Greek Easter Bread

Sue Ford knows that I'm always a sucker for a delicious bread. Reggie Dwork posted a Greek Easter Bread to the bread bakers digest in January, from More Bread Machine Magic, by Linda Rehberg and Lois Conway (St. Martin's Press). Reggie wrote: This bread always draws rave reviews when shared with friends. Don't pass it up. It's also a bread that defies the rules because the dough looks more like a batter than a bread dough in some machines. Have faith, it will bake up just fine. Sue modified the recipe a bit and her changes follow.

Greek Easter Bread

1-1/2 Lb Loaf

7/8 to 1 cup milk
1 egg
1/4 cup butter or shortening
1/4 cup honey
1 tablespoons vanilla
3 cups white bread flour
1-1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast

2 Lb Loaf

1 to 1-1/8 cup milk
2 eggs
6 tablespoons butter or shortening
6 tablespoons honey
4 teaspoons vanilla
4 cups white bread flour
2 teaspoons active dry yeast

Place all ingredients in bread pan, using the least amount of liquid listed in the recipe. Select light crust setting and Sweet Bread cycle. Press Start.

After the baking cycle ends, remove bread from pan, place on cake rack, and allow to cool 1 hr before slicing.

CRUST: Light
BAKE CYCLE: Sweet Bread
OPTIONAL BAKE CYCLE: Standard/Whole Wheat/Rapid Bake

Nutrition according to original recipe:
Cal 161; Fat 4.4g; Carb 26.2g; Fib .8g; Pro 3.8g; Sod 13mg

Here are Sue's changes, for the Toastmaster ABM. Note the additional ingredients

milk + 1 egg to equal 3/4 cup
a couple drops of yellow food coloring
3 tablespoons honey
4 tablespoons butter (I cut cold butter into very small pieces rather than melting)
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon anise
2-1/2 cups flour
1-1/2 teaspoons yeast

sweet bread cycle, light crust.

This bread may also be prepared manually, or shaped after an initial rise in the abm, and baked in a 375F oven for about 25 minutes. In this case, be sure to press a hard-boiled egg into the top before the second rise for a traditional loaf.