Choereg! A Georgian Easter Bread

Well, I promised three different Easter bread recipes and this is week 3.....Today's bread originates in Russia, in the province of Georgia. "Choerig" is the name of the bread.(I'm sorry, but I'm not even sure how to pronounce that - LOL! I'll have to find an online translator and figure that out.....). As you probably know, most Easter breads are quite "rich", ie: heavy in eggs, butter, sugar, etc., and this bread is no exception. Breads such as this came to be known as "Easter" breads because they were a part of the celebration of the end of the long Lenten fast. Tender and flavorful, this type of bread continues to be popular on holiday tables everywhere. I read that typically Choerig is flavored with "mahleb", which is derived from black cherry pits....and which I have NO idea where to obtain (though I didn't look on Amazon....) . I was glad to read that where mahleb is unavailable (ie: Ohio), it can be seasoned with anise or lemon or orange zest. I chose lemon! It seemed like a "bright" choice for this gloomy Ohio day. 

I hope this bread will brighten up your day.....and your Easter table! 

Choereg (a Russian Easter Bread)

Dough:

3 Tbsp. warm water

1 Tbsp. Red Star Platinum yeast

2 ¾- 3 Cups unbleached all-purpose flour

½ Cup + 2 Tbsp. sour cream, at room temperature

1 egg

½ Cup softened butter

3 Tbsp. sugar

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. vanilla

¼ tsp. baking soda

1 ½ tsp. lemon zest

Glaze:

1 egg, beaten

Coarse sugar

Finely chopped almonds

Place warm water and yeast in EZ DOH bucket and stir to dissolve yeast. Let rest 1 minute. Add one cup of flour, then additional dough ingredients. EZ DOH-it for 2-3 minutes, or until dough is smooth and soft and all ingredients are incorporated. Remove dough from bucket, spray bucket with cooking spray, “smooth” dough and replace in bucket. Cover and let rise until doubled.  This may take longer than usual, as this is a very rich dough.

Punch the dough down and remove from the bucket. Divide into two parts. Roll each piece into a rope, about 12-14 inches long. Coil each piece into a snail shape. Place on a greased baking sheet, cover and let rise in a warm place until just about doubled.

Brush the shapes with a beaten egg. Sprinkle with coarse sugar and finely chopped almonds. Bake in a preheated 375 oven for about 30 minutes, until golden. Let cool slightly to slice. Serve warm. 

Choereg! A Georgian Easter Bread

Sweet Orange Bunny Bread!

"Count your blessings, name them one by one...

Count your many blessings see what God has done!" 

I love this old hymn. Its simple thought and verses help keep me on the bright side when I start to get a little "Eeyore-ish" about life. I really thought life was supposed to get less complicated as I got older, but I'm finding that I was quite mistaken about that! What I'm NOT mistaken about is the importance of FOCUS and FAITH at this stage of the game. When I start playing the "I don't; I can't; It'll never...." video in my mind, I know it's time to have my mind's eye focus somewhere else.....on the things that are right with my world. And then I realize those "things" are numerous. Faith then partners with Focus. Not only do I move my focus to what's right in my world, but Faith stretches my focus beyond today, and shows me a future to look forward to! Wow.....silly me for being such an Eeyore at times! It's been one of those weeks that I've had to remind myself of these things more often than I care to admit, but once I've re-focused, I sure enjoy the view!

This year's bunnies

Here's a pic of a couple of the "blessings" I count, holding some of the Easter Bunny Bread they made last year. I tweaked it a bit this year, making a sweeter dough and adding a tangy orange glaze, along with a white bunny tail! I took some over to them today for their seal of approval on the new recipe. When I dropped back later, the plate was empty .....that's enough approval for me! I think you'll give these Easter rolls the seal of approval too!

Sweet Orange-Glazed Bunny Buns!

Dough: 

1 Tbsp/packet Red Star Platinum yeast

1 Cup warm water

¼ Cup sugar

2 ¾ Cups unbleached, all-purpose flour

¾ tsp. salt

1 Tbsp. Buttermilk powder (not necessary, but adds some nice texture to the dough)

2 Tbsp. softened butter

1-2 tsp. freshly grated orange rind

Glaze:

½ Cup powdered sugar

1-2 Tbsp. orange juice

Place warm water and yeast in EZ DOH bucket and stir to dissolve yeast. Let rest 1 minute. Add one cup of flour, then additional dough ingredients. EZ DOH-it for 2-3 minutes, or until dough is smooth and soft and all ingredients are incorporated. Remove dough from bucket, spray bucket with cooking spray, “smooth” dough and replace in bucket. Cover and let rise until doubled.

Preheat oven to 375. Punch dough down and divide into 12 equal portions (If you want larger bunnies, you can divide it into 8 portions) . Roll out each piece into a 12” rope. Pinch a small piece of the rope off.  Form a “U” with the remainder of it . Twist the two “legs” of the U at the top (one twist), leaving a small open space at the bottom. Roll the tiny piece into a ball and insert it here. Place on a greased cookie sheet. Repeat with each portion. Let rise briefly, 10-15 minutes. Bake rolls for 10-15 minutes, until golden. While baking, mix together the glaze ingredients. The glaze should be a rather thin consistency. After removing the rolls from the oven, immediately brush on the glaze. Thicken any remaining glaze with a small additional amount of powdered sugar. Place a dot of this thickened glaze on the bunnies’ tails, then carefully distribute the white sprinkles onto the dot, forming the bunny tail.

Just a thought: I forgot I had some “orange emulsion”, a type of flavoring/extract. That might have tasted REALLY good in the dough or the glaze….. 

Sweet Orange Bunny Bread!

