Spiral Table Runner

As soon as I saw one of these spiral table runners at a guild "show and tell," I knew I wanted to make one. Since I couldn't find the pattern in several local quilt stores or at shows, I was happy to see that a friend was offering a class at her home. Along with 6 other quilting friends, I spent a pleasant 6 hours putting this together. You have to love a project that you can begin and finish in the same day. Strictly speaking, however, the decision to quilt this runner meant another few hours at home, but it was the perfect opportunity to practice my free motion quilting.

One of the roadblocks to free motion quilting for me is having to negotiate the basting pins, so I decided I'd hand baste this. After doing so, I realized that while I wouldn't need to remove the pins as I was quilting, I'd still have to remove the thread or chance "sealing" it into the runner with my quilting stitches. Out came the basting thread.

Remembering that I'd purchased a can of fabric adhesive spray, I decided this piece was small enough that I could use this method of basting. I'm happy to report that even with the curves and odd shape of the spiral, it made my free motion quilting a less daunting experience.

I had initially thought I'd practice my paisleys, but the shape of the runner seemed to call for quilting each fabric separately. What better shape for my spiral runner than the spiral, the one pattern I have a bit of confidence with. I'd purchased some Superior metallic thread and was pleased that with a few tension adjustments, it quilted beautifully.

I was nearly done with the quilting when I broke my needle. I don't know why, but it was easily changed and I did not emerge sweat drenched with an aching neck. I think the combination of not having to dodge safety pins and having done a bit of practice with my FMQ made all the difference.

Next up, I'm considering using the basting spray on my strata quilt which is currently pin basted. It's largish, but I think it's worth a try. Any suggestions??

Brownie Wars Revisited

No, I haven't dropped off the face of the earth, but I have been busy, busy, busy, mostly with my quilting, but with other pursuits as well. For those of you who are also retired, you'll understand when I say that I don't know how I ever fit work into my schedule.

I decided to post today because I want the recipe for these two incredible treats where I can always find them. The debate as to which brownie is superior--cake-y or fudge-y will never be won. And then you can throw into the mix the devotees of blondies and all I can predict is lots of yummy moments nibbling on the "contestants."

For the fudge-y brownies, I went to the King Arthur baking site. If you haven't visited this site, you've been missing out on some cooking and baking magic. Here is the link to these brownies (click here).

YIELD: 24

4 large eggs

• 1 1/4 cups  Dutch-process cocoa
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon espresso powder
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 2 1/4 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 2 cups chocolate chips

1) Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9" x 13" pan

2) Crack the 4 eggs into a bowl, and beat them with the cocoa, salt, baking powder, espresso powder, and vanilla till smooth.

3) In a medium-sized microwave-safe bowl, or in a saucepan set over low heat, melt the butter, then add the sugar and stir to combine. Or simply combine the butter and sugar, and heat, stirring, until the butter is melted. Continue to heat (or microwave) briefly, just until the mixture is hot (about 110°F to 120°F), but not bubbling; it'll become shiny looking as you stir it. Heating the mixture to this point will dissolve more of the sugar, which will yield a shiny top crust on your brownies.

4) Add the hot butter/sugar mixture to the egg/cocoa mixture, stirring until smooth.

5) Add the flour and chips, again stirring until smooth. Note: If you want the chips to remain intact in the baked brownies, rather than melting in, let the batter cool in the bowl for about 20 minutes before stirring in the chips.

6) Spoon the batter into a lightly greased 9" x 13" pan.

7) Bake the brownies for about 30 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, or with just a few moist crumbs clinging to it. The brownies should feel set on the edges, and the center should look very moist, but not uncooked. Remove them from the oven and cool on a rack before cutting and serving.

nutrition information

Serving Size: 1 brownie (63g) Servings Per Batch:24 Amount Per Serving: Calories: 260 Calories from Fat: 130 Total Fat: 17g Saturated Fat: 8g Trans Fat:0g. Cholesterol: 55mg Sodium: 130mg Total Carbohydrate: 36g Dietary Fiber: 2g Sugars: 27gProtein: 3g.

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For the coconut macadamia blondies, I refer you to my blogging friend Deb of Kahaki Kitchen (click here).

