There are always certain foods, made at certain times of the year or for certain holidays. The foods may have a special significance or just make the holiday special.
The bread, Pane di Pasqua, is an Italian tradition. It wasn't one of the traditions I grew up with. My mother was a great cook, but didn't bake yeast breads. I'd seen the breads and may have seen a braided loaf at my grandma's or one of the aunties'. Since I enjoy baking yeast breads, I decided to try my hand at it three or so years ago. It has now become a tradition in my home.
The bread is a sweet bread, like a Brioche. The bread dough is braided into a large ring or a loaf and a few, colored eggs are placed inside the braids. You usually see these breads at Easter because having goodies and sweets signifies the end of the Lenten season of fasting, and the colored egg is a symbol of renewal. Besides, it looks pretty.
The recipe I use makes six individual bread rings or nests. I liked the idea of everyone having their own bread nest and serve them for breakfast (unless I don't get up early enough and then the breads are for lunch.) The cool part is you don't have to hard boil the eggs ahead of time. Dye the raw eggs and then they "hard-boil" as the bread bakes. A big time saver. This year, I made the breads the day before. Just so I could sleep in. Or that was my thinking. Ink had other ideas, and I was up before first light touched the sky.
That's a lovely tradition.
ReplyDeleteI never knew you didn't have to hard boil the eggs first. Maybe I'll get Husband to try this...... ;)
ReplyDeleteWho knew you can bake eggs to hard boil them. You can follow this recipe: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/hard-boiled-eggs-in-the-oven/
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