Easter Breads

Many traditions surround the Easter holiday in Greece, as with other countries, and the baking of the Easter bread has many traditions of its own. According to local customs, breads are baked in various sizes, shapes, and with special symbolic decorations. In some cases the bread is plaited with three strands representing the Holy Trinity of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

In England, hot cross buns, with the cross standing as a symbol of the crucifixion, are traditionally served on Good Friday. One of the superstitions is that these buns baked on Good Friday will never get stale, but as they are so delicious there are usually never any left to find out.

In Greece, the traditional Easter bread is Tsoureki and on Holy Thursday housewives are busy dying the eggs and baking the bread ready for the celebrations. This bread symbolizes the resurrection of Christ and is adorned with the dyed red eggs which represent not only the blood of Christ but new life and springtime. However, for this month's recipe, we'll "stick" with the hot cross buns.

For 16 buns:

600g plain white flour
1 tbsp dried yeast
1 tsp sugar
300ml lukewarm milk
Pinch salt
50g butter
1tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground nutmeg
½ tsp ground allspice
3 tbsp light brown sugar
100g raisins
1 egg, beaten
50g chopped dried apricots

For the crosses and glaze:

3 tbsp plain flour
2 tbsp milk
2 tbsp sugar

1. Sift 150g of the flour into a bowl, stir in the yeast and sugar and slowly beat in the milk to make a smooth batter. Cover with plastic film and leave for about 20 minutes until frothy.

2. Put half of the remaining flour and the salt into a bowl, rub in the butter and stir in the spices. Stir the sugar, raisins and apricots into the yeast mixture. Add the spiced flour mixture and the egg, together with enough of the remaining flour to make a soft dough. Put the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for five to ten minutes until smooth and not sticky. Put into a lightly buttered bowl, turn it over, cover with plastic film and put in a warm place for about 45 to 60 minutes until doubled in size.

3. Put the dough onto a floured surface, knead a few more times to get out any bubbles and cut into 16 pieces. Keep them covered while you shape each bun. Mould into smooth round balls and place on a greased baking sheet a little apart and flatten slightly, then gently mark a cross on the top with the back of a knife. Cover loosely with oiled plastic film and leave for 45 minutes or until doubled in size.

4. Heat the oven to 220°C. Make the paste for the crosses by blending the flour with three tablespoons of water until smooth and the consistency of thin piping paste. Using a piping bag, make a cross onto the top of each bun using the knife marks as a guide. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes until golden and then transfer to a wire rack.

5. Make the glaze by warming the milk and sugar on a low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Boil for about one minute until syrupy and brush over the buns while they are still warm.

Unfortunately, space restrictions prevent us from printing traditional bread recipes from other countries, but if you feel adventurous, check them out on the internet.  Besides Greece's Tsoureki, there is: Babka from Poland and Ukraine; Paasbrood from Holland; Pao Doce from Portugal; Osterzopf from Germany, and Corona de Pascua from Spain.

Happy Easter

COOKING TIPS/ΜΑΓΕΙΡΙΚΕΣ ΣΥΜΒΟΥΛΕΣ

 Spinach

Want to cook with spinach but only have frozen? Approximately 300 grams of frozen spinach, after it's cooked, will result in the same amount as 500 grams of fresh, trimmed and cooked spinach.

Σπανάκι

Θέλετε να μαγειρέψετε με σπανάκι αλλά έχετε μόνο κατεψυγμένο; Περίπου 300 γρμ. από κατεψυγμένο σπανάκι, αφού το μαγειρέψετε, συνεπάγεται με την ίδια ποσότητα 500 γρμ. φρέσκου, περιποιημένου και μαγειρεμένου σπανακιού.

 Left over vegetables

Any left over vegetables can be chopped and sautéed and used to fill an omelette. Also, put any left over vegetables into a special bag in the freezer and, when you have enough for soup, thaw and puree in a blender with vegetable, chicken or beef stock.

Περίσσευμα λαχανικών

Οποιαδήποτε περισσεύματα λαχανικών μπορούν να κοπούν και να σωταριστούν και να χρησιμοποιηθούν για γέμισμα στην ομελέτα. Επίσης, βάλτε ότι λαχανικά περισσέψουν σε μια ειδική σακούλα στην κατάψυξη και, όταν έχετε αρκετά για σούπα, ξεπαγώστε τα και στο μούλτι φτιάξτε ένα μείγμα λαχανικών, κοτόπουλου ή βοδινό ζωμό.

Celery

To keep celery crisp in the refrigerator, wrap it in aluminum foil or a damp cloth.

 Σέλινο

Για να διατηρήσετε το σέλινο τραγανό στο ψυγείο, τυλίξτε το σε αλουμινόχαρτο ή υγρό πετσετάκι κουζίνας.