How I'm Making Easter Special
My Easter table setting and recipes for three sweet breads
Hi everybody, it’s Babs!
What a week it has been! Thank you for all your love and support for the launch of Every Day With Babs. I have so much to celebrate, but today I want to talk about a particular celebration that’s just around the corner: Easter.
Easter is primarily a religious holiday, but Easter is also a day for children’s joy and a chance to create special memories for the whole family. I’m a big believer in the power of tradition. Through repetition and time, family traditions make lasting memories that your kids and grandkids will look back on all their lives.
My grandmother started baking special Easter breads for her grandchildren more than a hundred years ago—and I’m still doing it today (more on that below). But don’t worry: You don’t have to have a tradition passed down from your great-grandmother. You can (and should!) start your own. It takes just two years to establish a tradition, and once you’ve got one going, there’s no telling how long it may last. This year I tried something new with my family’s traditional Easter bread: I baked it into a big wreath and flower pots. In fact, I baked three kinds of bread into pots, which I’ll tell you more about below, as well.
Food is, of course, one of the most popular ways to establish a family tradition: Cook the same thing on the same occasion year after year and you’ve got yourself a tradition. I shared all of my family’s favorite food traditions in my first book Celebrate With Babs, which is organized by holidays we celebrate with a full menu for each one. You can also build tradition through activities and decor. One easy way to establish tradition around a holiday is with a special table setting. You don’t need to go out and buy a whole set of dishes for each holiday: One or two signature pieces that are holiday- or seasonally-themed, like a special set of bowls, a water pitcher, serving bowl, or cake plate, can mark the occasion.
I’m also setting the table with my favorite egg-and-tulip arrangement. The trick here is to fill the vase most of the way with eggs, then add the water before slipping the tulips in; it’s such a low-lift way to decorate. Instead of dying eggs, I picked up some heritage eggs in the pretties shade of pastel blue and brown for a natural and oh-so-easy way to decorate the table.
What will you do to start an Easter tradition? Even if you just do one or two things, just a small touch will make the day feel special. And really, it’s the connection with others that counts the most. Happy Easter, everyone.
I couldn’t help but add a few new pieces from Birch Lane, here’s what I picked:
Bordallo Pinheiro Cabbage Charger, Bordallo Pinheiro Cabbage Dinner Plate, Portmeirion Egg Plate, Ceramic Cake Stand, Spode Meadow Lane Cereal Bowl and a Stoneware pitcher
3 Breads for Easter
Every Easter, my grandmother made each of her 22 grandchildren an Easter “doll” made of sweet bread. I’ve simplified this tradition, and now I make Easter wreaths for my grandchildren. This year, I switched things up and made three types of sweet bread: Grandma’s Easter bread, lemon poppy seed bread, and monkey bread.
How to Bake In A Flowerpot
I saw the cutest kit for baking bread in flower pots at the Terrain garden store near my home. I decided to try a DIY version. I discovered the trick to baking in a flower pot is to cure the pots beforehand. Here’s how:
Step 1. Scrub six 4.5-inch diameter flower pots with soap and water, then soak them in warm water for 30 minutes. Dry thoroughly and wait 24 hours before the next step.
Step 2. Preheat your oven to 300 F. Brush each pot — inside and outside — with neutral cooking oil. Place onto a baking sheet and bake for about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool. Repeat this process (oil, bake, cool) two more times. At the end your pots will be ready to bake in.
Grandma’s Easter Bread Flower Pots
Makes 2 4.5-inch terracotta pots
Ingredients:
1/2 package instant dry yeast
1/2 cup whole milk, warmed
Pinch of kosher salt
2 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
¼ cup sugar
1 tsp lemon zest
2 large eggs, room temperature, divided
1 ¾ -2 ¼ cups all purpose flour, divided, plus more for dusting
Butter, for greasing
Sprinkles, to decorate (optional)
Directions:
1. To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the yeast, milk, salt, butter, sugar vanilla, lemon zest and 1 egg. Mix on medium speed until combined.
2. Switch to the dough hook attachment. Add 1 ¾ cup of flour and mix, working the flour into the egg mixture. Mix in more flour, a little at a time until the dough is no longer sticky, up to ½ cup more flour.
3. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for 1 to 2 minutes. Place in a lightly greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Place the dough in a warm spot to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
4. Punch down the dough. Grease the pots with room temperature butter. Line the pots with parchment paper and grease the parchment with butter. Divide the dough in half and shape into a round ball to fit the pots. Add into the prepared pots, cover and let rise for at least 1 hour or until doubled in size.
