Easter treats (Easter Specials in General)

Member Name: mumsymary

Product:	Easter Specials in General
Date:	27/03/03 (1007 review reads)
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Advantages: Tasty

Disadvantages: fattening

EASTER TREATS

Well soon it is Easter hot cross buns have been in the shops since Christmas, followed shortly after by even more Cadbury?s cream eggs. There are an assortment of Easter eggs on sale now but I am going to give you a few recopies for making Easter goodies I have made these with my daughter and with children at work, some of them on my own.


So where shall I start?
Hot cross buns.

Nothing better than a warm hot cross bun warm, straight from the oven. Mass produced ones from Tesco?s bear no resemblance to these,

450g (1 lb), plain flour
1 teaspoon, sugar
40-50 ml, (1/2-2floz), warm milk
1 level tsp salt
2 oz (50g), mixed peel
2oz (50g), melted butter
¼ pint warm water
1 level tablespoon dried yeast
1 rounded teaspoon mixed spice,
2oz(50g)
3 oz (75g) currants
1 large egg beaten
A glaze of 2 tablespoons sugar and 2 tablespoons water.

Stir in 1-teaspoon sugar to the ¼ pint (50ml) of warm water then sprinkler in the 1 tablespoon dried yeast. Leave till frothy and bubbly (this is a good reaction to show to children)
While this is happening sift flour salt and mixed spice into a bowl add the sugar, currants and mixed peel (personally I do not like mixed peel so add 2oz extra currants or raisins)
Make a well in the centre of the dry mix and pour in the yeast mix plus the warm milk, add the beaten egg and melted butter.

Mix all this into a dough you can start with a spoon but finish with your hands you may need to add a little more milk. Knead and mix the ingredients altogether now to make soft warm dough not sticky. Put the dough on a floured surface and knead it for a couple of minutes. (Make sure children have washed hands)
Now put this dough back into a bowl cover with a tea towel of piece of cling film for an hour while you have a coffee and rest.


After about an hour it should have doubled in size.
Now kn
ead the dough so it is back down to its original size and divide the mixture into about 12, make these into round small bun like shapes place them on a baking tray with room for expansion and make a deep cross on the top of each one. (You could have made some pastry and cut this into thin strips and put this on top to make cross)
Cover the buns with oiled plastic bag or tea towel and leave to rise again for ½ hour or so in a warm place. The buns will double in size.

Next put oven on 220c gas 7 and when up to heat put the buns in take about 15 minutes to cook. Your kitchen will be filled with the lovely aroma of spicy buns.
Dissolve sugar into water while they are cooking and brush over buns as soon as buns come out of oven. I defy you not to eat one immediately cut in half and spread with lots of butter. Oh I can see those waists expanding NOW!






Easter bread.

When I went to Crete on holiday for the first time many years ago now at Easter, I came across this loaf a spicy sweet bread with coloured eggs inserted in the top. It is really scrummy. I found the recipe in a bread recipe book mmm its delicious try it.

3 EGGS
¼ tsp red colouring paste
1 tbsp white vinegar
1 tbsp water
1 tablespoon olive oil.



Dough
450g(1 lb) white bread flour
1/2 tsp salt)
5ml(1 tbs) allspice
2.5ml (1/2 tsp) cinnamon
2.5 mg?(1/2 tspn caraway seeds)
20g (3/4tspn) fresh yeast or equivalent dried
175ml (6 fluid oz) warm milk
50g(2oz) butter
40 g (1 ½ oz) caster sugar
2 eggs

Glaze
1 egg yolk 5 ml (1 tsp) clear honey
5ml (1 tbsp) cold water

First hard boil 3 eggs about 10 mins.
While they are boiling mix red food paste, colouring and vinegar and water together in a bowl
Leave the eggs to cool

Grease a baking sheet. Sift flour, salt, allspice and cinnamon into a large bowl and add caraway seeds

Mix in a jug the yeast with milk.
In a bowl cream butter and sugar then add 2 eggs
Add this creamed mixture and the yeast mix to the flour.
Mix in to dough
When you have good dough knead it on a board then put in bowl and cover leave to raise about 2 hrs double sizes

Get your cold eggs and roll them in the colouring mixture return them to a rack to dry

Kneed your dough again and divide dough into 3 pieces.
Roll these pieces into a 15-20 inch (38-50cm.
Plait these together
Push the three eggs into the dough
Leave the dough plait to rise another hour then place on your baking sheet.


Heat oven to 190c(gas 5)
Mix the egg yolk honey and water together for a glaze and brush over loaf.
Cook for about40- 45 mins until golden brown and cooked
Eat for tea buttered with lashing of butter and enjoy a Greek Easter treat






Hands up who hasn?t as a child made Easter nests?
A really good simple Easter treat to make with children?

These can simply be made using a swiss roll.
Make some chocolate butter cream
2-oz/50g butter
4oz/100g icing sugar
25g/1oz chocolate powder

Slice the Swiss roll (chocolate of course) into rings.
Then cover the tops and sides in chocolate butter cream and make it a litte nest like with a depression in the middle.
You can crumble a chocolate flake over the chocolate butter cream looks a bit more like nesting material
Place some bought little Easter eggs in the middle arrange on plate and offer as Easter treats for tea.
Easy and good to make with children ? keep tracks on how many eggs actually end up on cake and not in mouths I suggest buying more eggs than you need.


Another way to make Easter nests is
50g coco pops or rice crispies or shredded wheat
100g chocolate or choc chips.
Paper cases
Little easter eggs

First break /cut
chocolate v small put into bowl
Then boil some water put it in a larger pan /bowl.
Then place the smaller bowl with choc in the larger one with water and the heat of the water will melt the chocolate.
Next mix in coco pops or.
Then take spoonfuls of mix put them in paper cases and make a hollow in the middle.
Place some eggs 2or 3 in the centre of each nest. If you have a cake decoration chick put this on nest too.
Serve to delighted children or give from the child to thrilled grannies (can?t wait for Adrian to be old enough to cook and wow me with his offerings.)



Easter biscuits
these are really nice spicy curranty biscuits

100g/ 4 oz butter or marge
75g/3oz caster sugar
1 egg separated
200g/7oz plain flour
Pinch salt
2.5 ml ½ level teaspoon mixed spice
2.5 ½ level teaspoon ground cinnamon
50g/ 2 oz currants
15ml 1tbsp mixed peel personally I leave this out add a few extra currants
15-30 ml/ 1-2 tbs milk
A little caster sugar for sprinkling on top

Grease baking sheet
Cream butter and sugar
Beat in egg yolk
Sift flour and salt and spiced into mix and fold in
Add the fruit /and peel add enough milk to make a soft dough
Knead dough and then roll out to about ¼ inch 5mm thick
Cut into rounds make an indentation of a cross on the biscuit bake for 10 minutes in oven at 200c gas 6 remove brush with beaten egg sprinkle on sugar and bake 10 more mins this makes them golden brown
Cool on rack. You can add an icing cross if you wish mmm very tasty.
Well I THINK I have given you enough ideas to be creative with Easter cookery you could always buy Easter egg moulds, melt some chocolate and make your own eggs this way.

Happy Easter Mary

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