easter bread

I have a confession to make: I detest complicated dessert recipes. I don’t fare very well with painstakingly precise recipes (which is obligatory for desserts,) and since I am an impatient person by nature, convoluted dessert recipes really rattle me. As I’ve mentioned in the past, baked goods demand meticulous measurements and I’m more of a  “little pinch here and little dollop there” kind of gal.

When I come across a dessert recipe with the descriptions, time-consuming, complex or difficult anywhere in the text, I turn the page. It's not that I don't welcome a challenge, but when it comes to whipping up a dessert, I just want it done.

Immediately. (Impatient. I told you.) 

If fancy equipment or elaborate materials are required, I roll my eyes and move onto recipes with texts that read: simple, easy and no-fuss. Sadly it’s hard to find a dessert that isn’t finicky without compromising taste. 

I became particularly frustrated once when I attempted a 'no-fuss' dessert only to find that it was in fact, quite fussy. And long-winded. And in the end, I was so annoyed, that I rushed through the final steps only to have my sweet tidbit flop. Literally. Honesty needs to be at the forefront of all recipes don't you agree? Especially ones that promise ‘no-fail’ results.

The only dessert-style recipe exempt from this madness, is homemade sweet bread, which by its very nature demands a lot of time and consideration. And since some holidays warrant such attention to detail, I’m happy to participate. 

Laden with braided little cookies and sweet, brioche-type breads called tsoureki, Easter is the most celebrated feast for Orthodox Christians.
My mom has sort of adapted her own recipe for the tsoureki - which is really just years of trying and testing and combining various family recipes into one. 

We spent most of today dying our eggs red and making our Easter bread in preparation for Sunday. It’s an all-day event as we usually make at least a dozen loaves and it’s not something that can be rushed. Nothing is worse than digging into a golden loaf of bread, only to find the middle raw and ‘doughy.’ 

Over the years, I have enjoyed tsoureki on its own- because it is quite delectable, but I've also loved it dipped in coffee, or with hard, pungent cheese on the side. I've even toasted it and had it with a drop of butter and my Godmother’s homemade quince marmalade. When it gets stale, I chop it up and make nutella bread pudding (now that's easy.)

If you don’t have homemade tsoureki, brioche or challah- style breads on hand, use the store bought variety as it will work perfectly. I’ll be sure to post the recipe for the pudding in a couple of weeks after we’ve had our fill of Easter bread. Until then, a very happy and blessed Easter to all those celebrating this Sunday.

I’d also like to leave you with Rita Wilson’s detailed account of Orthodox Easter, as I always have friends asking me about our celebrations and her narration is so eloquent and moving.

Kalo Pasxa everyone!