This Easter Bread recipe is from Jane’s Grandma Anna Palma (1891 – 1981). She was a great loving cook, baker, teacher and Jane learned well. This is one of the recipes where Jane sat with her Grandmother and made the recipe but measured whatever Grandma Anna scooped out of the ingredients. Grandma would say a spoon of this and a tablespoon of that but when Jane measured these teaspoons and tablespoons they were anywhere from a half a cup to over a cup and a half of ingredients. Jane’s Mom would make the tradition Easter Bread but would make Easter Bunnies with a hardboiled egg in its belly for each Grandchild. But we make just the Easter Bread with no hardboiled eggs and no candy sprinkles. With making 4 loaves do not worry it freezes well. It is delicious toasted with butter and for French toast it is sublime!
If you are an experienced baker we don’t believe you will have any issues. If you are a novice or beginner try this anyway. Baking is about having fun, learning new challenging recipes and not caring if it is not perfect the first time. It is a recipe that takes time and effort and that is why it is called Easter Bread and not Everyday Bread!
Video
Recipe
Always read ingredients and preparation instructionss TWICE before you start!
PREPARATIONS: about 4 hours but most of that is bread rising time
COOK TIME: 45 minutes
SERVINGS: 4 loaves with each loaf feeding 6 to 12 people
EPISODE: 004
Ingredients: From Grandma Anna Palma
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1/2 cup Crisco – (Grandma Palma used lard)
- 1 large russet potato
- 1 cup potato water (from cooking the potato)
- 2 packets regular yeast
- 3/4 cup anisette liqueur
- 1/4 cup anise seeds (make sure they are fresh)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 7 Large or extra large eggs
- 8 cups flour (we use unbleached) or whatever the eggs take
Preparation
- Chop and boil potatoes until soft
- Save potato water when draining
- Mash potato and set aside
- Put yeast in 1 cup of potato water that is about 105° F to 110°F (40.5° C or 43.3° C) and set aside for about five minutes or until it starts to bubble
- In a large bowl or mixer, mix together the sugar, Crisco and mashed potatoes until creamy
- Add anisette, anise seeds, salt eggs (one at a time) and potato water with yeast in it to mixture
- Add flour, one cup at a time. If using a mixer, after about 4 or 5 cups of flour you will have to turn dough out on a board with flour and start to kneed in remainder of the flour
- Knead dough until elastic or springs back when you pinch it
- Put dough into an oiled bowl, turning once until coated, (this prevents it from sticking to the bowl) cover and let rise until double about 1 hour
- Punch air out of dough and let rise for a second time until double about 1 hour
- After the second rising, punch out air and make loaves. Place on baking trays 2 to a tray. Let rise one more time
- When dough doubles in size brush loaves tops with egg yolk with a little water added to it. Then bake
- Bake in a 325° F (162° C) oven for about 45 minutes to an hour
Forming a Braided Loaf
If you want that beautiful professional bakery look try the 6 braided loaves. It might look or sound difficult and confusing but watching the video will help and making mistakes is not an issue.
To braid bread, start with six long ropes. Number 1 - 6.
- First put 1 over to right the 6 over to left then bring 1 back to the middle.
- Next 2 over and 6 down to middle.
- Then 5 over and 2 down to middle.
- Continue until you have just a little dough left to tuck under.