This year, in celebration of my first ever blogiversary, I'm taking the time to pass on my recipe for the Easter Crown. I recently discovered a food blogging challenge called WTSIM (Waiter there's something in my..) and the theme this month is Easter specialities, so I'm submitting this post to join the merry throng. Last month they had some amazing pie recipes that I can't wait to try when our weather turns wintery.
Easter treats in our house revolve around baking. The Simnel cake in one tradition I've carried on from my childhood, fruit cake with marzipan just has to have a second airing in the year besides Christmas. This Easter crown has been a recent innovation, since I started baking bread. It is made with an egg-enriched bread dough, with a filling of dried fruit and spice and I love the clever twist that turns the simple combination of ingredients into an impressive centrepiece for an Easter brunch or tea. I usually make it for Easter Day itself and sometimes for any school Easter celebrations too.
I have just realised why baking is so important at Easter time - my daughter has just decided to start blowing eggs to paint for her Easter tree decorations, so I have to bake to use them up or else be condemned to scrambled eggs for supper for a whole week.
Rich Yeast Bread Recipe for Easter Crown
4fl oz/ 125 ml milk
2oz/60g unsalted butter
1 tablespoon dry yeast or 10g instant yeast
2 fl oz/60 ml lukewarm water
14oz/375g flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 oz/ 45g sugar
1 egg
For the filling
2oz/60g currants
2oz/ 60g sultanas
2 tablespoons chopped mixed peel
1 1/2 oz/45g brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
grated zest of one lemon
Warm the milk and butter until the butter has melted, then allow to cool to lukewarm. Dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm water.
Sift the flour, sugar and salt together. Add the yeast mixture, milk and the beaten egg. Mix together with your hands or a knife until it forms a dough, then knead well for about 10 minutes as with any other bread.
Leave to rise for about 1 hour.
Knock down, pressing out the air, then roll dough out into a rectangle roughly 9x16 inches/23x40cm.
Mix together the filling ingredients, then sprinkle them over the dough, leaving a 3/4 inch/2cm border. Press the filling lightly into the dough with a rolling pin.
Roll the longest side of the rectangle in and keep rolling to make a long cylinder. Press on the edges to seal it together. Bring the two ends together into a circle, overlapping and pressing them together.
Put the circle onto a greased tray. Make a series of deep cuts into the the circle with a sharp knife, leaving them joined together at the centre. On this one I cut it into 16 sections for a wider, shallower crown, but I think it is better to do 12 sections and end up with a slightly more compact, deep crown.
Pull the slices gently apart and twist them so that they lie flat, making the spiral design here. A little bit of prodding into shape is often needed, but the dough is quite accommodating.
Leave to rise for another 1/2 to 3/4 hour. Bake at 400F/200C for 25-35 minutes until golden brown. As soon as it comes out of the oven brush the top with a glaze of 2oz/60g icing sugar mixed with 2-3 tablespoons of water. Cool on a rack, then eat sliced with butter or just tearing off a whole spiral and eating as it is.
This beats shop hot cross buns for tea, I haven't yet tried making my own of those. I'm hoping for a great recipe to show up in the WTSIM easter basket round-up.
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