I made two loaves of bread today. One was from a mix - all I needed to add was water and yeast. The second was loosely based on this recipe. Both breads ended up looking (and tasting) beautiful. I felt like I had a breakthrough.

You see, I always thought bread needed to go in a bread pan. Without thinking I’d spray the pan with cooking spray or grease it and then plop the dough in. The end result didn’t have much of a crust- and I LOVE crusty bread.

I did something a little different today. Instead of putting the dough in a pan, I formed it into a rounded loaf and placed it on a baking sheet. I applied an egg wash (just with egg whites because I had some in the fridge in a carton) with a pastry brush. On one bread I then sprinkled corn meal. I left the multigrain bread plain. Both have a great crust and a nice professional look.

So the next time you bake bread, think twice before you put it in a loaf pan. Try doing an egg wash and forming it into a rounded loaf shape. You can put cornmeal, too. That would work best for white loaves. You’ll be amazed at how professional it looks.

As a child, I knew Easter was fast approaching when we started making the koulouria. Spit-roasted lamb and these tasty rolls are the two things I tend to associate with Easter. My grandmother and her family started the tradition. She’s passed on but my mom and I continue it. We’ve learned that we can’t make them too far in advance because they’re usually gone!

Ingredients:

3 packets active dry yeast

1 c. warm water (108 – 112 degrees)

1 ½ c. whole milk

¾ stick of butter

1 ½ T shortening

3 eggs

1 c. sugar

1 ½ t. cinnamon

2 ½ - 3 lb flour

Instructions:

Dissolve yeast in 1 c. warm water. While yeast is dissolving, heat the milk in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add butter and shortening and let it melt. Remove saucepan from heat and stir in sugar until dissolved. Stir in cinnamon. Set aside. Beat three eggs in a separate mixing bowl vigorously with a whisk or for thirty seconds with the electric mixer. Slowly add the eggs to the milk mixture, whisking vigorously. Test the milk and egg mixture with a thermometer, making sure it’s 108-112 degrees. If not, let it cool down. When it’s at the right temperature, whisk in the dissolved yeast. Slowly add the flour until regular bread texture is achieved. Knead it for a minute or two until the dough gets firm. Form into a ball, cover the bowl with a towel, and let stand in a warm place until it doubles in size.

After the dough is done rising, punch it down. Form the dough into small donut shapes and line on a greased cookie sheet. Let rise again until doubled (about one hour).

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Brush the koulouria with egg wash (1 beaten egg mixed with a little water) and bake for around twenty minutes, or until tops are golden.