Portuguese Easter Bread

By amaliana

Ingredients

• 3 yeast cakes
• 12 cups flour
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 3 cups sugar
• 12 eggs, well beaten
• 1 pint lukewarm milk
• 1/2 pound butter, melted

Details

Servings 12

Preparation

Step 1

Dissolve yeast cakes in 1 cup lukewarm water and set aside.
Sift flour and salt together, in a large pan.
Mix the sugar and well beaten eggs with the lukewarm milk. Add this mixture to the flour. Add yeast. Knead all this until it has the consistency of bread dough.
Lastly add the melted shortening, kneeding a little more, and adding more milk, if necessary.
Cover and let rise until double in bulk (usually overnight).
Divide the dough into round, slightly flat loaves, roll in flour, place in greased pie plates.
On top of each loaf, if desired, press into dough a raw egg( still in shells which has been washed in cold water).
Place 1 or 2 strips of dough over egg and let rise again. For a glaze , pat milk over loaf before placing in oven.
Bake 350 F until golden brown.