With Easter right around the corner I couldn’t pass up the chance to once again try to create ‘the taste of a memory’.
It seems that every country as well as anyone who enjoys to make bread has their own version of ‘Easter Bread’. My mother’s Easter bread was baked in coffee cans, a beautiful yellow color and slightly sweet. As the saying goes, it was ‘to die for’. Somehow my sister and I can’t remember it having fruit or special flavorings but it was almost ‘cake like’ in taste and texture.
With my Easter ‘braid’, I’ve tried to capture that same texture as well as making some additions of citrus peel and flavorings. Not quite as memorable as my mother’s but a good second. Hopefully you will enjoy trying it.
Have a wonderful Easter!
Prep Time | 45 minutes |
Cook Time | 40 minutes |
Passive Time | 3 1/2 hours |
Servings |
loaves
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- 2 pkg (16g) active dry yeast
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/2 cup lukewarm water
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 4 eggs
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 tbsp anise extract
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- 1 1/2 tsp lemon extract
- 1 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp anise seed
- 6 tbsp butter, melted
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1 cup mixed citrus peel
- 4 1/2 cups flour, divided
Ingredients
|
|
- In a large bowl, warm water in microwave to lukewarm. Whisk in yeast & sugar; let stand about 10 minutes. With an electric mixer, beat together 3/4 cup sugar, eggs, oil, anise extract, lemon zest, lemon extract, salt & anise seed. Combine egg mixture, melted butter & milk with yeast mixture. In another bowl, combine 4 cups flour with mixed peel & add 1 cup at a time to wet mixture. Stir well after each addition. Turn dough out onto a floured surface & knead until smooth & elastic, about 5-6 minutes, adding remaining 1/2 cup flour if necessary. Coat a large bowl with oil. Place dough in bowl & turn to coat. Cover with plastic wrap & set in a warm place to rise until it doubles in bulk. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Gently punch down dough & divide in half. Divide each portion into 3 ropes. Braid ropes to form loaves & let rise until doubled in size. If you prefer, you can brush with a little bit of beaten egg white. Preheat oven to 325 F. Bake until golden, about 40 minutes. If you choose to ice braids, cool completely before doing so.