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le pupazze
Easter Dolls/Le Pupazze (Italian Easter doll-shaped cookies, made with yeast dough, flavored with vanilla)
Originated from: Molise, Italy
Occasion: Easter and St. Joseph's Day
Contributed by: Taken from Rizzi DeFabo's cookbook, "Cooking with Rizzi" (Crabtree Press, 2010)

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Ingredients

For dough*
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 package active dry yeast
2/3 cup milk
2 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 fresh eggs, room temperature
3 tablespoons melted butter

For topping
3 raw eggs
Red food dye
3 tablespoons melted butter

*The ingredients for the dough are the same as those for Rizzi's "Bread with Colored Eggs."



Directions

Using raw eggs, dye them as indicated in "the breadwith colored Eggs recipe [i.e., Using a food coloring dye, follow directions on box to color raw eggs.... DO NOT use the standard Easter egg dying kit. Eggs dyed with standard egg dying kits tend to bleed onto the dough more than the eggs dyed with food coloring. Set aside. This can be done a day ahead.]. This time use a red dye, for a red egg symbolizing the blood Christ shed on Good Friday.





Make dough as indicated in "Bread with Colored Eggs recipe:



In a large mixing bowl, combine 1 cup of flour, sugar, salt, and yeast. Set aside.

In a saucepan, combine milk and butter. Heat over low heat until milk is warm.

With an electric mixer, gradually add warm milk and butter to dry ingredients.

Beat 2 minutes at medium speed, occasionally scraping sides of bowl.

Add vanilla, eggs, and 1/2 cup flour to make a thick batter.

Beat at high speed for 2 additional minutes, scraping sides.

With a wooden spoon, stir in additional flour, or enough flour to make a soft dough.

Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface. Knead until smooth, about 10 minutes.

Place in a greased bowl.

With your finger, form a cross on the dough.

Cover and allow dough to rise until it doubles in bulk, about 1 hour.

Punch dough down on a floured surface.

Divide dough into 3 equal parts.

Roll one part of the dough into a 14-inch rope.

Place the rope parallel to you on a greased sheet pan.

Place an egg slightly below the center of the rope with largest part of egg touching rope.

Bring the two ends of rope around the top of egg and pull them down to form parallel lines below the egg.

Begin plaiting the rope just below egg so the rope looks like long hair. To plait, hold the rope on the right and cross it over the rope on the left.

Hold the rope under the first and pull it over the first rope. Always straighten out the ropes before overlapping. Continue until you reach the end of the ropes. The egg should now be encased at the top of a plaited rope.



Make two more dolls with the remaining eggs and dough.

Brush dolls with melted butter.

Cover and allow to rise for about 20 minutes.



Lightly grease 2 cookie sheets.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown.

Transfer to wire racks to completely cool.

YIELD: 3 dolls




Notes

This recipe was taken from Rizzi DeFabo's cookbook, "Cooking with Rizzi" (Crabtree Press, 2010) with the expressed permission of the author, an award-winning Italian-American chef and owner of "Rizzo's Malabar Inn." "Rizzo's Malabar Inn" is located in southwestern Pennsylvania (126 Rizzo Road, Crabtree, Salem Township). The food served at this restaurant, a local landmark dating back to the 1920s, reflects the culinary traditions of Abruzzo and Molise. Rizzi DeFabo notes in his cookbook "These dolls are traditionally made at Easter and for the Saint Joseph table...." Photo: Mary Melfi.

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