Easter Country Bread PastryFilling
- 3 cups all-purpose (plain) flour
- 3/4 cups softened butter
- salt
- 2 small eggs, lightly beaten
Glaze
- 1 1/4 cups Ricotta or good quality cottage cheese
- 1/2 pound smoked provola cheese, diced (try scamoraza Sicilian provolone as a substitute)
- scant 1/2 pound mozzarella cheese, diced
- 1 2/3 cups grated Parmesan cheese
- 4 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1/4 pound Parma ham or salami, diced
- 2-3 sprigs parsley, finely chopped
- salt and pepper
We would call this a pie, but it is a kind of pizza in Naples.
- egg, beaten, to brush pastry
Sift the flour on to a pastry board or into a bowl and mix in the butter. Add a pinch of salt and the eggs. Work quickly, just enough to mix the ingredients to a dough. Put aside in a floured bowl and leave, covered, for 30 minutes.
Mix the four cheeses in a bowl, add the eggs, Parma ham or salami, parsley and a pinch of salt and pepper. Put aside.
Divide the dough into two pieces, one slightly larger than the other. Roll both pieces into round sheets - sufficient to cover a 12-inch pie pan. Line the pan with the larger sheet of pastry. Spread with the filling and cover with the remaining sheet of pastry.
Press the edges down firmly. Gather together the remaining ends of the pastry and roll them into a strip, like a thin cord. Press this lightly round the edges. Prick all over with a fork and brush with beaten egg. Bake in a moderate oven (375 degrees F. Mark 4) for about 1 hour, or until the top is golden brown
Serve warm or cold.
In winter, two Italian pork sausages are added to the pie. They are first fried until brown, then skinned, and the meat crumbled and spread over the bottom of the pastry before the rest of the filling is added.
Easter Egg Bread
1) Dissolve yeast with sugar in the warm milk. Set aside to rise.
2) Sift flour in deep bowl.
3) Add warm evaporated milk mixed with water and melted butter.
4) Add beaten egg yolks, salt and yeast mixture. Knead very well. Cover and let set in a warm place, away from any drafts. Let dough rise for 2 hours. Roll out on a floured board, divide into portions for braids.
Cover, let stand for 15 minutes.
5) Braid the bread loosely. form a loosely braided ring, leaving spaces for the five colored eggs.
Seal the ends of the ring together and use your fingers to slide the eggs between the braids of dough.
Preheat oven to 350°.
6) Place loaf on a buttered baking sheet and cover loosely with a damp towel.
7) Place loaf in a warm place and let rise until doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes.
8) Brush risen loaf with beaten egg white, sprinkle lightly with extra fine sugar.
Bake in 350° preheated oven for 10 minutes then raise temperature to 375° and bake for an hour, or until golden