How are you preparing for Easter? Here are a few recipe ideas for your brunch table.
This year I decided it was time to set a nice brunch table for Easter. And before you think I'm not into the full Spring spirit because of the decoration, let me tell you that we are opposites here, so fall has arrived. Yup, it's all cool days and light sweaters.
But the thing about baking is that recipes are good to eat year round. We are not as eager to bake in the scorching summer, but spring and fall are perfect occasions. And a holiday is the perfect excuse.
So, what are the recipe ideas for this Easter brunch table?
Easter bread
A sweet that is braided and glazed. Easy-to-make dough and a crunchy finish.
You can find all about it in this post. Get the full recipe, with a very detailed explanation about all you need to know to make an exceptional bread.
Lemon Ricotta Pie
One of the most popular recipes on this site, this is an Italian lemon-flavored ricotta pie that will bring raves and become a favorite.
Coconut lemon tart with dulce de leche
This is a phenomenal tart with a combination of flavors you will never forget. A coconut shell with a layer of dulce de leche and a lemon cream made in 5 minutes in the microwave!.
I took my favorite sugar cookie dough recipe and made egg and bunny cookies decorated with chocolate candies in pastel colors. Cookie decoration was never easier!
These were made by my friend Juliana over at Horneando Algo.
Easter bread crown with pastry cream
The full recipe is below.
A fabulous sweet bread made with the same dough as the braid above, but shaped into a sort of crown and filled with the easiest vanilla pastry cream made in 5 minutes in the microwave. So delicious!
Easter bread with pastry cream
- Prep Time: 90
- Cook Time: 40
- Total Time: 2 hours 10 minutes
- Yield: 1 bread 1x
- Category: Brunch
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
Description
A sweet bread shaped into a crown and filled with the easiest-to-make pastry cream.
Ingredients
1/2 recipe Easter bread
For the pastry cream:
- 1 cup (240g) whole milk
- 1/4 cup (50g) sugar
- 4 tablespoons (30g) cornstarch
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 tablespoon (15g) butter, room tº
Instructions
For the dough:
- Have ready a buttered ceramic 8-inch pie plate.
- Follow the instructions until the dough has doubled in the greased bowl.
- Gently punch the dough down and put it on a lightly floured counter.
- Flatten it into a disk as you would a pizza, pushing it gently outwards with your fingers, forming a circle. If it refuses to stretch let it rest for a few minutes and try again.
- You should have a circle about 2-3 inches larger than the pie plate you’re using.
- Carefully transfer the dough to the pie plate, covering bottom and sides and letting the extra dough hang.
- Fold the hanging dough onto the inside of the plate and crimp it a bit so it sticks. It will be rustic and not perfect. At least that’s my experience.
- Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise until slightly puffy, about 30 minutes.
- Have the oven preheated at 350ºF /180ºC
- Press your fingertips onto the bottom of the dough, like you would a focaccia dough.
- You can brush the sides of the dough with an egg beaten with a tablespoon of milk if you like a shiny dough; I leave it as it is.
- Put between 1 and 1 1/2 cups of vanilla pastry cream inside and bake for about 40 minutes, until it turns golden and puffs.
- The pastry cream will have cooked a bit but not much.
- Let cool completely.
For the pastry cream:
- Put all ingredients except butter and vanilla in a large glass bowl.
- Mix and heat in the microwave on high for 30 seconds. Whisk it and return another 30 seconds.
- The first 2-3 times it is still very liquid.
- But then it will have cooked a bit. Whisk it well until no lumps remain. It should be very creamy.
- Heat it in spurts of 10-15 seconds now, whisking very well each time.
- Stop when the cream has thickened.
- Add the butter and vanilla and whisk until it is melted.
- Immediately put a piece of plastic wrap on top, touching the entire surface. This prevents a thick layer from forming.
- Keep refrigerated. Can be made 2 days ahead.
- I like to serve it directly from the pie plate, that’s why I use a ceramic one because I like to add a lot of pastry cream.
See note.
Notes
If you're making 2 crowns and using the whole of the Easter bread recipe, be sure to double the amount of pastry cream.
I like to serve it in the pie plate, but if you want to unmold it use a springform pan with a removable bottom and only 1 cup pastry cream. Otherwise, you run the risk of the bottom being too weak to contain the cream when it's unmolded.
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