Homemade Easter Bread

A good start to the month – the first day is a holiday and, at long last, no snow,  no rain. We woke up to a quiet sunny day, and cut our Easter Bread made the day before for breakfast. It’s delicious!

Here is the recipe of the ham-and-egg stuffed Easter Bread:

Dough ingredients for one loaf of bread

30 dkg (11 oz)  flour

1 teaspoon salt

150 ml (3/4 cup) lukewarm milk

1 teaspoon sugar

3 dkg (1 oz) fresh yeast

1 tablespoon oil

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 eggs

Stuff ingredients:

boiled eggs, boiled ham cut into cubes, grated smoked cheese, dry or fresh parsley or ramsons  to taste

If you have a kneading machine, put all the dough ingredients into it and let the machine knead the dough.

If you do not have one, follow the traditional way:

1. Heap  30 dkg (11 oz) flour mixed with 1 teaspoon salt in a mixing bowl. Make a hole in the middle of the flour.
2. Put  the yolk  and white of 1 egg and 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon lemon juice into the hole.
3. Pour 150 ml (3/4 cup) lukewarm (38 degrees C or 100 F) milk into a small bowl and add 1 teaspoon sugar. Crumble 3 dkg fresh yeast to the milk and stir gently to mix it. Proof the yeast  up to 10 minutes.
4. Pour the proofed yeast mixture into the mixing bowl to the flour and work the ingredients into a dough. Knead the dough on a floured board about 20 minutes and, if necessary, add some more flour to make a soft dough that will not stick to hands. Make a round loaf, cover and put it in a warm place and let it rise double in size for about 1 hour.
5. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C (390 F)
6. While the dough is rising, slice the boiled eggs, cut the ham into cubes and grate the smoked cheese and slice the fresh parsley or ramsons into tiny pieces.
7. When the dough ball has doubled in size, punch the dough down and roll out into a rectangular shape.
8. Scatter the ham and eggs and the grated cheese over the survace to within an inch of the edges. Sprinkle with parsley or ramsons.
9. Starting at the longest side, roll the dough up, making sure to tuck in the ends.
10. Slightly grease or oil the baking pan and put the loaf into it.
11. Beat the remaining egg with a fork and brush it over the surface of the dough.
12. Allow the loaf to rise for another 35 minutes.
13. Brush the surface of the dough again with some eggs.
14. Place the pan into the preheated oven. Bake for about 30-40 minutes until golden brown.

Easter Bread can also be made after Easter holidays in order to utilize the remaining boiled eggs and ham.