Coconut Blondies 
Adapted from Ruth Cousineau, Gourmet Magazine 2008 via Epicurious
(Yield : 24 )
2 sticks (1/2 pound) unsalted butter
2 cups packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
 6 oz toasted and and chopped macadamia nuts
2 cups sweetened flaked coconut, divided

Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Butter and flour a 13- by 9-inch baking pan. 

Melt butter in a large bowl in the microwave, stirring, until smooth. Cool to lukewarm. Whisk in brown sugar and vanilla. Whisk in eggs 1 at a time until mixture is glossy and smooth. 

Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt, then whisk into butter mixture. Stir in chopped macadamias and 1 1/2 cups coconut. 

Spread in pan and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup coconut. Bake until a pick inserted in center comes out clean, 35-45 minutes. I started checking mine at 35 minutes, then cooking in 5 minute intervals before checking again. A cake tester inserted into the middle should come out clean. Cool completely.

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TASTE NOTES

The smells in my kitchen were intoxicating. Both these recipes are very simple, but the results belie that simplicity. The brownies have that classic glazed and crackled top with just the right amount of chewiness and chocolate magic.

The blondies were the surprise of the day. The only blondies I've ever eaten contained white chocolate, which I abhor. These reminded me of caramel. I confess to licking the bowl clean before washing up. The combination of toasted macadamia, caramel, and coconut put me in mind of the gentle trade winds of Hawaii. Thank you Deb. And thank you King Arthur. 

Pollo al Ajillo (Panamanian Garlic Chicken)

Lately, it seems that every time I plan to grill, it's raining. I had originally intended to grill this chicken over a charcoal fire, but had to settle for using my gas grill. I can't stress enough how much better chicken (or other proteins) are when grilled over indirect heat. To do this, simply heat all burners on high for about 5 minutes, then turn off the front burners, which is where you'll place the protein, close the lid, and achieve perfect results every time. This recipe was adapted from Saveur magazine.

Serves 5 (or 2 with leftovers)
5 pieces quartered chicken (leg and thigh)
3 bay leaves
2 heads garlic, separated into cloves and peeled
2 tsp Kosher salt (plus more, to taste)
2 tbs water
1 cup fresh orange juice
1/2 cup sherry vinegar
2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 tbs Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp ground allspice

 Puree garlic, salt, and 2 tbs water in a food processor to a smooth paste. Add juice, vinegar, black pepper, Worcestershire, and allspice and puree until smooth. Place chicken and bay leaves in a large freezer bag set in a bowl. Carefully pour in mixture, being sure to rub over all the chicken quarters. Seal well and place in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight (I highly recommend overnight and turning the bag several times over that time period). Reserve some of the marinade to brush over the chicken while grilling.

Preheat the grill as described above. Add the chicken to the front burner (which you turn off after preheating) and close the cover. Cook for 16 minutes. Brush with reserved marinade, then turn over and cook for about 19 minutes more. The thickest part of the thigh should come to 165 degrees.
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TASTE NOTES
This chicken, heavily spiced and intensely garlicky, is sold at roadside restaurants all over Panama and I can see why. I seldom eat chicken skin--not because I dislike it, but because of the calories and fat. I would have gladly eaten much, much more than was on my piece of chicken. The meat was incredibly moist and flavorful. This is a marinade that really permeates the meat with flavor. The skin--well, just look at the photo. I can't wait until corn is in season to make this again. Yes, there's a bit of prep involved, but it is so worth it. Make lots more than you need and revel in the leftovers.

Big Yellow Taxi and My Foray into Modern Quilting

It's not that I've stopped cooking (exactly); rather, I've been cooking old favorites or eating salads and other light meals. Since I haven't posted any recipes in two weeks, I thought I'd blog about what I've been doing with the time usually spent in the kitchen.

Last week I took a workshop with Rayna Gillman, a fabric artist known for her free form quilts. Anyone who knows me will tell you I'm not a "fly by the seat of my pants" type of person. While crazy quilting may seem to have fewer rules than sane quilting, that is not the case. And while I am comfortable not following patterns and seeing where my own designs will lead, free form quilts and/or modern quilts are not genres that fall within my comfort zone. That said, I actually ended up enjoying the process.

