Folar (Portuguese Easter Bread) is a traditional Portuguese recipe for a classic sweet yeasted bread in which a hard-boiled egg is baked and which is tratitionally served for Easter. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Portuguese version of: Portuguese Easter Bread (Folar).
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This is a traditional Portuguese Easter bread that typically has an egg baked into the centre that's held in place with a cross of bread dough. Like all these European breads with eggs in them, they hearken back to pagan festivals celebrating the coming of spring (the English name Easter is actually derived from the Germanic goddess, Œstere, goddess of the dawn) where the eggs represented rebirth and the fecundity of spring. The symbology was subsequently absorbed into Christianity to represent resurrection.
Ingredients:
400g plain flour
1 sachet active, dried, yeast
60ml warm water
45g caster sugar
90g butter, softened
1 egg
240ml warm milk
1 tsp ground aniseed
1 tsp ground cinnamon
pinch of sea salt
2 hard-boiled eggs (still in their shells)
1 egg, beaten with 1 tbsp milk, to glaze
Method:
Mix the warm water, yeast and a generous pinch of the sugar in a mug. Cover and set aside for 10 minutes, or until frothy.
When the yeast is ready, mix in a bowl with 100g of the flour, half the sugar and 40ml of the milk. Mix the ingredients together to form a soft dough then cover with a clean cloth and set aside in a warm place for 30 minutes.
After this time, crack the egg into a bowl and mix together with the salt and spices. Now work in the remaining milk and the sugar.
Once your dough starter has risen, knock it back then begin working in the milk mixture and the remaining flour. Once all these ingredients have been incorporated begin kneading in the softened butter. Work the dough well, kneading until smooth and elastic then cover with a clean cloth and set aside to rise in a warm place for about 150 minutes.
Knock the dough back and divide into two pieces. Take off a small portion of each and set aside. Shape the dough into rough loaves and nestle a hard-boiled egg in the centre of each. Form the reserved dough into strips and secure the eggs to the loaves with a cross made from this dough. Brush the tops of both loaves with the glaze then transfer to lightly-greased baking trays.
Place in an oven pre-heated to 200°C and bake for about 40 minutes, or until the breads are cooked through and golden brown. Like all loaves, they should sound hollow when rapped on the base. Allow to cool slightly, but serve warm.
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