An Easter bread to savor all year long

Wednesday, 07 March 2012 00:00

With spring just a few weeks away, we are dreaming of tulips, colored eggs and Easter breads. There are many different recipes out there, some filled with luxurious ingredients such as cheese, dried fruits and meats.

The most popular one celebrated at this time of year is elaborately braided and filled with colored, cooked Easter eggs.

This delightfully sweet bread is a favorite in our family and also a tradition to serve for breakfast on Easter morning (visit TwiceBakedTwins.com for this recipe). We serve it toasted, just until the icing gets all caramelized and crunchy, and then slather it with butter.

But not at our best friend Tim’s house. He introduced us to something a bit different many years ago, something called Krescha (pronounced Cray-sha), which is a savory, peppery cheese bread. Tim’s mom served it before the meal, a thick slice and with a full bodied red wine.

Traditionally, a good parmesan cheese is used with lots of cracked black pepper. We experimented a bit and tried using two of our favorites — asiago and romano cheeses — and we loved it, but try whichever your family likes best.

A Kitchen Aid mixer whips this bread up quickly, making it pretty simple. As the bread was baking and the wonderful aroma filled the house, the kids came into the kitchen, each one asking, “What smells so good?”. Enjoy.

Please visit us at TwiceBakedTwins.com for more traditional recipes as we enjoy all the holidays and everyday together.

Krescha

A wonderful cheesy, peppery bread served mostly at Easter, but it is so good it may be favorite all year long.

1 cup warm milk

2 (1/4 oz. each) packages active dry yeast

1/4 teaspoon sugar

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

6 eggs

3/4 cup grated Romano cheese

3/4 cup grated asiago cheese

2 teaspoons cracked black pepper

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon butter, softened

In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm milk, add sugar. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes. Lightly grease two 9x5-inch loaf pans. In a large bowl, combine the yeast mixture with the flour, eggs, cheese and butter; beat well for about 4-5 minutes. The dough will be very sticky (you can add a bit more flour if needed).

Scoop dough into prepared loaf pans. Cover and let rise for about 60 minutes, or until nearly doubled. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350º. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until loaves are golden brown and sound hollow tapped. Remove from pans and place on a wire rack to cool.

Watch us on WFSB Channel 3 Better Connecticut as we show you just how easy it is to make this treat. Feel free to contact us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , and visit our website TwiceBaked Twins.com.