It seems the older I get, the faster the time goes.
I mean… wasn’t Christmas just last week?
Okay, it’s time to get serious about time.
This year Easter is on April fifth.
That’s five weeks… 35 days… 840 hours… 50,400 minutes from now.
You get the picture.
If you’re over 75, like me, it means that in two weeks, oh lucky us, we have to be ready for another holiday.
At least that’s how it will seem.
Let’s take this ‘holiday’ in small steps.
What’s the bare minimum we can get away with without getting major complaints?
I’m not going to get into the Spring Cleaning to do lists.
Nobody notices that, anyway.
But the dinner is a whole other story.
Family holiday dinners change over the years.
Tradition gives way to schedule conflicts, problems in the supply chain, rising prices, dietary restrictions and changing appetites.
And don’t get me started on vegetarians.
Bread, in moderation, is usually a safe holiday item.
A dietary staple, reasonably priced and good as a leftover.
So, let’s start with the fancy Easter bread.
Back in the 1970s we were into baking - breads, buns, you name it.
Like we didn’t trust the local stores’ bakers or the big bread companies anymore.
The sourdough craze during Covid was a blast from the past.
Well, it kept us busy when we were stuck at home.
If the bread baking bug is out of your system, and you don’t want to buy yeast that’s just going to age in place, the No-Rise Easter Bread uses baking powder and isn't kneaded.
Your guests won’t know the difference.
It’ll be our secret.
Hints:
When using a recipe that calls for zest you could place the zest in a separate bowl and add some of the sugar called for in the recipe. Rub the zest into the sugar to release the oils, then continue to follow the recipe.
Check the ‘best before’ date of the yeast. If there's no foam it won’t do anything.
Twist each piece gently but firmly to give the wreaths that braid shape.
You could also divide each rope into two, then twist each pair of ropes together before forming a ring. Pinch the ends to seal.
The uncooked eggs will cook through and be safe to eat.
You could also sprinkle slivered almonds on top before baking.
The breads can be eaten as is, or lightly toasted and served with butter or jam.
About the Anise Seed Easter Bread…
You could also add 1 teaspoon lemon zest or 1/2 teaspoon almond extract.
Golden raisins, about a half cup, would also be a nice addition.
This loaf is open to suggestions when it comes to form.
You could make a wreath and decorate it with 6 dyed uncooked eggs.
Or you could go creative and make a dove, or a cross or even a mermaid.
About the No-Rise Easter Bread…
If the yeast didn’t foam this is perfect for a plan B.
You can also stir in the ‘3 dry and 2 liquid additions’ instead of using the mixer.
About the Sweet Easter Twists…
You could add 1/2 to 1 teaspoon cinnamon or 1 teaspoon orange zest to the dough.
For a holiday look, place a dyed raw egg in the centre of the wreath before the final rising.
Makes 3 large or 6 small wreaths
Line 3 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Have on hand 3 to 6 dyed uncooked eggs
Place in a small bowl
1/4 Cup warm water (about 110° F)
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
Stir and let sit 5 to 10 minutes, until it foams.
Place in a large bowl
5 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/2 Cup whole milk, warmed
1/3 Cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 - 1 teaspoon anise extract (optional)
1/2 teaspoon salt
Blend together until well combined.
Beat in, one at a time
3 large eggs
Stir in the proofed yeast mixture.
Gradually add, 1 cup at a time
3 1/2 - 4 Cups flour
Stir until a soft dough forms.
Place dough on floured surface and knead for 8 to 10 minutes, until it is smooth and elastic.
Place dough in a greased bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place 1 1/2 - 2 hours, until doubled.
Punch down dough and divide into 6 pieces.
Roll each piece into a rope.
Twist two ropes together and form into a braided circle, pinching ends to seal.
Place on parchment-lined baking sheet.
Insert dyed raw eggs on the surface of each wreath.
Cover and let rise in a warm place 30 to 45 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350° F
Place in a cup
1 large egg
Beat until well blended.
Brush loaves with beaten egg.
Sprinkle with
Sugar sprinkles (nonpareils)
Bake 20 to 25 minutes, until golden.
Let cool and serve.
Anise Seed Easter Bread
Makes 1 large loaf
Line 1 cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Place in a small bowl
1/4 Cup warm water (about 110°F)
1 Tablespoon sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
Stir and let sit 5 to 10 minutes, until it foams.
