I have always loved making holiday breads, especially for Easter. Easter breads combine my love of baking nicely with my interest in the history of food.

Spring holidays have been important to mankind since the dawn of time. They mark the end of winter and darkness, and the time when the earth comes back to life. Just as Christmas and other winter holidays are festivals of the return of light in the worldly and spiritual sense, Easter, Passover and other spring holidays celebrate new life, new beginnings and rebirth in both the physical and spiritual realms.

Easter is a festival so rich in history, folklore, symbolism, and religious and ethnic tradition that I cannot give it more than a passing mention here. In fact, no Christian holiday (except perhaps Christmas) has more symbolic foods than Easter!

The word "Easter" stems from the name of the Saxon diety Eostre, Goddess of Spring. In most other Christian countries, however, the word for Easter is related to Passover. It’s Pascua in Spanish; Pasqua in Italian; Pasen in Dutch; and Pask in Swedish, as just a few examples. In fact, until 325 C.E., early Christians observed Easter at the same time as the Jewish Passover, as the Last Supper was a Passover seder.

As with Christmas, many of our symbols of Easter come from pre-Christian sources. The rabbit, for instance, has represented birth and new life in ancient Egypt, and was sacred to the goddess Eostre. In fact, her "Moon-hare" would lay eggs for good children. Hence, the Easter bunny! The egg is a universal symbol of life, and vegans, even if they prefer not to eat the eggs, can still use the egg shape in a symbolic way.

Grain also has been a symbol of fertility, good fortune and plenty since the dawn of time, and breads are still used symbolically. All festive breads reflect this. Even the shapes of Easter breads have meanings that go far back into pre-Christian times. For instance, the cross on Hot Cross Buns, now have a Christian symbolism, but it originally divided the bun into the four seasons, or four directions. And in Northern Europe women offered their braided hair to the goddess of fertility. Later, braided bread was used as an offering instead. Risen dough also has strong connotations of fertility, or, new life.

Since my paternal grandmother was Italian and Easter is such an important Italian holiday, I usually make an Italian Easter bread (or, my oldest daughter often makes it now). Easter festivities in Italy are rich and varied, as is the food. Easter breads, different ones in each region of Italy, abound. The best description of Easter festivities and foods in Italy can be found in Carol Field's amazing book Celebrating Italy, and a wonderful short history of the symbolism in bread can be found in her book The Italian Baker. I urge you to order them from the library if this subject interests you!

Here is the Italian Easter bread ring that is traditional in our family. Enjoy!


BRYANNA’S PANE DI PASQUA (ITALIAN EASTER BREAD RING)
1 Large loaf

This beautiful bread is usually made with colored raw eggs baked in the twists of dough. To stay vegan but keep the ancient Spring Equinox/Easter egg-as-symbol-of-new-life-and-renewal theme, you can mound candy eggs in colored paper "straw" in the center of the cooled, baked ring (dairy-free, naturally-sweetened, organic chocolate eggs are available in many health food stores at Easter), or use polished colored egg-shaped rocks that are used for decoration or paperweights, or colored egg-shaped candles.

1/2 c. warm water
2 tsp. regular baking yeast
1/4 tsp. real Spanish saffron
1/2 c. regular soymilk
1/4 c. light unbleached or white beet sugar
3 T. Earth Balance (Thrifty’s or Edible Island)
grated zest of one orange (organic, if possible)
grated zest of one lemon (organic, if possible)
1/2 T. anise seed
2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. pure almond extract
3/4 tsp. salt
2 and 3/4 c. unbleached white flour
1/4 c. wheat germ
1/2 c. golden raisins
1/2 c. chopped dried apricots
OPTIONAL: 1/3 c. chopped lightly toasted almonds or pine nuts

TO MAKE SOY-FREE: If you can't use soymilk, which helps make a light loaf, substitute 1 c. of commercial almond milk (Almond Breeze) or other non-dairy milk for the soymilk AND the water, and add 1 T. of instant mashed potato flakes (there is an organic variety available in health food stores) to the dough.

Directions:

Add the yeast and saffron to the warm water in a cup and let sit 5 or 10 minutes, until bubbly.

In a small saucepan or a microwave, heat the soymilk until it is just hot, with bubbles around the edges. Add the sugar and margarine and stir to dissolve. When the soymilk has cooled down a bit, add it to the yeast and water. Pour this into a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer with a bread hook.

Place the anise seed on a square of waxed paper and fold part of it over to cover the seeds. Crush the seeds with a heavy rolling pin.

Add the citrus zests, crushed anise seed, vanilla, almond extract, and salt to the bowl. Stir in the wheat germ and 1 cup of the flour. Beat well for a minute or two, then gradually add the remaining flour. Knead with a dough hook or by hand on a floured surface for 5-10 minutes. (Add as little flour as you can get away with. Oil your hands and the surface, if necessary.) (See options below for kneading in a bread machine or food processor.) Place the dough in a lightly-oiled bowl and turn it over to coat the top. Place the bowl in a large plastic bag or cover with a clean, damp tea towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, 1 to 1 and 1/2 hours.

Turn the risen dough out on a lightly-floured surface and pat it out into a flat rectangle. Sprinkle the surface with the dried fruits and optional nuts, if using. Roll up the dough jelly-roll style, then fold up the ends. Knead the dough gently by folding and rolling until the fruit, etc., are well-distributed throughout the dough.

Cut the dough in half. Roll each half on a lightly-floured board into a 24"-long "rope". Twist the two ropes of dough together loosely (starting in the middle) and form them into a ring on a lightly-greased baking sheet, tucking the ends together neatly and evenly. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake the bread for 30 minutes in the center or upper half of the oven, or just until the loaf is a deep golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom. Cool on a rack before slicing.

Spread an organic powdered sugar glaze on the bread while it's still warm and sprinkle the top with colored candy sprinkles, if you like.

TO KNEAD THE DOUGH IN A FOOD PROCESSOR:

You can make this dough in a food processor, following the directions given with your machine. DO NOT add the dried fruit and nuts to the machine. Knead them in by hand after the first rising as instructed in the recipe. Process the dough ("knead") for 30-60 seconds.

TO KNEAD THE DOUGH IN A BREAD MACHINE:

Place the ingredients in the bread container in the order instructed for your machine. DO NOT add the dried fruit and nuts at the beginning. If your machine has a sweet bread cycle, it will beep when it's time to add these ingredients. Otherwise, you'll have to pay attention and add them toward the very end of the kneading cycle, so that they don't get pulverized. Let the bread go through the rising cycle.