Nonna’s Easter Bread
A DISCLAIMER. Nonna does not tend to use exact quantities in her recipes. She cooks uses her senses, looking, smelling, tasting and touching along the way to ensure the chicken stock is properly salted, the flavors of the tomato sauce have melded, and the consistency of the risotto is perfect. I’ve added estimated quantities based on Nonna’s instructions for you to use as a guide. Taste as you go and make additions and substitutions as you see fit. That’s how I learned to cook and it’s my favorite part of being in the kitchen.
what you need:
1 block of pecorino romano, ideally locatelli brand
2 packets of yeast
2 pounds of AP flour
1 dozen eggs
1/2 stick softened butter
salt + pep
stand mixer with dough hook (not necessary, but makes your life easier)
what you do:
finely grate the block of pecorino romano, reserving a few cubes to stick in the final loaves. add two packets of yeast to 3/4 cup of warm water and stir. mix flour and grated pecorino romano in the bowl of a stand mixer then crack in all 12 eggs. NONNA TIP: Crack each egg one at a time into a small bowl to make sure it is ‘okay’ before adding into the flour mixture. add yeast mixture and give it a few stirs before equipping the mixer with a dough hook and letting it do the work. when the dough is almost fully mixed add 3 scant tsp of kosher salt and pepper. mix until incorporated then dump onto a floured surface. break up butter into smaller pieces and knead into the dough until fully incorporated. If the dough becomes too sticky to work with, add some additional flour and continue to knead until you get a smooth dough. divide the dough into three even loaves then pop a few cubes of reserved pecorino romano into the top of each. butter three loaf pans and then transfer each loaf into the prepared pan. use your fingers to gently press the dough so that it fills the entire pan. cover and leave in a warm place to allow the dough to rise for a few hours or until more than double in size. once ready, bake at 400 degrees for 20 mins or until golden brown.
