one hour.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly oiled work surface
and divide in fourths.
Shape each fourth into a 30-inch strand.
Twist strands together and join the ends.
Spread dough and insert four to six eggs evenly spaced between the strands. I used 3 eggs and it worked fine.
Place onto parchment-lined baking sheets. Repeat with the remaining two strands.
Cover with a tightly woven towel and let rise until almost doubled, about 45 minutes.
My funny bread story about making this Greek Easter Bread:
I started making this bread Saturday morning to take to my family's Easter celebration that afternoon. I was running late so I decided to let it rise in the car and bake it once I got to my sister's house. I had to hold onto the baking pan to keep the loaf from sliding off. It slid a couple of times and I was able to catch it. I kept saying "will you just cooperate?". Well, it decided to have the last word. It slid completely off the seat and I couldn't catch in time. It stayed on the parchment and was still covered, but it was ruined. I was soooo mad that I balled the dough up and threw it down on the baking pan. I decided I didn't care. We just wouldn't have any bread for dinner. I kept driving down the road mad at the world. Then, I just started laughing my head off and I said "it's just a loaf of bread!" It was then that I realized I could just reshape it and let is rise again. So that's what I did.
So the moral of the story is when you think all is lost, it usually isn't. You just need to laugh and try again!
About 10 minutes before baking, preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Just before baking, brush each loaf lightly with the glaze and sprinkle with the coarse sugar or seeds.
Bake for 25 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the loaf reaches 190 degrees.
Immediately remove the bread from baking sheets and cool on a wire rack. This is the loaf I took to my sister's house. It turned out great even though I had to reshape it.
This is the second loaf that I made a couple of days later. I put the dough in the refrigerator and took it out 2 days later and let it rise at room temperature before shaping. It did just fine. It amazes me how forgiving a lot of breads are. We should be more like that!
Thanks for visiting The Bread Experience Bread-Baking Blog. We hope you'll join us next time.
Happy Baking!
--Cathy
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