Rayna had suggested that we bring orphan blocks and strips of fabric in a multitude of hues. My quilting friends and I turned up with bags, boxes, and piles of fabric (probably enough fabric to make several very large quilts and there were only about 15 of us).  I chose a pieced block, an extra from a year-long color study course I'd taken and a foundation pieced block I'd made when I was experimenting with that technique. Having listened to Rayna's suggestion that we include black and white fabrics in our stash, I began cutting and piecing and cutting some more. At one point, I had 4 free form blocks which I ultimately decided to square up and piece together. This produced a 9 inch block which cried out for a thin, yellow border. As soon as I made that decision, the lyrics to Joni Mitchell's "Big Yellow Taxi" started running through my head. That yellow border (and those lyrics) lead me to the black and white checkered fabric and my outside border.

I hung the finished piece on my design wall and stared at it for the next few days, but my original idea to quilt it in gold metallic thread won out over several other ideas. Understand that I am brand new to free motion quilting. I recently took Leah Day's class on Craftsy and she has fanned the flame of interest in FMQ. In fact, be sure to check her blog to see what others are doing on FMQ Friday. After several trial runs on my trusty muslin sandwich, I decided it was now or never and just did it. A few ripped out lines of quilting and one broken needle later, I was done. It took me approximately 3 hours to quilt. I did some simple wavy lines, horizontal and vertical on the block itself. I quilted a chain of pearls in the thin, yellow border. And in the black and white checkered border, I quilted spirals.

To finish the quilt, I applied a facing. All that remains is to add a label. I'm calling the quilt "Big Yellow Taxi" and, though it's far from perfect, I will admit that I'm rather pleased with the results.

Fried Ice Cream (Not)

I was all set to try a new version of this treat, one that would contain a top crust and a bottom crust and be cut like a cake, when my better judgment intervened and I decided a pre-portioned fried ice cream ball might be safer to have in the freezer. For those of you who've never had this treat, it isn't fried at all. By using a light ice cream and making the portions just 1/2 cup each, I was able to keep this a healthy option.

1 half gallon Turkey Hill coconut almond fudge light ice cream
3 cups Kellogg's Frosted Flakes
2 tsp cinnamon

Let the ice cream soften slightly. Place a sheet of parchment paper on a large cookie sheet and use an ice cream scoop to make 12 half-cup "balls." Place in the freezer to harden (at least 2 hours or overnight).

Place the Frosted Flakes and the cinnamon in a gallon-sized freezer bag, seal, then roll with a rolling pin until they are chunky, but not pulverized.

Dip one ice cream ball at a time in the crumbs, shaping the ball, and refreeze.

At this point, I packaged each ball in a baggie and place all of the baggies in a gallon-sized freezer bags.
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TASTE NOTES
The fried ice cream is delicious as is or it can be "embellished" with a drizzle of chocolate syrup and some whipped cream. By itself, each serving is 5 WW points (for those who care).

Crispy Peanut Butter Cookies

The old adage that "good things come in small packages" describes these cookies perfectly. While I've had delicious, chewy peanut butter cookies, there's just something about that satisfying crunch when you bite into something sweet and salty. The dough goes together very quickly, though it does require an hour in the fridge before baking, so plan accordingly. The recipe yields 4 dozen 2-inch cookies.

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

1 egg

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

additional sugar

Directions

In a bowl, cream butter and sugars. Add peanut butter, egg, and vanilla and beat until smooth. Combine the flour, baking soda, and baking powder and add to the creamed mixture, mixing well. Chill the dough for at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Shape into 1 inch balls and place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Flatten each ball by criss-crossing with the tines of a fork dipped in sugar. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until bottoms are lightly browned and cookies are set. YIELD: about 4 dozen.

Nutritional Info:  2 cookies per serving; 125 calories; 7 g fat; 15 g carb; trace fiber; 2 g protein

TASTE NOTES
These little bites were perfectly crispy and nutty. Best enjoyed with a glass of cold milk, they are a peanut butter lover's delight.

