Easter Bread

Electronic mail message from Margaret Aman Freeman

Friends:

For those of you who want to have some Easter traditions in the food category but lack the time and being at home while a sponge rises to be kneaded and baked into loaves, let me tell you about my short cut. That way we can have something traditional and still meet most of our other obligations.

Use your sweet dough recipe (perhaps from Betty Crocker, or the one that goes with your bread machine) and put the dough to knead and rise in the machine. When you use the dough only cycle you do not need to be so precise about the measurements of the ingredients as that seems crucial only when the bread is baked in the machine.

Baking the dough in the one pound coffee cans means watching carefully to see that the bread is done and not still doughy in the center, so take care here. Making the frosting of confectioner's sugar and lemon juice cuts further on the fat grams, and sprinkling with colored sugar is another short cut. Although some may find this procedure heresy, it does make an acceptable Kulich.

I use the same short cut for the annual presentation of Hot Cross Buns. We shall try again Sunday an Easter Egg roll as in Alt Postal, and also other activities on the lawn with eggs. However, we are far too frugal to chase each other and break raw eggs on our heads! Our little ones will not be happy unless there is an Easter egg hunt, which may not be our tradition from Russia, but has become our tradition here.

You are welcome to join us - about 11 AM, Pacific Time! Bring your own basket.