Babee’s Easter Bread
- Preparing Time: -
- Total Time: -
- Served Person: Makes 1 large loaf
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 cup sesame seeds
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
- juice and zest of 1 orange
- 3/4 tablespoon dry yeast
- 1/4 cup whole milk (warmed in microwave for 30 seconds)
- 4 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (european style recommended)
- 1/4 tablespoon anise
- 1/4 teaspoon mastic (a greek spice, available in specialty food stores or the international aisle of supermarkets; you can make this bread without mastic)
- 1 egg lightly beaten with 1/4 cup water (for egg wash)
- Carbohydrate 464 g(155%)
- Cholesterol 608 mg(203%)
- Fat 84 g(130%)
- Fiber 24 g(94%)
- Protein 82 g(164%)
- Saturated Fat 38 g(189%)
- Sodium 821 mg(34%)
- Calories 2945
Preparation Dissolve the yeast in the warmed milk. Cover and set aside in a warm place to rise for 15 minutes. In the bowl of an electric mixer, using the paddle attachment, mix together the flour, salt, and melted butter. Add the anise, orange juice, zest, and water. Mix together. Add the eggs one at a time, and mix. Then add the mastic, sugar, and the risen yeast mixture. Mix together. Using the dough hook attachment of your electric mixer (or your hands), knead the mixture for approximately 10 minutes. Cover the bowl and allow to rise in a warm place (e.g., an oven heated to 200°F) until the dough doubles in size, approximately 2 hours. Remove the dough from the bowl and beat it down to deflate it. Then, separate the dough into three pieces and roll out each piece lengthwise about one foot long. Braid the three pieces together. Place the dough in a greased large loaf pan (5x10-inch pan recommended—or you can use a greased cookie sheet). Place back in warm oven and allow the dough to double in size again, approximately an hour. Brush with egg wash using a pastry brush and sprinkle sesame seeds on top. Preheat the oven to 350°F, then bake the bread for approximately 30 minutes, or until the top turns a golden brown. From The Cupcake Diaries © 2011 by Katherine Kallinis Berman & Sophie Kallinis LaMontagne. Buy the full book from HarperCollins or from Amazon. Reprinted with permission by HarperCollins Publishers.
Preparation Dissolve the yeast in the warmed milk. Cover and set aside in a warm place to rise for 15 minutes. In the bowl of an electric mixer, using the paddle attachment, mix together the flour, salt, and melted butter. Add the anise, orange juice, zest, and water. Mix together. Add the eggs one at a time, and mix. Then add the mastic, sugar, and the risen yeast mixture. Mix together. Using the dough hook attachment of your electric mixer (or your hands), knead the mixture for approximately 10 minutes. Cover the bowl and allow to rise in a warm place (e.g., an oven heated to 200°F) until the dough doubles in size, approximately 2 hours. Remove the dough from the bowl and beat it down to deflate it. Then, separate the dough into three pieces and roll out each piece lengthwise about one foot long. Braid the three pieces together. Place the dough in a greased large loaf pan (5x10-inch pan recommended—or you can use a greased cookie sheet). Place back in warm oven and allow the dough to double in size again, approximately an hour. Brush with egg wash using a pastry brush and sprinkle sesame seeds on top. Preheat the oven to 350°F, then bake the bread for approximately 30 minutes, or until the top turns a golden brown. From The Cupcake Diaries © 2011 by Katherine Kallinis Berman & Sophie Kallinis LaMontagne. Buy the full book from HarperCollins or from Amazon. Reprinted with permission by HarperCollins Publishers.