Italian Beef and Lentil Slow-cooker Soup

Each week at our Weight Watcher meeting we are given a weekly brochure which contains, among other things, recipes for healthy meals. A few weeks back the weekly contained a recipe for a slow-cooker stew. I was attracted to it both for the ingredients and because it offered a generous serving yet was low calorie. You'll notice the title of this post indicated a "soup." As you'll note when you peruse the ingredients, other than a small amount of tomato paste, there is nothing in the list that would serve as a thickening agent. This was a soup, not a stew. I also should have followed my instinct and replaced the lean beef round called for with chuck, which has a good marbling of fat. The small amount of beef in each serving would have still qualified the dish as healthy. With that understanding and the replacement of chuck for round, I can heartily recommend this soup.

Serves 6
1 small onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
2 cups fresh green beans, cut into 2 inch lengths
1 lb beef chuck, cut into 1 inch chunks
1/2 tsp dried oregano, crushed
14 1/2 oz canned diced tomatoes, undrained
1 tbs tomato paste
3/4 cup dry lentils
4 cups lower sodium beef broth
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup fresh, slivered basil

freshly grated Pecorino-Romano

Place all ingredients except the basil in a 5-quart or larger slow cooker. Stir well. Cook on low setting for 6 hours. Remove cover and stir in basil. Cover and cook 5 minutes more. Yields about 1 1/2 cups per serving.
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TASTE NOTES
Despite the lean round being a bit dry, the flavor of this soup was excellent. I did remove the beef and shred it then add it back to the pot before serving. I also took the liberty of adding some grated cheese before serving. With some garlic bread and salad, this made a satisfying dinner.

Roast Prime Rib

When I saw prime rib on sale right before Easter, I bought one and put it in the freezer. I've made prime rib before, mostly roasting it though I did once grill it on the advice of the butcher. Somehow it just tastes better as a roast. While it isn't difficult to do, the smaller the piece of meat, the more vigilant you need to be to roast it to the desired temperature. I bought a five pound roast which had 3 ribs. That's very small, though it can feed 4-6.  I had bookmarked a site (here) and followed the guidelines suggested. The most important advice:

• do NOT salt the roast before cooking
• place melted butter on the two cut ends prior to roasting
• sear the meat at 450 degrees for 15 minutes
• roast at 325 degrees for the remainder of the time
• check well before you think it will be done
• be sure to use accurate thermometers (I used 2 to be sure)

Though the chart indicated my roast would be done between 60 and 70 minutes, it actually took 80 minutes to get it to 120 degrees, perfect for medium rare meat. The incidental cooking while the meat rests for about 15 minutes will raise the temperature to about 125-130 degrees.

My mom used to make prime rib for Easter and it always tasted better than what you are served in restaurants. Of course, mom used to make a huge roast. I would have loved some popovers to go with the beef, but exercised restraint and served it with baked potatoes and spinach sauteed with garlic.

Don't be intimidated by this cut of meat. When it's on sale, give it a try. With a little care and an accurate thermometer, you can master this dish and enjoy it at home.

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TASTE NOTES

Served with a horseradish sauce and some au jus the first night, leftovers are tagged for some upscale cheesesteak sandwiches and some hash. You should have smelled the kitchen!

S'mores--Grown-up Style

• 
  
• I have a confession to make. I was never a Girl Scout. In fact, it took just one Brownie meeting to convince me that this wasn't something I cared to pursue. I will also confess that the only camping I've ever done (outside of staying at a Red Roof Inn one time) happened while I was Principal of an elementary school and took the entire fifth grade on an overnight each year. There weren't any tents, but the bunk beds in the very austere cabins assured me that I'd made the right decision regarding my brief encounter with scouting. All this by way of explaining that s'mores are not something I've much experience with. 
• 
  
• Nevertheless, a few weeks ago there were recipes for s'mores cookies and cookie bars all over the internet and ever since I've been keeping an eye out for a jar of marshmallow fluff (something else I have no experience with). Today I found a jar of that ingredient during my weekly shopping trip and decided that I'd whip up a batch. "Whip" generally means a quick in-and-out of the kitchen before I move on to more interesting things like quilting and beading or vegging out in front of the TV for a housewives' marathon. This did not happen. 
• 
  
• I had no idea what I was getting into with this marshmallow fluff. Suffice it to say that next time I'm inclined to reach for the epoxy or the Crazy Glue, I might just reach for the fluff instead. After breaking a plastic spatula trying to wrestle it out of the jar and working up a sweat cleaning it off my hands and counter, I have new respect for chemistry in the kitchen.

