Easter Folar

The Easter Folar is a traditional Portuguese sweet bread. I made it for the first time this Easter and I had to mix and match several recipes to come up with my own. I am very proud to say that the taste came out exactly as I remembered it!

Fennel and cinnamon are the flavours of Easter in Portugal so it is not surprising that this sweet bread tastes of both.

Serves: 2 breads.

Ingredients:

• 500g white bread flour
• 1 tbsp fast action yeast
• 100g sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp fennel seeds, crushed
• pinch of salt
• 3 eggs
• 50 ml Aguardente (I used vodka instead as I had none at home)
• 80g butter, melted
• 50ml warm milk
• 2 hard boiled eggs
• Egg wash: 1 beaten egg

Method:

1. Add the flour, sugar, yeast, cinnamon and fennel and the pinch of salt to a bowl. Mix.
   
   
   
2. Add the 3 eggs, the Aguardente and the butter and mix well. Add the milk slowly until you have a consistent dough.
   
   
   
   
   
   
3. Kneed the dough on the work surface for 5-10min until ready and then let it prove for 1-2h or until doubled in size.
   
   
   
   
   
   
4. Weigh the dough and split it in half. I had 952g of dough before splitting.
5. The following is per half a dough:
1. Remove 100g of the dough so you can make the top decoration. Make 2 strips about the thickness of a finger.
   
   
   
2. With the remaining of the dough, make a round bread.
3. Place the bread on top of a stick-proof oven tray or a buttered and floured oven tray. 
   
   
   
4. Place a boiled egg on the middle of the bread and push it into the dough.
   
   
   
5. Place 2 strips on top, forming a cross.
   
   
   
6. Cover and let it prove for 1 hour.
7. Egg wash the bread.
   
   
   
6. Bake in a 200°C oven for 30 min.
   
   
   
7. It can be eaten straight or with butter or even cheese.