Easter Hot Cross Buns!

AT LAST! We can "see" our front yard! The mountains of snow are finally melting (should be gone by tomorrow), so now we have some very tired-looking grass dotted with lots of little puddles. This is about the only time I don't miss our big German Shepherd, Tasha, who died a few years back - no more tracking in the spring mud! Everything appears a little worse for the wear right now, but, as we all know, that will all change in just a few weeks time. Bulbs will dare to send out their hopeful shoots, the trees will take on a reddish-hue as their leaves bud.... everything will start to awaken from its proverbial winter's nap! Hurrah! It's time to celebrate! 

What better time to start thinking about Easter? Talk about a celebration of LIFE!!! I'll be publishing three differently delicious Easter bread recipes in these weeks prior to the holiday so you can start preparing NOW for your special celebrations. I'm beginning with Hot Cross Buns...... Here's a little history on this now-famous bun: 

The Christian Easter Tradition

Some historians date the origin of “Hot Cross Buns” as an Easter Tradition back to the 12th century. In 1361, an Anglican monk named Father Thomas Rocliffe, was recorded to have made small spiced cakes stamped with the sign of the cross, to be distributed to the poor visiting the monastery at St. Albans on Good Friday, known at that time as the “Day of the Cross.”. According to the scholar Harrowven, the idea proved so popular that he made the buns every year, carefully keeping his bun recipe secret. Traditional hot cross buns contain flour, milk, sugar, butter, eggs, currants and spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg. The cross on the top may be cut into the bun or made out of pastry strips. In America, the cross is often fashioned out of icing. According to tradition, “Hot Cross Buns” were the only food allowed to be eaten by the faithful on Good Friday. 

(Read more of the history at: http://www.creativeyouthideas.com)

And here's the recipe: 

Hot Cross Buns

Dough:

¾ Cup warm water

1 Tbsp/packet Red Star Platinum Yeast

3 Cups unbleached all-purpose flour

3 Tbsp. softened butter

1 Tbsp. instant powdered milk

¼ Cup sugar

½ tsp. salt

1 egg

1 egg white

1 tsp. cinnamon

¾ Cup dried fruit (raisins, currants, golden raisins, etc.)

Wash:

1 egg yolk

2 Tbsp. water

Icing:

½ cup powdered sugar

½ tsp. vanilla

½ Tbsp. milk

Place warm water and yeast in EZ DOH bucket and stir to dissolve yeast. Let rest 1 minute. Add one cup of flour, then additional dough ingredients. EZ DOH-it for 2-3 minutes, or until dough is smooth and soft and all ingredients are incorporated. Remove dough from bucket, spray bucket with cooking spray, “smooth” dough and replace in bucket. Cover and let rise until doubled.

When dough has risen, punch down and remove from bucket. Let rest 10 minutes. Shape into 12 balls and place in a greased 7x11 ( I'm not sure if these are the exact measurements - it's one slightly smaller than a 9x13) pan. Cover and let rise till pan is “full”.

Mix egg yolk and water. Brush on to tops of rolls. Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes, until golden. Remove from pan immediately and cool on baking rack. Stir together icing ingredients, making sure it is not too runny. Place icing in a small sandwich bag – cut off one tip of the bag to use as a decorator’s bag. When rolls are cool, pipe an X on each bun. ENJOY!

Easter Hot Cross Buns!

Coffee Raisin Bread!

I was blown away  to hear from an EZ DOH-purchaser in Florida this week. She took the time out of her busy schedule to write me a letter about how much she is enjoying her EZ DOH......Wow! Who does that these days?! But I was glad that SHE did - it certainly lifted my spirits! Her love of the efficiency, economy and tasty results of our little bread machine were included in her reasons for writing, along with a suggestion that we consider producing an heirloom edition of EZ DOH (ie, a stainless steel bucket). I LOVE the idea! (Presently, it's out of our price range, but we've dreamed about providing that product one day......hmmmmm......stainless...or maybe a beautiful ceramic bowl.....the ideas are flowing!) However, what I love most is that my "pen pal" is interested in passing along the simplicity and joy of making bread to the next generation. I know I'M thrilled when I walk into my daughter's home and she's pulling a loaf of fresh bread out of her oven. I adore having my grandkids beg me to help make bread. But the best part is sitting around the table together, talking, laughing, devouring our homemade, yeasted goodies... just enjoying the memories we are making. 

Make a memory this week......create this beautiful, lightly sweet loaf WITH someone or FOR someone! 

Coffee Raisin Bread

Ingredients:

3/4 cup raisins, tossed in 1 Tbsp. flour

3 cups unbleached flour

1 cup  brewed coffee, warm (not hot)

1 Tbsp./Packet Red Star Platinum yeast

3 Tbsp. canola oil

1 egg, lightly beaten

1-1/2 tsp. salt

3 Tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground allspice

1/4 tsp. ground cloves

Directions:

Toss raisins with 1 tablespoon flour; set aside. Combine coffee and yeast in EZ DOH bucket and stir. Rest for 1-2 minutes. Add 1 cup of flour, then remaining ingredients. EZ DOH-it for 2-3 minutes, until dough is smooth. Remove dough from bucket, spray bucket with cooking spray and return dough to bucket. Cover and let rise until doubled. Preheat oven to 375. Roll dough out into rectangle, then roll up and tuck in ends. Place in 8 ½ x 4” loaf pan. Cover and let rise until doubled. Bake 30-35 minutes, until golden on top and loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Remove from pan and let cool on rack. Drizzle with confectioners icing, if desired. 

      Visit http://www.wildyeastblog.com/yeastspotting/ for more delicious breads 

Coffee Raisin Bread!