• 
  
• Ingredients - 16 squares (7 Points Plus per serving)
• 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 6 oz dark chocolate chips
• 7.5 jar marshmallow creme/fluff 
• OPTIONAL:  a glass of your favorite wine, beer, or cocktail (see paragraph above and photos below)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8-inch square baking dish or pan.
2. In a stand mixer, cream together butter and sugar until light. Beat in egg and vanilla.  Whisk together flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt. Add to butter mixture and mix at a low speed until combined.
3. Divide the dough in half and press half of dough into an even layer on the bottom of the prepared dish or pan. Place dark chocolate chips over the dough. Drop the marshmallow creme or fluff in blobs all over the chocolate, spreading as well as possible. Take the remaining dough and pat out in small pieces on a sheet of waxed paper. Lay over the fluff, smoothing and patching as best you can to cover completely.
4. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool completely before cutting into bars.

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TASTE NOTES

Notwithstanding my battle with the marshmallow fluff and the ensuing clean up, these cookie bars were absolutely delicious. A little bit is more than enough between the sweetness of the graham cracker cookie and the fluff tempered with the richness of the dark chocolate. If you plan ahead--have that glass of wine at the ready and a sturdy wooden spoon to spoon out the fluff--you can make it out of the kitchen in less time than it took me. I'd also recommend not making these at the same time you're preparing dinner and making caramel for flan. This recipe is definitely a keeper.

Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake

Let me begin this post by saying that I haven't been paid by or even contacted by anyone for product endorsement and the opinions expressed here are solely my own.

It wasn't until I became a serious cook that I started using King Arthur products. I grew up using Gold Medal flour, as I'm sure many people did, and  I didn't expect there to be any difference in my baked goods when I switched brands.  I was wrong and I've been a convert ever since. If you haven't visited the King Arthur website, you should (click here). I've used quite a few of their recipes, mostly for baked goods, and I haven't been disappointed yet. I've never ordered any of the products they sell online, so I won't comment on those, but their flours are available in most grocery stores.

It was my turn to bake for one of my quilt guilds last week and I had bookmarked this recipe for cinnamon streusel coffee cake. If you've followed my blog, you'll know that cinnamon is a favorite ingredient of mine, particularly in baked goods. I've cut and pasted the recipe right from the site. It did take me the 30 minutes to put the cake together, but it was well worth it.

streusel topping

• 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt (if you use unsalted butter)
•  1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 6 tablespoons butter, melted (I will definitely use more butter next time, at least 1 1/4 sticks since the crumbs were a bit dry)

filling

• 1 cup brown sugar, light or dark
• 1 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder

cake

• 3/4 cup butter
• 1 teaspoon salt (1 ¼ teaspoons if you use unsalted butter)
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 large eggs
• 3/4 cup sour cream or plain yogurt
• 1 1/4 cups milk (anything from skim to whole)
• 3 3/4 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 
  

• Directions

  1) Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9" x 13" pan, or two 9" round cake pans.

  2) Make the topping by whisking together the sugar, salt, flour, and cinnamon. Add the melted butter, stirring till well combined. Set the topping aside.

  3) Make the filling by mixing together the brown sugar, cinnamon, and cocoa powder. Note that the cocoa powder is used strictly for color, not flavor; leave it out if you like. Set it aside.

  4) To make the cake: In a large bowl, beat together the butter, salt, sugars, baking powder, and vanilla until well combined and smooth.

  5) Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

  6) In a separate bowl, whisk together the sour cream or yogurt and milk till well combined. You don't need to whisk out all the lumps.

  7) Add the flour to the butter mixture alternately with the milk/sour cream mixture, beating gently to combine.

  8) Pour/spread half the batter (a scant 3 cups) into the prepared pan(s), spreading all the way to the edges. If you're using two 9" round pans, spread 1 1/3 cups batter in each pan.

  9) Sprinkle the filling evenly atop the batter.

  10) Spread the remaining batter atop the filling. Use a table knife to gently swirl the filling into the batter, as though you were making a marble cake. Don't combine filling and batter thoroughly; just swirl the filling through the batter.

  11) Sprinkle the topping over the batter in the pan.

