happy easter! how much do i love easter? so much so that i spent this saturday night, by myself, blowing and dying eggs for no other reason than to be festive and eastery and decorate my house. sure, if mike was around i would probably have been out, not being such a homemaker, but i'm sure i would have still managed to work in some easter cheer by way of an easter-themed cocktail or something like that. actually, easter this year was a little subdued in my household. my own easter bunny, also known as my cat, mac, was having some bladder stone issues and was in hospital all weekend. it was sad cause mac is really a bunny who is just disguised as a cat and so, he should have been home for the bunniest of all days. 
without mac, my house was almost unbearable and i needed something to distract myself. so i made some cookies for my sister who requested something plain and buttery, but i was still antsy. so i made some rice crispy squares for myself, cause i wanted something sweet and comforting, but i was still on edge. so i decorated some easter eggs and decorated the kitchen, and i couldn't believe how unsettled i was. so i decided to christen the new KitchenAid mixer that i broke down and bought on a whim last weekend when it was on sale on the shopping channel, and i made some easter bread.
now, anyone that knows me as a chef, knows that i hate the idea of stand mixers, KitchenAid in particular. the cumbersome bowl, the monstrous size, the lack of range of motion all add up to an inefficient mixer. additionally, there is so much pleasure to be derived from mixing things with a wooden spoon, or even a hand-held mixer. you can control the way the ingredients are mixed, you can make sure that all of the ingredients are incorporated properly, you can physically feel whatever it is you're making...i just don't get why you would ever use a stand mixer. why would you want to have to turn off the mixer in order to scrape down the sides of the bowl which you inevitably have to do because the whisk and beater don't reach either the bottom or the sides of the bowl? why would you want to awkwardly pour ingredients into the narrow bowl while trying to avoid getting any flour or eggs onto the top of the whisk or beater? i don't understand. and i don't understand why martha stewart loves her KitchenAid so much. sure i see why you would want a heavy-duty mixer when making a really large batch of say, gingerbread, which is formed from a heavy, stiff batter, but why would you want to make anything else in this thing? you have no control over anything!! i honestly believe that there was one person who thought that a KitchenAid mixer was a cool thing and so they told another person and then that person didn't want to look silly so they just agreed that it was good even though they knew it wasn't. and it just grew. and now no one wants to admit that KitchenAids are bad because they don't want to be the odd man out so now everyone just pretends that they love KitchenAid stand mixers. it's all a big conspiracy, and i am speaking out. shari k is saying 'no!'
but the shopping channel had a good deal on and i felt like maybe i should give the KitchenAid stand mixer a chance - i mean, don't knock it till you try it, right? i had already spent the money and set the thing up and so i decided to take the mixer on its maiden voyage, knowing that i could still return it if i hated it. and i hated it. hated it, hated it, hated it. it was one the most uncomfortable experiences i've ever had in the kitchen and i wanted to run away screaming. ingredients were strewn about, there was butter on the walls and flour on the floor. it's a wonder that i survived such an awful ordeal. in fact, the only good that came from the experience was the Portugese Sweet Bread that i made; i jazzed it up by forming it into a braid, making it look (and taste) a lot like challah. the dough was very sticky and wet and i added a lot of extra flour while i was kneading it, but the bread itself turned out to be really soft and sweet, perfect with some butter and a cup of tea. it made my house smell wonderful and it lifted my spirits on a nerve-wracking, mac-less weekend during which i couldn't sit still for the life of me, although it didn't make a KitchenAid stand mixer believer out of me.
Portuguese Sweet Bread (adapted from Good Housekeeping: Great Baking)
3 tablespoons warm water
1 package active dry yeast
1 teaspoon + 6 tablespoons sugar
¼ cup warm milk
6 tablespoons butter, softened
½ teaspoon salt
3 eggs
about 2 ½ cups flour
combine water, yeast and sugar; stir to dissolve. let stand 5 minutes until foamy.
with mixer at low speed, stir in remaining sugar, milk, butter and salt, just until blended. stir in eggs and ¾ cup flour to make a thick batter. beat 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl often. stir in 1 ¼ cups flour to make a very soft dough.
turn dough out onto a well floured surface. knead dough for abour 10 minutes, adding ¼ - ½ cup more flour as you knead to form a smooth, soft dough. place dough in a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a tea towel. let rise in a warm place for about an hour, until doubled in size.
punch down dough and separate into 3 equal balls. let rest 15 minutes. form balls into long strands and place on a greased or lined baking sheet. form dough into a braid. cover and let dough rise for another hour.
preheat oven to 350 degrees. brush dough with an eggwash or with milk or cream. bake for 35 minutes until golden brown and loaf sounds hollow. enjoy.
*makes one loaf
i wanted to bake something eastery and as i read through my many cookbooks, this bread seemed like it would work well. a quick google search this morning showed that i was on the right track and that this bread is an easter standard for many people. it was really yummy and one of the best loaves i've made, if i do say so myself! and my mom is convinced that my bad experience with the mixer was just a one-time thing. she is sure that with time, i will come to love the mixer. 'you need to give it a chance,' she said. well, maybe. i do want to try some meringues next weekend, and mac is coming home on tuesday and he should come home to the smell of something freshly baked. i could give the KitchenAid another spin, but the thought of my pink, melamine bowls and my big wooden spoon is so much more appealing...
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