Place in a large bowl
4 Cups flour
1/2 Cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 – 2 Tablespoons anise seeds (or fennel seeds)
Whisk together and make a well in the centre.
Add
the yeast mixture
1/2 Cup unsalted butter, melted
3 large eggs
3/4 Cup warm milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
Stir until a soft dough forms.
Place dough on floured surface and knead for 5 to 7 minutes, until it is smooth and elastic. Add more flour if needed.
Place dough in a greased bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place 1 - 2 hours, until doubled.
Punch down dough. Shape into a braided loaf or your chosen Easter shape.
Place on parchment-lined baking sheet.
Cover and let rise in a warm place 30 to 45 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350° F
Place in a cup
1 large egg
Beat until well blended.
Brush loaves with beaten egg.
Sprinkle with
Sugar sprinkles (nonpareils)
Bake 25 to 30 minutes, until golden.
Let cool.
Glaze (optional)
Place in a small bowl
1 Cup confectioners sugar
1 – 2 Tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon lemon or orange extract
Stir to make a smooth glaze and drizzle over bread.
No-Rise Easter Bread
Makes 2 large braided rounds
Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Peel zest from an orange, chop, and set aside.
Place in a large bowl
6 Cups flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
Whisk together and set aside.
Place in a stand mixer bowl
3/4 Cup shortening
1 1/2 Cups sugar
Beat together until light and fluffy.
Add, one at a time, beating after each addition
3 large eggs
2 egg yolks
Stir in
1 Cup ricotta cheese (or cottage cheese)
1 teaspoon orange extract
the orange zest
On low speed, making 3 dry and 2 liquid additions, add
the flour mixture
1/2 Cup milk
Blend until a soft dough forms.
Dust work surface lightly with flour.
Divide dough in half, then each half into 3 pieces.
Roll each piece into an 16 inch rope.
Braid 3 ropes together, then form into a wreath, tucking the ends under to secure.
Place on parchment lined baking sheet.
Repeat with remaining dough.
Preheat oven to 350° F
Bake 30 to 40 minutes, until golden.
Cool completely.
Place in a small bowl
1 1/2 Cups confectioners sugar
3 Tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon orange extract
Stir together to form a smooth glaze.
Drizzle glaze over cooled loaves.
Sprinkle with
Sugar sprinkles (nonpareils)
Makes 6 small wreaths
Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Have on hand 6 dyed uncooked eggs
Peel zest from an orange or lemon, chop, and set aside.
Place in a small bowl
1/4 Cup warm milk (about 110°F)
1 Tablespoon sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
Stir and let sit 5 to 10 minutes, until it foams.
Place in a large bowl
2 1/2 – 3 Cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 Cup minus 1 Tablespoon sugar
Whisk together.
Add
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
the lemon or orange zest
1/4 Cup plain Greek yogurt or sour cream
Stir until a soft dough forms.
Place dough on floured surface and knead for 7 to 8 minutes, until it is smooth and elastic. Add more flour if needed.
Place dough in a greased bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place 1 1/2 - 2 hours, until doubled.
Punch down dough and divide into 12 pieces.
Roll each piece into a 6 inch rope.
Twist two ropes together and form into a braided circle, pinching ends to seal.
Place on parchment-lined baking sheet.
Place a dyed raw egg in the centre of each wreath.
Cover and let rise in a warm place 30 to 45 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350° F
Place in a cup
1 large egg
Beat until well blended.
Brush loaves with beaten egg.
Sprinkle with
Sugar sprinkles (nonpareils)
Bake 20 to 25 minutes, until golden.
Let cool and serve.
~~~
In 2007 it was included in 'A/cross sections : new Manitoba writing', an anthology edited by Katharine Bitney and Andris Taskans, and published by the Manitoba Writers Guild.
It is still in the Winnipeg library system, adult nonfiction section. Check it out. It has lots of stories and poems by many Manitoba writers. (In my profile picture, taken at McNally Robinson Booksellers, it's in the left top corner.)
Why am I always writing about food?
A Traditional Family Easter
I made a loaf of soda bread to serve with the corned beef and cabbage on St. Patrick’s Day. I don’t know why I did it. I’m Maltese. My husband is German/Swedish. Not a single Irish person among our ancestors. Then, on March nineteenth, I made a lasagna and cream puffs for St. Joseph. I’d be twenty pounds lighter if I just ignored holidays.