  12) Bake the cake until it's a dark golden brown around the edges; medium-golden with no light patches showing on top, and a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 55 to 60 minutes for the 9" x 13" pan, 50 to 55 minutes for the 9" round pans. When pressed gently in the middle, the cake should spring back. (*In fact, I baked my cake for 70 minutes and it probably could have used another 5 minutes, though it was delicious, so the time frame is a guide)

  13) Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool for 20 minutes before cutting and serving. Serve cake right from the pan.

  nutrition information

  Serving Size: 1 slice (98g) Servings Per Batch: 24Amount Per Serving: Calories: 340 Calories from Fat:100 Total Fat: 11g Saturated Fat: 7g Trans Fat: 0g. Cholesterol: 55mg Sodium: 250mg Total Carbohydrate:56g Dietary Fiber: 1g Sugars: 36g Protein: 5g.

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  TASTE NOTES
  

  

  
  

  If you like cinnamon, you will love this cake. If you like streusel topping, you will love this cake. If you like coffee cake, you will love this cake. Seriously, I cannot imagine anyone not loving this cake. I wish it were a vegetable so I could eat it with impunity, but I'd rather enjoy a small piece than never to eat it at all.

Mom's Easter Egg Bread

It's been quite a few years since I've thought about this Easter egg bread. My mom used to make it in a wreath shape and it was quite a novelty then. Since I didn't start eating egg yolks until I was well into adulthood, one of my memories of Easter was all the little yolks lined up in the refrigerator egg tray (where I'd put them for my dad after I ate the egg whites). Back then I don't even remember us refrigerating the colored eggs. I'm sure they sat on the kitchen table in a basket until they were all gone (and none of us died from that action). I also know I was much more interested in eating chocolate bunnies and crosses back then. Through the eyes of an adult, it seems just a bit off that we got these ornate chocolate crosses in our Easter baskets and thought nothing of chomping on them. Holidays always make me nostalgic, and with both mom and dad gone such memories are a way of keeping them alive in my heart.

Once I got it into my head to make this bread, I had to search high and low for mom's recipe. I have quite a few binders and folders filled with recipes and finally found the right one. I decided to make the bread into individual loaves since not much bread gets consumed here and this would make it easy to gift a few out (and let the results end up on someone else's hips). Such generosity!

Makes 1 wreath loaf or 6 individual loaves

1 pkg. active dry yeast
1 1/4 cups milk, scalded then cooled
1/3 cup butter, at room temperature
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup plus 2 tbs. sugar
3 1/2 - 4 cups all purpose flour
salt--a pinch or two
6 raw eggs, dyed
1 egg beaten with 1 tsp milk

multi-colored nonpareils*
* (note that my breads have colored sprinkles; I had run out of nonpareils and didn't realize it until too late)

In a stand mixer, add yeast, slightly cooled milk, butter, beaten eggs, sugar, half the flour, and a pinch of salt. With the dough hook attachment, begin mixing, gradually adding as much of the remaining flour as necessary until the dough is no longer sticky. This should take about 5 minutes. After the first 3 1/2 cups of flour, I add it by 1/8 cup until the right consistency is achieved. Remove the dough to a floured surface and knead about 12 times. Place in a greased bowl, cover,  and let rise in a warm place until doubled, 1 - 2 hours. Meanwhile, color the raw eggs, then refrigerate until ready to use.

When the dough has doubled, punch it down then divide into 3 ropes (for a large wreath) or into 12 ropes (to be twisted into 6 small loaves). Roll out each rope to about 12 inches in length; braid two together, making certain to pinch the ends together and place on a baking sheet with Silpat mats (or a greased baking sheet). Cover again and let rise in a warm place until doubled (about another hour).

Gently place a colored egg in the middle of each loaf, pressing down a bit. Brush loaves with egg wash, then add sprinkles.

Bake at 350 degrees until the tops are golden brown (25-30 minutes). Cool on a rack.

Buona Pasqua!
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TASTE NOTES
Seeing these come out of the oven was a flashback to my childhood. The bread is just a little bit sweet and tastes good with just a bit of butter or with some butter and preserves. The eggs cook up nicely in the oven and round out breakfast or can be saved and made into egg salad later.