Easter Bread

I know its been a while since my last blog....what can I say? I have been busy. Lifestyle changes and some medical issues took precedence. I am glad to be back. I will be leaving for Texas this coming Saturday ( 5 days ) for the month of April. I will be staying at my brother and sis-in-laws house and taking care of the kids, pets, house and cars for a couple of weeks while they celebrate their anniversary in Europe! I am happy to do it. I love spending time with all of them. So the past few weeks, I have been preparing for a lengthy vacation. Clothes, Spring Cleaning, Food preparation for my mom while I am gone, etc..... Today I am making my Easter Bread....the only time I havent made it is when I was living in FL for one Easter.  I decided I didnt want to leave my family without it so I am making it ahead of time and freezing it for them to enjoy on the holiday. My son usually gets his own loaf and wouldnt want to disappoint him. My mother started making this recipe when I was a child and when it became difficult for her to mix the dough by hand, I took over. It is a family tradition and its most delicious. I refuse to revise this recipe and make any changes, it may not be Healthy but its too good and we only eat it once a year. I will be making it in TX this yr as well for my brother Scott and his family...my neice Cassie will help me and maybe carry on our tradition in TX. I serve this bread on Easter morning for breakfast with our colored eggs and fresh fruit. It is a sweet bread and more like a dessert than a dinner bread, but we Lessard's eat it with dinner too!

Easter Bread

Ingredients:

1 package active dry yeast

1/4 lukewarm water

1 cup milk ( scalded )

1/2 cup sugar

2 tsp salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter

4 1/2 - 5 cups sifted flour

2 eggs

2 tsp grated lemon zest

Sugar glaze

Soften yeast in the lukewarm water. Combine milk, sugar, butter and salt and let cool to lukewarm. Add in about 2 cups flour and mix well.***. Add eggs and continue mixing. Add softened yeast and lemon zest. Add remaining flour to make a soft dough. ( I usually use about 4 1/2 cups of flour depending on the humidity ). Let rest 10 minutes.

Knead on lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic. Place in lightly greased bowl in warm place covered until doubled ( about 1 1/2 hours ). Punch down. Let rise until double again ( about 1 hr ). Punch down and divide into 2 balls. Let rest covered about 10 minutes.

for each loaf;

Divide each ball into 4 equal parts. shape 3 of those parts into strands 12 inches long tapering ends. Line up strands 1 inch apart and braid loosely without stretching dough. Diving remaining fourth into 3 strands and make strands 8 inches long and braid. Place small braid on top of large braid, tucking ends of small braid into large braid. Cover and rise until double. Bake loaves at 350 degrees for about 25-30 minutes . While warm spread with sugar glaze.

Makes 2 loaves.

*** Note: I use my Kitchen aid stand mixer with dough hook attachment!

Sugar Glaze:

2 cups sifted confectioners sugar with 1/4 cup hot water and 1 tsp butter..mix well until a drippy consistency and drizzle over warm breads.

Resolutions or Banana Bread?

After several weeks of not paying close attention to my diet, unable to exercise due to pain, new pains arising, and the holidays....I started off the New Year vowing to myself I would do better! I know I can lose weight - because I have. I know I can like exercising - because I have.  I know I can do it because I have to. The holiday decorations are packed away, the house is back to normal.....and I will cook and eat only healthy foods. I can lose 25lbs before I go to Texas in April and I can get my blood sugar under control and maybe even come off the medication I was put on. Unfortunately these are words and not actions. Stress causes spikes in blood sugar and seems like stress is my middle name. I need to take action and beat this stress before I can beat the battle of the bulge? Mom cooked dinner tonite- a Vegetarian chili and it was very good. Mine went over some left over brown rice and broccol....odd combo but an added vegetable is a Good Thing. About an hour later she came into my room and said to me " what was I thinking.....we have no dessert".....I laughed since when I cook I try to include something for later. I showed her a recipe for Chocolate Banana Bread I had just printed out....and decided to make it. First of all- I substituted whole wheat flour for half of the flour called for, and I used granulated splenda instead of sugar. I thought these were healthier choices and the only way I can do things from now on. As a Chef and a lover of food, there is no way I can give up the things I love most but I can make them better for me!

Chocolate Banana Bread:
Ingredients:
1/2 cup toasted and coarsely chopped walnuts
1 cup flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup dutch process cocao powder ( I used a mix of Valrhona and imported Dominican Cocao )
1 cup granulated splenda
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

2 large eggs beaten

1/2 cup melted and cooled unsalted butter

3 ripe bananas mashed

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2 white or dark chocolate chips ( semi sweet are fine )

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Melt butter and let cool

Spray Loaf pan with Baking Pam or spray and flour.

In large bowl, whisk together flour, cocao, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In medium bowl combine mashed bananas, eggs, melted and cooled butter, and vanilla. Gently fold wet ingredients into dry until just combined. Batter will be thick and chunky. Add nuts and chocolate chips mix in. ( I sprinkled the nuts on top instead ). Sprinkle the top with coarse brown or raw sugar if desired. Bake at 350 for about 50 minutes until toothpick comes out of center clean. Cool and remove from pan. Serve warm or at room temperature. Totally worth making! The Banana makes it sweet, the chocolate gives some added flavor and its NOT sweet at all. YUMMY!!!  Now the Chef and foodie in me wants another peice...but the Healthy woman inside me is saying - Tommorow! Thats my Banana Bread Resolution! I CAN have both! Remember - Life is full of Tasty Morsels!