CNYEats A Taste of Utica EASTER BREAD

Why Easter bread?  Easter is over and now it’s May?  Well, that’s just where we are in our book A Taste of Utica, on page 55.

The recipe for EASTER BREAD is posted by Toni (Leone) Guzski.  This is a delicious bread and NOT just for EASTER.  You will want to try this bread right away.  It’s a rich dough that produces a moist, flavorful crumb.  Apple Crumbles made a few changes to the recipe which are noted below. 

EASTER BREAD – The full recipe (listed first, will make about 5 – 6 medium loaves)

• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 cups Crisco *see alternatives below
• 2 cups milk *see alternatives below
• 12 eggs
• 1 tsp anise flavor *see alternative below
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3 pkgs. of yeast (approx. 7 tsp)
• 2 cups warm water
• 4 lbs flour + more *I used bread flour. 
• 1 egg, whipped

Melt in a pot on the stove over medium heat, the sugar, Crisco, milk.  The sugar should dissolve. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Beat the eggs.  Add the cooled sugar mixture to the eggs and mix together. Add the anise and  salt and mix. 

Put the yeast into the warm water and stir around.

Put the flour into a large bowl, add the egg – sugar mixture and the yeast and water mixture and mix with a wooden spoon.  Add more flour so you are able to knead the dough. It will be slightly sticky and wet. Cover and let rise, approximately 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Shape the dough into desired forms, either EASTER rings (this will allow you to put colored hard boiled eggs in the middle) or round “Artisan” shaped loaves.

Place the shaped loaves onto a greased baking sheet and brush with the whipped egg, over the top and sides of the dough.  Bake for approximately 30 minutes or until nicely brown.

*If you wish, you can make a glaze by using a little powdered sugar, water and add a drop of anise extract.  Drizzle over baked and cooled loaf.

Apple Crumbles adjustments to the EASTER BREAD.

• cut the recipe in half to make 3 loaves.
• used 1/2 cup + 2 TBS PROMISE healthy heart spread PLUS 1/4 cup Canola oil instead of Crisco.
• used low fat buttermilk instead of whole milk.
• used ANISE SEED instead of extract.  This added a nice licorice  flavor that wasn’t too heavy.
• used 8 cups or 2 lbs of Bread flour + whole wheat flour.
• 2 additional cups of flour were needed in order to make the bread dry enough to knead.  A total of 10 cups of flour used.

What a wonderful bread!  Such good flavor and delicate moist crumb.  It’s rich but not heavy.  It could almost be dessert but easily will become a sandwich bread with a subtle “anise” twist and sweetness. 

I wouldn’t wait until next Easter to try this recipe.  You are going to love it.

Great going, Toni.  Thanks!

Joanne