For dough
3 cups of flour
6 eggs
6 tablespoons of olive oil
6 tablespoons of sugar
2 teaspoons of Magic baking powder

For brushing
1 egg yolk, beaten

For decoration
1 hard-boiled egg, boiled and still in its shell

Mix eggs, oil and sugar.

Add flour.

Work into a fine dough (knead 10 to 15 minutes).

When the dough is malleable, shiny and light colored, then the dough can be shaped.

Divide the dough and shape into two thin logs.

Braid the logs.

Shape into a large circle and pinch together.

Attach an egg with bands of dough.

Brush the dough with egg yolk.

Bake in a preheated oven of 325 F degrees for about 30 minutes or until the dough is golden.

In Santa Croce braided Easter logs were known as "turtel." Tony Alfieri, Mary Melfi's brother-in-law, recalls that when he was growing up in Santa Croce in the late 1940s it was the custom to make "turtel" and give them to young boys as presents for Easter. The "turtel" were made with "sweet taralli dough." However, he himself does not know the recipe that was then in use. All he is sure of is that the cooks used a sweet taralli dough to make the Easter treats.... The "turtel" shown in the photo to right was made by Tony Alfieri.

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