Easter Bread Ring
Serves: 4
Ewell Douglas
1 January 1970
Based on User reviews:
50
Spice
53
Sweetness
51
Sourness
45
mins
Prep time (avg)
5.2
Difficulty
Ingredients:
1 cup
White Sugar1 tsp
Salt3 cups
All-Purpose Flour2 cup
Milk2 tbsps
Butter1 cup
Fruit (mixed candied)1 tsp
Anise Seed2 tbsps
Shortening (melted)1 cup
Sugar (confectioners')1 tbsp
Whole Milk1 tsp
Vanilla ExtractDirections:
1
Color the 5 eggs with egg dye
2
In a large mixing bowl, blend the white sugar, salt, and yeast well with 1 cup of the flour
3
In a saucepan, combine 2/3 cup milk and butter, heating slowly until liquid is warm and butter is melted
4
Pour the milk into the dry ingredients and beat 125 strokes with a wooden spoon
5
Add eggs and 1/2 cup flour or enough to make a thick batter
6
Beat vigorously for 2 minutes
7
Stir in enough flour to make a ball of dough that draws away from the sides of the bowl
8
Turn out onto a floured board and knead for about 10 minutes, working in additional flour to overcome stickiness
9
Place the dough in a greased bowl, turning to grease the top
10
Cover tightly with plastic wrap and put in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour
11
Meanwhile, combine the fruit, nuts, and anise seed
12
Punch down the dough and return it to a lightly floured board
13
Knead in the fruit mixture, keeping the syrupy pieces dusted with flour until they are worked into the dough
14
Divide the dough in half
15
Carefully roll each piece into a 24-inch rope--the fruit and nuts will make this slightly difficult
16
Loosely twist the two ropes together and form a ring on a greased baking sheet
17
Pinch the ends together well
18
Brush the dough with melted shortening
19
Push aside the twist to make a place for each egg
20
Push eggs down carefully as far as possible
21
Cover the bread with wax paper and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour
22
Bake the bread in a preheated 350 degree F (175 degrees C) oven for about 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in a twist comes out clean
23
Place on a wire rack to cool
24
Once the bread is cool, drizzle the icing on top between the eggs, and decorate with colored sprinkles
25
To make icing: mix together confectioners' sugar, 1 tablespoon whole milk, and vanilla