Easter Bread and a healthier Matzoh Ball Soup

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The holidays are upon us…. again. Wow. A year went by really fast, didn’t it? So we have Easter Bread and a ‘healthier’ Matzoh Ball Soup, for holiday recipes today. But let’s face it! It’s all about the ‘carbs’. lol

I thank one of the writers on food.com for providing this interesting idea for bread. Did you ever notice we cook mostly the same proteins for Easter and Christmas? Ham anyone? lol That’s why I went straight to something more unique for the holiday.

Easter Bread - special thanks to Food.com!
Easter Bread – special thanks to andypandy on Food.com!

Recipe author, andypandy from Ontario Canada says:

“Grandma Rose was from Calabria Italy. We always had this at Easter time. Great for toast and really good for French Toast. Just eat with a dab fresh butter and a cup of coffee. If you braid it, you can put sugar cubes on top that will burst in the oven in those areas, That is how the Italian bakeries do the tops. Ours is plain….”.

So the recipe for that is up next.

Healthier version of Matzoh Ball Soup
Healthier version of Matzoh Ball Soup

And I also thank my friend Barry, who needed a low salt, no Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) Matzoh Ball Soup, so I had to create this recipe for him.

As it turns out the low sodium Matzoh Ball Mix is not only low salt, but all the things you can’t pronounce, all the chemicals in the other mixes are gone too! Whew.  Amen! Can I get an Amen?

AMEN CHEF!

(In unison would be good next time)! lol

The broth I used was low sodium. So I had to bump up the flavor with something. So I picked caramelized onions and garlic. That and fresh dill and parsley. And I tell you! That did the trick. We’ll talk more in a minute…

But here’s the Easter Bread Recipe first:

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 quart whole milk, scalded and room temp
  • 12 large eggs
  • 2 oranges (juice and zest)
  • 2 lemons  (juice and zest)
  •  4 cups granulated sugar
  •  2 cups room temp. butter
  •  3⁄4tablespoon salt
  •  1⁄4lb fresh bakery yeast
  • Flour (enough to make a soft but not sticky dough)

The average amount to use is 7 – 8 cups of flour, but just try it her way first…. till it’s soft but not sticky.

DIRECTIONS

  1. Scald whole milk and let cool, add in the yeast.
  2. Beat eggs, and juice, and zest.
  3. Beat sugar and butter until fluffy continue to beat well.
  4. Add the beaten egg mixture into the beaten sugar butter mixture.
  5. Combine with the cooled scaled milk , and yeast mixture.
  6. Combine well, add sifted flour, continue adding flour until a soft dough comes together.
  7. Turn out onto a table and knead until soft, not too sticky, 5- 10 minutes.
  8. Let double in a greased bowl, covered.
  9. Punch down and let rise again.
  10. Form into braids after second rising, or put into loaf pans.
  11. Let rise until almost doubled Bake 350 degrees, until golden, 20 minutes approximately.
  12. Note; the amount of flour can be anything from 8- 12 cups, or more. but add gradually until you have a soft slightly sticky dough — where when touched your finger comes away tacky but not sticking to the bread board.Keep your dough soft not firm –.
  13. All depends on flour and humidity and how much juice from your oranges and lemons.
  14. Can braid and place under braiding but showing raw eggs white or already coloured, eggs will cook while baking, for an Easter morning delight.
  15. Directions on making the dough, can vary, as I have done the procedure in different ways, and now we can’t get fresh compressed yeast in our stores, so I use active dry yeast, usually 2 tablespoons.

And that’s your Easter Bread. Yum! (The crowd roars)! I’ve actually given you a link to her recipes so just click on her name (above) after you’re done ready this article, and see what else she makes to tantalize your taste buds!

My recipe for the Matzoh Balls is more of some recommendations, rather than an actual recipe, (because you can find that on the box). Unfortunately, directions on a box aren’t always right. So is the case with this mix. They want you to roll little itty bitty Matzoh Balls. But here’s what is really needed: a Matzoh Ball that is at least the size of a tennis ball, if not slightly bigger. This way, the center is hard and solid, and it’s fluffy all the way around outside the center. That’s perfect texture eating, in my opinion. And my ‘tasters’ both Barry and Linda agree!

The low sodium mix has great flavor. You’re not missing anything. So no worries on that mix.

And if you don’t need to watch your salt? Good old Chicken Broth or Bone Broth works great to throw those Matzoh Balls into! The people from The Test Kitchen liked Swanson Broth the best, but I always go for Organic! It’s a good habit to get into!

Happy Eating,

Chef Marian