INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

This braided bread recipe has its origins in the Byzantine Era and was
traditionally prepared with an essence drawn from the seeds of
Mediterranean wild cherries, called makhlepi. It's worth a trip to
your local specialty market to purchase this uncommon ingredient, but
you may elect to prepare this beautiful bread without the seed
essence.  You don't have to be a theologian to comprehend the
correlation  between the Easter season and bread making as nearly any
yeast-activated bread will rise again when diligently prepared. Even
if you elect not to prepare this deliciously unique Greek Easter
Bread, you'll want some type of yeast-based bread on the table of  your
Easter feast.  In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warmed milk. Stir in
1 cup flour  and 1/2 cup sugar, cover bowl with plastic wrap and set
aside for  1-hour. Steep makhlepi (if utilizing) in 1/2 cup simmering
water for  about 5-minutes. Strain mixture and discard seeds. Set
remaining  liquid aside to cool.  Stir 1/2 cup water or
makhlepi-scented liquid into the yeast mixture.  Add butter and 5 eggs
and thoroughly combine. Sift in 8 cups of  flour, salt and remaining
sugar into bread mixture. Add salt, orange  and lemon zest, and mix
thoroughly with a large wooden spoon. Turn  out dough onto a floured
surface. Knead, adding more flour if  necessary, until smooth,
approximately 10-minutes. Form the dough  into a ball and place in a
lightly greased bowl. Cover the dough with  a clean dish towel and set
aside to raise for about 2-hours.  Return dough to the floured surface.
Divide the dough into 6-equal  parts and roll into ropes about
15-inches long. For each loaf,  loosely braid 3 ropes, turn under ends
and press 1 dyed egg  (optional) near one end of each braid. Set bread
aside to rise again  for at least 1-hour on a lightly greased cookie
sheet.  Pre-heat oven to 350-F degrees. Brush bread with remaining
beaten egg  and sprinkle with black cumin seeds. Bake until golden,
approximately  40 to 50-minutes. Store cooled bread in an airtight
container or  serve warm.  Kitchen Staff Tip: Take the time to
carefully prepare the orange and  lemon zest. Make sure you remove
nearly all of the white pith from  the rind of the fruits or your bread
may turn out bitter. Peal the  fruit and utilize a small, sharp,
non-serrated knife to remove any  remaining pith from the rind. Then
mince, food process or grind the  zest into tiny bits before using in
this recipe.  Posted to dailyrecipe@recipe-a-day.com by The Cook &
Kitchen Staff  <dailyrecipe-owner@recipe-a-day.com> on Apr 04, 1998

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Nutrition (calculated from recipe ingredients)
----------------------------------------------
Calories: 3376
Calories From Fat: 623
Total Fat: 70.7g
Cholesterol: 699.6mg
Sodium: 1509.7mg
Potassium: 1178.5mg
Carbohydrates: 593.3g
Fiber: 15.8g
Sugar: 164.3g
Protein: 85.6g