Osterzopf

The story

In Germany a sweet braided yeast bread is part of Easter morning. Many families bake the Osterzopf on Holy Saturday, March 27 in 2027, and slice it for breakfast or brunch on Easter Sunday. One explanation for its sweetness is the 40-day Lenten fast, when many people gave up sweets; a loaf rich in butter, eggs, milk and sugar marked the end of that time. The three strands are often said to stand for the Trinity, and the same dough is also shaped into a ring called an Osterkranz. Recipes vary from region to region. Many bakers add raisins or almonds and finish the crust with pearl sugar, and some work quark into the dough. In Franconia a sweet yeast ring called the Eierring, said to recall the crown of thorns, goes into the Patenbündel: in villages around Bayreuth and the Frankenwald, godparents give their godchildren an Easter bundle with an Eierring, twelve colored eggs and small gifts wrapped in white linen until the child's confirmation. The braid is lighter than Christmas Stollen and is eaten fresh. Serve it in thick slices with butter and jam beside soft-boiled eggs, and toast the leftovers on Easter Monday.