Yeah, right, like that’ll ever happen.
I’m a sucker for holiday traditions. And, just like Christmas, Lent and Easter are loaded with holiday traditions. Lent is the time to really clean the house. Ah, spring cleaning. Scrub and wax the floors, wash the windows and launder the curtains. Everything from cellar to attic is glowing. After being sealed in tighter than a drum all winter who could argue with giving the house a good cleaning?
Lent is also a time to cut back on the calories. Let’s be honest. Who doesn’t want to drop the pounds gained during December? Between the fasting and the exercise we get from cleaning house, we’re almost able to fit into the clothes we wore before Christmas. Alleluia!! Religion can be good for the body as well as the soul.
And then there’s Easter, when Christians celebrate Christ’s Resurrection. We attend church in new outfits. Little boys in little suits and little girls in fluffy dresses and shiny white patent leather shoes make families look like Hallmark cards.
Easter has more customs than the Bunny has eggs. A popular tradition is to gather together and share a feast. Over the centuries women have made this a glorious occasion with beautifully decorated eggs, colourful coffee cakes and traditional breads.
According to tradition, an angel appeared to Mary to tell her that Jesus would arise on Easter. To show her joy, Mary baked bread to share with her friends. And to make the loaf more special, she put an egg, a symbol of life, on the top. Now, I have to admit I don’t know what I’d do if someone told me that a recently deceased relative was rising from the dead. I guess baking bread is as good a thing to do as any. The only problem is that over the past two millennia something got lost in translation as that bread recipe went from country to country.
And that’s when Easter went to hell in a bread basket.
During my earliest years in Corona, a small town in Queens, New York, Easter was Italian. Palm Sunday was the Day of the Olive. Small blessed olive branches were offered as tokens of peacemaking. For Easter breakfast we had Colomba di Pasqua. Colomba is bread shaped to look like a dove, the symbol of peace, and covered with almond paste and almonds. An Italian Easter dinner also had traditions. First we had manicotti. That was followed by a roasted whole baby lamb with a mixed salad, sauteed spinach and roasted artichokes. For dessert there were cream tarts, cookies, spumoni, nuts and roasted chestnuts. The adults had coffee.
Then my parents moved to College Point, another small town in Queens, which had been settled by Irish and German families. They had their own Easter customs. Since Easter was not as commercial as Christmas, no one noticed when we followed our own customs.
When I was seven I had to follow what Ma told me were the Church’s rules during Lent. I ate kwarezimal, an almond cookie that was topped with honey and chopped pistachio nuts. Ma said we could eat it during Lent because it didn’t have any fat or eggs. For Maundy Thursday Ma baked bread in the form of a ring. Its top was crusted with sesame seeds and pierced with roasted almonds. Our Easter dinner menu was the same as it had been in Corona. But, instead of making a Colomba di Pasqua, Ma baked a figolli, a Maltese sweet bread with a marzipan filling.
A figolli was harder to make than a colomba. The dough was rolled about one centimeter thick. Then Ma cut the dough into pairs of figolla with a figolla cutter. They looked like a large letter J, but the stick part ended in a fish’s tail. On one side of a figolla Ma spread jam and marzipan. Then she covered it with the identical shape, as if she was making a sandwich. After the figolli had been baked and cooled, they were covered with colored icing and piped royal icing. Then a decorated Easter egg was placed on top of each figolli. For the final touch a cardboard woman’s face was inserted into the mound of the J.
The odd thing about Ma’s traditional figolli was that it was a mermaid. I asked Ma why a mermaid and not a dove. She said, “I don’t know. It’s our tradition.”
Well, you can’t argue with tradition.
In College Point, as Easter approached, the bakeries filled with cross buns, pretzels, braided almond loaves, Easter cookies and marzipan treats. There were also large decorated sugar Easter eggs which had a hole in one end. When we looked into the hole we could see tiny bunny villages. There were also hot cross buns. Ma knew about the cross buns. Since Malta was part of the British Empire, Ma had eaten them in Malta, too.
We brought samples of our mothers’ holiday baking to school. There were lots of pretzels. Since they didn’t have fat or eggs, we could eat them during Lent without risking eternal damnation. I liked the braided loaves which had been covered with almond paste. They reminded me of Colomba di Pasqua. I brought some kwarezimal to school. After I explained that the almond cookies didn’t have fat or eggs either, my friends agreed to try them.
