Tag Archives: Easter

Babka

Updated on

June 6, 2018 by author

Classic Babka

What can I say? I am in a nostalgic mood this week. I have been working on my Easter menu and all sorts of favorite foods are being prepared. Babka will be one of them.

Babka is a different bread from most others that I make. For starters, the recipe makes 6 loaves of bread at once. Great for gift giving in those quantities.

Babka also uses much less flour than most of my bread recipes. Only 8 cups of flour for the 6 loaves. I can use close to 8 cups of flour for 2 loaves of other breads.

The babka dough is really a batter- so sticky you have to oil up your hands to divide the dough into the bread pans. This very tiny amount of dough rises to fill 9×5-inch bread pans. The result is a bread that is very light with a crunchy exterior and tender interior.

I can’t remember where I got this recipe. I still have the original handwritten recipe, but it isn’t handwriting I recognize. Maybe one day I will figure it out.

In the meantime, I will continue to make babka- and to share it with friends and family.

Babka

3 packets active dry yeast
1 c. warm water
1 c. sugar
8 c. bread flour
1 t. salt
5 large eggs
1 stick butter
2 T. oil
Grated rinds of an orange and a lemon
2 c. warm milk
1 c. raisins
1 egg mixed with 2-t. milk

In bowl combine yeast, water, sugar, 1 c. flour, and salt. Allow to stand 10 minutes. Beat in eggs, butter, oil and grated rinds. Add remaining flour alternately with milk, beating a total of five minutes. Stir in raisins. Dust a large bowl with flour and put in dough. Cover and allow to rise until doubled, about 2 hours. Generously grease loaf pans. This recipe will fill 6 standard loaf pans – 9×5 – inch. Lightly oil hands and divide dough into portions, smoothing tops as you place dough in pans. Cover and allow dough to rise until more than doubled, about 1 hour. Brush loaves with egg and milk mixture. Bake in a preheated 325 degree oven for 1 1/2 hours or until bread is well browned and sounds hollow inside when tapped. Mine is normally done at about an hour and 15 minutes. Cool a few minutes in pans before removing to racks to cool. Babka in great eaten warm from the oven.

Babka dough rising

Fresh from the oven

Posted in Cooking | Tagged Babka, Easter |

Hot Cross Buns

Posted on

April 3, 2014 by author

Judi

Hot Cross Buns

These rolls are a nice addition to your Easter breakfast or dinner. They are easy to make and taste better then anything you are likely to find at the store. I could tell you that you can also freeze leftovers, but who are we kidding? There aren’t going to be any leftovers.

Hot Cross Buns

2/3 c. sugar

1 t. salt

2 packages active dry yeast

About 5 cups bread flour

1 ½ c. milk

½ c. butter

2 eggs

1 c. raisins

Icing

¾ c. powdered sugar

1 T. milk

In bowl combine sugar, salt, yeast and about 1 ½ c. flour. Heat together milk and butter until very warm. Beat milk mixture into to flour mixture and beat 2 minutes with electric mixer. Beat in 1 egg and 1 cup flour and beat 2 more minutes until batter thickens. Stir in raisins and enough additional flour to make a soft dough. Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead until smooth, about 10 minutes. Place dough in greased bowl, turning to grease top, cover with a towel and allow to rise in a draft free place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

Place dough on floured surface and divide into 15 equal pieces. Cover with towel and lest rest 15 minutes. Meanwhile grease a 9×13 inch pan. Form dough into smooth balls and place in prepared pan. Cover and let rise until doubled, about an hour. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat remaining egg. Cut a cross in each bun and brush with the egg. Bake for 25 minutes or until buns are golden. Remove buns to wire rack to cool 15 minutes. Make frosting, place in decorating bag and pipe onto buns. Makes 15.

Posted in Cooking | Tagged buns, buns recipe, Easter, easter baking, easter baking recipe, easter recipe, hot cross, hot cross buns, hot cross buns recipe, hot cross recipe |

Easter Egg Biscotti

Posted on

April 2, 2014 by author

Judi

Easter Egg Biscotti

I get so many requests for this recipe I decided to post it again. I got this recipe from Rose Dieglio. Rose was the mother of my best friend when I was a kid. I looked forward to them every Easter. I always make a bunch to hand out to friends and family. It is a tradition I enjoy very much.

Easter Egg Biscotti

1 c. shortening or butter- I use butter

1 ½ c. sugar

4 eggs

5 t. baking powder

1 t. salt

2 t. vanilla

1 c. milk

6 c. flour

Hard cooked eggs, plain or dyed

Powdered sugar glaze

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream together butter or shortening and sugar. Beat in eggs. Add next 4 ingredients and blend until smooth. Stir in flour 2 cups at a time. Dough should be pliable. If dough is too sticky add a little more flour. Take a piece of dough about the size of a large egg and place on a greased baking sheet. Indent middle slightly and then place an egg in the center, pressing down slightly. It should look like a nest. Continue with remaining dough allowing about 2-3 inches in between as they grow. You can fit 6-8 on a large baking sheet. Bake 20 –25 minutes or until browned on the bottom. Cool on wire rack before drizzling with frosting. Makes 24-30.

Sugar glaze

2 c. powdered sugar

2-3 T. milk or orange juice

1 t. vanilla

Food coloring, if desired

Mix together until smooth and of drizzling consistency.

Posted in Cooking | Tagged Easter, easter biscotti, easter biscotti recipe, Easter Egg biscotti, easter egg biscotti recipe, easter egg recipe, easter recipe, egg biscotti, egg biscotti recipe |

Honey Bunnies

Posted on

March 23, 2014 by author

Judi

Honey Bunny

I make these sweet rolls every year for Easter but they are so good you can enjoy them any time. Sweet and so cute they are sure to be a hit when you make them. The dough is chilled before rolling so you can mix up a batch in the evening- put in the fridge- then roll them out the next day.

Honey Bunnies

4-5 c. flour

2 packages yeast

1 t. salt

2/3 c. evaporated milk

½ c. each water, honey and butter

2 eggs

Raisins, optional

Honey glaze

1/2 c. honey and 1/4 c. butter or margarine heated together until warm.

In bowl combine 1 c. flour, yeast and salt. Heat together milk, water, honey and butter until very warm and beat into the flour mixture. Beat 2 minutes on high speed. Beat in 1 cup flour and eggs. Beat 2 more minutes, until batter thickens. Stir in enough flour to make a stiff batter and chill, covered with plastic wrap for 2-24 hours.

Place dough on lightly floured surface and divide into 15 equal pieces. Roll each into a 20- inch rope. Cut rope into a 12- inch piece, a 5-inch piece and 3 one-inch pieces. Coil 12 inch piece to form body, five inch piece to form head and inch pieces to form ears and tail. Place on greased cookie sheet and let rise, covered until doubled, about 25 minutes. Bake in a 375-degree oven for 12-15 minutes. Remove to cooling rack and brush with honey glaze. Place raisins on each to make eyes. Brush with additional glaze before serving, if desired. Makes 15 bunnies.