LET'S BAKE SOME ITALIAN EASTER BREAD!
Happy Wednesday! Finally some gorgeous weather, along with doing the normal Real Estate, showing property, listings, marketing and drumming up new business...along comes the freedom of time...SOMETIMES
BY THE WAY, NEED A HOME? SEARCH BELOW...
A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do right?
Now that I got the shameless plug out of the way, back to important other things, cooking, Love It, but...sometimes you cook things that take well...forever, you do this for certain seasons...this being EASTER and being ITALIAN, I have finally resigned to the thought...time is running out, I actually need to make the 6 loaves of Italian Easter Bread and Ricotta Pie...just like a right of passage, my grandmother used to make 20+ loaves, all braided, beautiful, with eggs inserted and perfect as only a grandmother can do....YEAH, WELL...That's Not Me...I like cooking while on the PC, think about it, I can still work and ...get my cooking done....so without further ado...
LET's Bake People...and I hope you enjoy it Just As Much As My Italian Family Has...
ITALIAN EASTER BREAD YIELDS 2 SMALL LOAVES
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3 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 (.25 ounce) package rapid rise yeast
2/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon anise extract
Ingredients:
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2 tablespoons butter at room temperature
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons anise seed
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon colored candy decorating
sprinkles, or as desired
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| 1. | Mix 1 cup of flour with sugar, salt, and yeast in a bowl, anise seeds, stir well. Place milk and anise extract into a small saucepan over low heat, and warm to about 110 degrees F (43 degrees C). Make a well in the center of the flour mixture with your hand, and pour in the milk mixture; swirl with your hand in a circular motion to combine the flour mixture with the milk mixture. Mix in butter and eggs, one at a time, then mix in remaining flour until dough begins to pull together. |
| 2. | Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface, and knead until soft but elastic, about 8 minutes. Cover with a damp cloth, and let dough rest for 10 minutes; cut dough into halves. |
| 3. | On floured work surface, roll each half into a ball, then shape the balls into 2 long pieces, about 1 1/2 inches thick and 18 to 20 inches long. Pinch the 2 top ends together, and loosely twist the pieces to form a twisted loaf; pinch the bottom ends together, and tuck the two ends underneath the loaf. (Alternately, form the twist into a ring, and pinch the ends together.) |
| 4. | Grease a baking sheet, lay the loaf onto the prepared sheet, and cover with a damp towel; let rise until doubled, about 1 hour. Brush loaf with beaten egg, and sprinkle with colored decorating dragees. |
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Bake the decorated loaf in the preheated oven until golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Watch closely towards the end of the baking time that the bread does not begin to burn. Transfer to wire rack immediately after baking to cool-Drizzle with frosting once cool, ENJOY. This is also AWESOME when sliced and toasted!
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MELISSA POLCE 704-450-4335
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