The Molise Easter braid is one of those recipes that are prepared for this holiday and that I really like.
The taste is a bit similar to my Abruzzo Easter donuts that I prepare every year and usually give as a gift to offer good wishes.
A very soft cake that certainly keeps for a few days, but I couldn’t fully test it… they disappeared in a flash!
They were gone immediately and I even made a reduced batch. If I’d known, I would have made a few more!
The flavor is exactly what characterizes almost all leavened Easter cakes, but what can I say? These braids are really good, you absolutely must try them.
If you make this or any of my other recipes from my blog, feel free to send me your photos and I will post them on my Facebook page with your name.
880 kcal per braid
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Cheap
- Rest time: 6 Hours 30 Minutes
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 3 braids
- Cooking methods: Electric oven
- Cuisine: Regional Italian
- Region: Molise
- Seasonality: Easter
Ingredients to make the Molise Easter Braid
- 1 medium egg
- 15 g fresh brewer's yeast
- 50 g all-purpose flour
- 140 g potatoes (weight raw and peeled)
- 3 medium eggs
- 80 g sugar
- 1 pinch salt
- grated zest of 1 lemon
- 30 ml rum
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 400 g all-purpose flour
- 1 yolk with a splash of milk or water
- 20 g colorful sugar sprinkles
Preparation of the Molise Easter Braid
In a bowl, beat one egg, add the brewer’s yeast and dissolve it well, then add the 50g of all-purpose flour and mix well until you create a nice batter.
Leave to rest in the oven for a couple of hours with the oven light on.
After the time has passed, pour the leavened batter into the mixer, or you can do all the work by hand, adding all the ingredients little by little. First, use the flat beater, then at the end of the ingredient addition, use the dough hook.
Work the dough for 10 minutes, then place it in a large, lightly floured bowl, cover and put it in the oven with the light on and also place a pan with very hot water in the oven… it helps leavening.
The leavening should last about 3 hours.
Once leavening is achieved, pour the dough onto a floured work surface, lightly dust with flour and make folds, repeating the operation twice.
For the folds, you can refer to the photos found in the recipe.
Once the folds are completed, form a dough ball, cover with plastic wrap and let it rest for about ten minutes
….then divide it into 3 balls, let rest for 5 minutes.
With each ball, make a long rope and divide into 3 equal parts
…..and form the braid.
Place the braids on a baking tray lined with baking paper and let rise for a couple of hours or until doubled in size.
Once risen, brush the surface with the yolk and water (or milk) mixture, sprinkle with colorful sugar sprinkles, and bake in a hot oven at 356°F for 20-22 minutes.
