Bread, Easter - Portuguese, with Eggs (Isabel de Dargas - Festive Breads of Easter, 1980, pp.34-35)
- Minutes to Prepare:
- Minutes to Cook:
- Number of Servings: 16
Ingredients
1 pkg/2.25 tsp Yeast Active, Dry1/2 cup lukewarm water1/3 cup Unbleached All-Purpose Flour 1 tsp Stevia granular3 eggs1 cup Sugar, white granulated 1 tsp nutmeg, ground1/2 tsp Morton Lite Salt 4 tsp Lemon Peel, grated 2/3 stick butter, unsalted - melted1/4 cup Milk, homogenized, whole - lukewarm3 1/2 - 4 cups unbleached flourEgg Glaze1 egg, beaten1 Tbsp water1 hardboiled egg 1 - 6 hard-cooked eggs
Dissolve yeast, water, sugar and flour in a bowl and mix well. Let stand until frothy.
Have eggs at room temperature or warm them in very warm water. Beat eggs until thick and lemon-colored. Gradually add sugar and beat well. Add nutmeg, lemon, salt (omit if using salted butter), and yeast mixture. Gradually add 2 cups flour, and beat 5 minutes with electric mixer. Gradually add remaining flour, alternating with melted butter and milk to make a soft dough. Turn out onto well-floured board and knead until smooth and elastic (8 - 10 minutes). Add only enough flour to prevent dough from sticking. Place in greased bowl, turning to grease top of dough. Cover with kitchen towel and set in warm place until doubled in bulk (2 1/2 - 3 hours). Punch down and knead gently on floured board. Dough makes 1 large loaf or 6 individual loaves.
For large loaf, grease 9 " cake pan , spring form pan, or oven-proof skillet. Reserve a small piece of dough for decorative cross. Place dough in pan and pat down. Lay plain, hard-cooked egg in center (do not press in). Roll pencil-thin strip of dough and place in circle around egg to secure.
For decorative cross, roll two pencil-thin strips of dough 9 "long. Lay strips in a cross (X) over top of loaf, criss-crossing over top of egg. Tuck ends under loaf. For variation, lay 4 eggs between arms of cross. Roll pencil-thin strips of dough 6 inches long to form crosses (X) over each egg to secure. Press ends of strips into loaf beside each egg.
Cover and let rise in warn place until almost doubled in size (2 - 2 1/2 hours). Do not rush. Brush with 1 egg beaten with 1 Tbsp. water. Bake at 325 degrees 1 hour or until hollow-sounding when tapped. Cool on wire rack. Serve with sweet butter.
For small individual breads, divide dough into7 equal parts, reserving 1 part for decoration. Form 6 round buns of equal size and place on greased baking sheet, 3 - 4 inches apart. Flatten slightly.
Gently lay plain, hard-cooked eggs in center of each bun (do not press in). With remaining dough, roll 12 pencil-thin strips, 6 inches long. From a cross (X) over each egg. Gently tuck ends of strips under loaf. Cover and let rise until doubled in size (2 - 2 1/2 hours). Don't rush. Brush with 1 egg beaten with Tbsp of water. Bake at 325 degrees 30 - 35 minutes or until hollow-sounding when tapped.
The entire process may take up to 7 hours, but the reward will be worth the wait.
Freezes well.
Serving Size: 1 loaf - 16 slices
Have eggs at room temperature or warm them in very warm water. Beat eggs until thick and lemon-colored. Gradually add sugar and beat well. Add nutmeg, lemon, salt (omit if using salted butter), and yeast mixture. Gradually add 2 cups flour, and beat 5 minutes with electric mixer. Gradually add remaining flour, alternating with melted butter and milk to make a soft dough. Turn out onto well-floured board and knead until smooth and elastic (8 - 10 minutes). Add only enough flour to prevent dough from sticking. Place in greased bowl, turning to grease top of dough. Cover with kitchen towel and set in warm place until doubled in bulk (2 1/2 - 3 hours). Punch down and knead gently on floured board. Dough makes 1 large loaf or 6 individual loaves.
For large loaf, grease 9 " cake pan , spring form pan, or oven-proof skillet. Reserve a small piece of dough for decorative cross. Place dough in pan and pat down. Lay plain, hard-cooked egg in center (do not press in). Roll pencil-thin strip of dough and place in circle around egg to secure.
For decorative cross, roll two pencil-thin strips of dough 9 "long. Lay strips in a cross (X) over top of loaf, criss-crossing over top of egg. Tuck ends under loaf. For variation, lay 4 eggs between arms of cross. Roll pencil-thin strips of dough 6 inches long to form crosses (X) over each egg to secure. Press ends of strips into loaf beside each egg.
Cover and let rise in warn place until almost doubled in size (2 - 2 1/2 hours). Do not rush. Brush with 1 egg beaten with 1 Tbsp. water. Bake at 325 degrees 1 hour or until hollow-sounding when tapped. Cool on wire rack. Serve with sweet butter.
For small individual breads, divide dough into7 equal parts, reserving 1 part for decoration. Form 6 round buns of equal size and place on greased baking sheet, 3 - 4 inches apart. Flatten slightly.
Gently lay plain, hard-cooked eggs in center of each bun (do not press in). With remaining dough, roll 12 pencil-thin strips, 6 inches long. From a cross (X) over each egg. Gently tuck ends of strips under loaf. Cover and let rise until doubled in size (2 - 2 1/2 hours). Don't rush. Brush with 1 egg beaten with Tbsp of water. Bake at 325 degrees 30 - 35 minutes or until hollow-sounding when tapped.
The entire process may take up to 7 hours, but the reward will be worth the wait.
Freezes well.
Serving Size: 1 loaf - 16 slices
Nutritional Info Amount Per Serving
- Calories: 221.7
- Total Fat: 5.3 g
- Cholesterol: 68.3 mg
- Sodium: 60.3 mg
- Total Carbs: 19.9 g
- Dietary Fiber: 1.1 g
- Protein: 5.3 g
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