Folar de Páscoa - traditional Easter cake
The folar is a fancy bread, decorated with 2 or four boiled eggs.
400 gr flour
15 gr fresh yeast
45 gr caster sugar
90 gr butter
1 large egg
300 ml milk
1 teaspoon powdered aniseed
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
for decoration: 2 hard boiled eggs, 1 beater egg for brushing
Combine the crumbled yeast with 1/4 of the flour and 1/3 of the (warm) milk in a warm bowl.
Make a dough of these ingredients, cover the bowl and leave it to rise for 1/2 hour in a warm place.
In the meantime beat the egg, add the rest of the milk, sugar, salt and spices and mix well. Add flour gradually and work the dough for a few minutes. Add the soft butter and work it again. Add the yeast dough, mix it all and knead well. Cover the dough and set aside in a warm place to rise for 3 hours.
With floured hands, shape 1 big loaf (slightly egg-shaped) and place the boiled eggs on top, half burried and secured with 2 strips of dough, crossing eachother. Brush with the beaten egg and bake it in a hot oven (210 degrees C) until nicely brown.
Enjoy!