5. Preheat the oven to 350 F. In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining 1 egg with 1 teaspoon of water. After the dough has doubled in size, brush with the egg wash. Place the pots onto a foil lined baking sheet and bake at 350 F for 30 minutes.
6. Bake for 30 minutes, until the bread is golden brown. Enjoy warm or at room temperature.
Overnight Monkey Bread Pots
Makes 4 4.5-inch terracotta pots
Ingredients:
10 frozen unbaked yeast dinner rolls, such as Rhodes (¾lb)
¼ cup chopped pecans
¼ cup unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
¼ cup light brown sugar
½ tbsp ground cinnamon
½ box regular butterscotch pudding mix (not instant)
Glaze:
½ cup confectioners sugar
3 tablespoons heavy cream
Pinch of kosher salt
Directions:
1. The day before serving, thaw the rolls. Grease the pots with room temperature butter. Line the pots with parchment paper and grease the parchment with butter. Spread a small handful of nuts around each pot.
2. In a small bowl, melt the butter. In another small bowl, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon and pudding mix. Roll the balls in the melted butter, and then roll them in the dry mix. Evenly arrange and layer the rolls in the pots, distributing pecans throughout. Pour any leftover dry ingredients and butter over top. Cover with plastic wrap, leaving space as they will rise, place in the refrigerator and allow to rise overnight.
3. In the morning, remove the pots from the refrigerator and let sit for 1 hour prior to baking. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Place the pots onto a foil lined baking sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes. Remove from the oven, let cool slightly, drizzle with some glaze and let those monkeys dig in!
Make the Glaze:
Whisk together the confectioners sugar, milk and salt. Set aside until ready to use.
Lemon Poppy Seed Flower Cakes
Makes 2 4.5-inch terracotta pots
Ingredients:
1 ½ cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
2 ½ tablespoons poppy seeds
¾ cup unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for greasing
¾ cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup whole milk, room temperature mixed with 2 tsps of fresh lemon juice
Lemon Glaze:
3 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
¼ cup sugar
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease the pots with room temperature butter. Line the pots with parchment paper and grease the parchment with butter.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter until softened, about 1-2 minutes. Add the sugar and continue to beat until light and fluffy about 2-3 minutes. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in the vanilla. With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture (in 3 additions) alternating with the milk mixture. Beginning and ending with flour. Mix just until combined.
3. Divide the batter in half between the 2 terracotta pots. Bake on a parchment lined sheet tray for 45-50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Make the Lemon Glaze:
Stir the sugar with the lemon juice and microwave for 20-30 seconds. When the bread is done, remove from the oven and immediately brush the loaf with the hot lemon glaze. Pour any remaining glaze over the bread right before serving!
Babs’ Strawberry Butter Recipe
You’ll often see recipes for a savory herb butter, but why not make one that’s sweet? This strawberry butter pairs beautifully will all kinds of sweet Easter breads.
Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened
8 to 10 strawberries, hulled
¼ cup honey
½ teaspoon kosher salt
Directions:
1. To the bowl of a food processor, add the butter. Whip until fluffy, about 2 minutes.
2. To a medium bowl, add the strawberries and mash. Stir in the honey and salt. Let sit for 5 minutes. Add the strawberry mixture to the creamed butter. Whip for 3-4 minutes until the butter and strawberry mixture come together. Note: This takes a bit of time and looks separated at first. Remove to a container and serve at room temperature.
Q: Dear Babs, We’re hosting Easter dinner for our whole family this year and I’m looking for some ways to entertain the kids. Do you have any suggestions?
A: I recommend a mix of quiet and active play. For a quieter activity, nothing beats a coloring sheet. I used these all the time when my preschoolers needed some downtime. For something that’s more lively, set up a scavenger hunt for the kids. It takes up more time (in a good way!) than the usual egg hunt that is over in five seconds. Write each clue down and put it inside a plastic egg. Each clue leads to the next egg with a treat or prize waiting at the very end. It could be a basket of sweets, a cute Easter accessory for every child (something like bunny ears or socks), bubbles, or even mini bouquets. Here’s a downloadable pdf with clues and a Babs Easter coloring sheet to download. Enjoy!
XO, Babs
That poppyseed recipe sounds delicious! Happy Easter!
Making bread in flower pots is such a creative idea!