Easter for my family was a simple celebration. We went to church, wished everyone a “Happy Easter”, went home and ate our traditional foods. There weren’t any problems until the year Ma’s brother Charlie married an American girl. Aunt Liz wanted to learn more about Maltese customs. Ma invited Charlie and Liz for Easter.
Pop told his oldest sister, Aunt Demi, that we had invited Charlie and Liz. Aunt Demi was worried that our branch of the family was becoming too American. So, Aunt Demi decided that she would come to dinner to make sure that Ma kept everything kosher.
Then Aunt Rita, one of my Sicilian Aunts, heard that we were inviting company for Easter. Aunt Rita always took things personally. She was insulted. Why hadn’t she been invited, too? Ma invited Aunt Rita, Uncle Tony and their children. We had enough folding tables and chairs to seat everyone in the yard. As long as it didn’t rain, Ma thought it would be a nice family dinner.
Easter Sunday morning the sun was shining and the lamb was roasting on a spit in our yard. The tables had been set. Aunt Liz was taking notes and learning recipes. She had brought a dozen cross buns and a jello mold. The only thing missing was the centrepiece. Aunt Demi had told Ma that she would bring a proper figolli.
It was the biggest figolli I’d ever seen. The icing was as thick as my thumb. While Aunt Demi was placing the Easter egg on her mermaid, Aunt Rita marched in and pulled a Colomba di Pasqua out of her tote bag. The colomba had a three-foot wingspan. There was barely room enough for one centrepiece.
Fish or fowl, which would Ma use?
After forty days of fasting and scrubbing, Demi and Rita were lean, clean, Easter tradition machines. Filled with the holiday spirit, they glared at each other.
“What the hell is that?” Aunt Demi spat.
“It’s a dove, a symbol of peace, you idiot,” Aunt Rita shot back.
“It’s Easter. We don’t need a damn dove.”
“Throw that fish back in the sea.”
“The figolli is part of our tradition.”
“Since when did Jesus swim with the fishes?”
Waving a knife, Aunt Demi lunged. “Give me that bread. I’ll cut it up for sandwiches.”
“Over my dead body.”
“No problem.”
My Aunt Liz was fascinated by her new in-laws. She wrote down everything they said. Maybe she thought the fight was part of our jolly ethnic holiday tradition. I stayed close to Liz in case she didn’t have sense enough to duck.
Ma went back to the kitchen. She knew she couldn’t reason with her sisters-in-law. Her plan was to hide in the kitchen until the smoke cleared. If they killed each other it would leave more food for the others.
“Maria, get out here,” Aunt Demi yelled. Ma came out. The men and the younger children were nowhere in sight. They were taking a walk to work up an appetite. Demi and Rita were rolling up their sleeves. Liz was taking notes.
“I went to all this trouble,” Aunt Rita whined.
Aunt Demi barked, “Tell this idiot we are using the figolli.”
“It took me forever to make this,” Aunt Rita whined again.
Ma tried to be a good hostess. “They’re so big. We could put them on chairs near the table.”
No luck. The Aunts wanted her to choose one.
Aunt Demi announced, “We are having a traditional Maltese Easter dinner. With a traditional figolli.”
“Do you think our Blessed Mother baked a mermaid?” Aunt Rita sneered.
Demi lunged. Liz wrote.
The lamb was ready. If this dragged on much longer it would be a lump of coal.
Ma sighed, glared at her sisters-in-law and said, “I don’t care if our Blessed Mother made hot dogs and beans. I’m tired of cleaning. I’m tired of baking. I’m tired of the whole damn holiday.
And I’m tired of bread. A few days ago I gave a figolli to a friend who lives down the street. Yesterday she came over and gave me a loaf of challah. So I have another traditional bread from Mrs. Cohen… Mrs. Cohen. That’s it!!”
Without saying another word Ma turned and went back to the kitchen. In a few minutes she returned with the glossy braided challah on the platter.
“Our Blessed Mother was a Jew. She would’ve made a challah. And that’s what we’re having for Easter. It’s traditional. Shut up, sit down and eat.”
And, so saying, Ma started our traditional Easter Dinner.
