Romanian Easter Bread
10 eggs, well beaten
8 cups unbleached white flour
1 cup sugar or 3/4 cup honey
1 tsp. salt
3/4 cup butter
2 cups milk
1 1/2 Tbsp. vanilla
1 Tbsp. dry yeast
Rind from 1 orange and 1 lemon
Heat milk to lukewarm, and add yeast. Add enough flour to make a
spongy dough. Let rise for about 1 1/2 hours. Mix down and add the
eggs, sugar or honey, butter and flavoring. Stir well and add enough
additional flour to make a soft dough. Knead well. Cover and let
rise in a warm place until double in volume. Knead again. Let it
rise again and punch down 2 more times, letting it rise well between
punchings.
Shape into loaves. Put in pans and let rise again to double in size.
Bake in a 350 F. oven for about an hour. Watch it carefully, it
burns easily.
Bake sweet loaves the day before you need them. They slice better
when they have aged for 12 to 24 hours. |