Portuguese Easter Bread

This weekend was Easter and one of the employees at the residence where I lived put out some treats for us! It was so sweet of him.  From this picture, we can learn three things.  First, we learn how to say Happy Easter in Portuguese.  The words are “Feliz Páscoa.”  Next, we see the two traditional treats.  One is a type of bread and the other is the candied almonds. If you look closely at the bread, you will see there are actual hard boiled eggs cooked in the bread!  We all know that we use eggs at easter time because they symbolize rebirth, but never have I seen real eggs in bread. Here you can cook the eggs in bread or cake.

Here is a recipe, in case you want to try out the bread for yourself!

Ingredients:

1 cup warm milk
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon dried yeast
5 1/4 cups plain flour
1 teaspoons fennel seeds, crushed
1 teaspoons salt
4 tablespoons butter, at room temperature, coarsely chopped
6 eggs
Olive oil, to brush
1 egg, lightly whisked

Directions:
1) Combine 1/4 cup of the milk and 1 tablespoon of the sugar in a small bowl. Sprinkle over the yeast. Set aside for 5-10 minutes or until frothy.

2) Combine the flour, fennel seeds and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the center. Add yeast mixture, butter and remaining milk and sugar. Lightly whisk 3 eggs and add to bowl. Use a wooden spoon to stir until well mixed. Use your hands to bring dough together in the bowl. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface.

3) Knead for 10 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Brush a large bowl with oil. Place dough in bowl and turn to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside for 1 hour 45 minutes or until dough doubles in size.

4) Preheat oven to 395°F. Lightly brush a round 8 inch spring-form cake pan with oil. Reserve 1/2 cup of dough. Lightly knead the remaining dough and place in the prepared pan. Gently press remaining whole unpeeled eggs into the dough.

5) Divide the reserved dough into 6 pieces. Roll each piece into a thin 5 inch long rope. Use the ropes to form a cross over each egg. Brush the dough with extra egg. Set aside for 10 minutes to rise a bit.

6) Bake for 40 minutes or until golden and the bread sounds hollow when tapped on the base. Set aside to cool slightly.

7) Serve and enjoy!

This recipe was inspired by our friends over at www.taste.com so check them out as well for some delicious recipes!