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Favorite Easter buns with Lokum - now vegan!
As fluffy and delicious as possible, so you can make your loved ones happy :)
Grab the recipe and the story of Easter :)
Easter considered the greatest Christian holiday, illuminates the home of the Bulgarian family every year. Although we celebrate the growth of Christ during the Christmas holidays, he says that he is the Son of God precisely after he is resurrected on the third day.
The resurrection of Christ reflects in its fullest form the Christian dogma, namely, the belief in the resurrection of the righteous in a better world. On this holiday, the Christian religion celebrates the return of Jesus Christ to life on the third day after he was crucified and buried. The myrrh-bearing women find the empty tomb, and Christ appears to Mary Magdalene and the apostles.
Interestingly, the events of Easter take place around the Jewish holiday of Passover. Easter can also be used with a lunar calendar and, like Easter, changes its date each year, but there is a rule that cannot be celebrated along with the Jewish holiday, but in the last days around it. The principle of appointing leaders began with the First Ecumenical Council in 325 and is considered to be celebrated by all Christians on the Sunday after the first full filling of the spring equivalent. The discrepancy in the dates on which Catholics and Orthodox honor the holiday is due to the fact that followed by the Gregorian calendar, and the latter - the Julian.
The first Bulgarian Easter card dates from 1899 and is rather a greeting card with an Easter plot, initially preferring mostly German cards. There are two options - either to order a circulation of a German manufacturer, which instead of a German print of a Bulgarian text for congratulations, or a Bulgarian manufacturer decides where on a foreign card can add Bulgarian text.
The celebration of Easter holidays around the world has different customs in accordance with folk beliefs and traditions. Eggs, Easter cake and lamb are three of the elements of the big holiday table. Every year the tradition of entrusting eggs to be painted on Maundy Thursday or Holy Saturday.
In the past, the egg was often associated with the universe. Moreover, in the IV century consumption of eggs after a time when it was forbidden. But in the spring, chickens are applied the most, so people need to start cooking them to keep them for a longer period of time. The egg is often seen as a symbol of pre-use through the spring, and with the advent of Christianity began to be perceived as a symbol of human birth. In the Orthodox Church of Christendom, the egg is used as a special greeting, and in the Catholic painted egg it is hidden by children who have to find it.
The number of eggs is determined by the number of family members, and in the villages - by the number of laying hens. They were painted early on Holy Thursday morning by the oldest woman in the family. The powders, as the painted eggs were called, were not intended to be eaten, but only given as gifts. The first egg laid had the greatest power, and the first red eggs were placed in a sieve lined with a new towel so that the sun could see them and smile. These eggs were believed to have the power to protect and heal.
Red eggs have another symbolism - when we have a guest on Easter, the old people say that he should be given a red egg so that the wealth never leaves home. The first egg, in addition to under the iconostasis, was also placed in the chest with the maiden's chaise or buried in the middle of the levels to protect it from hail. Eggs are eaten until Easter, or 40 days - that's why when preparing eggs for "waxing" the hostess must keep this in mind.
In the first decades, the domestic competition had no chance against German production, in which a lot of money and incredible efforts were invested by artists, printers and publishers. In the 1920s and 1930s, however, the situation changed - popular children's magazines appeared and the Bulgarian children's book was on the rise. It was then that many artists and illustrators left their mark on the making of the original Easter card, which was quickly established and preferred. This one is specifically the work of Binka Vazova-Nikolova.
In the past, the traditional ritual bread was kneaded on the Bulgarian table. The first Easter cake was kneaded by a French baker in the 17th century, but he entered his homeland relatively late - only in the 1920s. The tradition of sweet bread first appeared in the cities, replacing the traditional (such as kolak, parmak, kravaj), as it is a product of external influences and urban culture.
Kozunak was even offered in the more refined Sofia cafes, where Viennese coffee with a slice of kozunak could be ordered. The first mention of the word kozunak is in the dictionary of Alexander Duvernois "Dictionary of the Bulgarian language on monuments of folk literature and works of modern print", published in Moscow in 1889 and is synonymous with the traditional holiday cow.
And why is lamb also one of the important components of holiday customs? Jesus Christ is presented as the Lamb of God, and the lamb is associated with his death because he was sacrificed on the day of the Resurrection, he is innocent and sinless, and he cleanses the sins of the world. Legend has it that even at the cross they did not break his knees as they did with everyone to keep him whole as a living lamb. It is customary to eat lamb on the first day after 40 days of fasting.
In 1678 the Easter Bunny was first mentioned. A German fairy tale tells of a rabbit that hides eggs from children in the garden. Very often, along with the common symbols for the Easter holidays, there are also bunnies - chocolate, ceramic, sugar, plush, etc., even on the cards it is more likely to see a rabbit than a hen with eggs or a chicken. However, the presence of the rabbit is not accidental - in ancient times wild rabbits were perceived as a symbol of the moon, and as it became clear above, the first full moon after the vernal equinox marks the Resurrection of Christ. In addition, unlike domestic rabbits, wild rabbits are born sighted. The ancients believed that they never closed their eyes and that they were nocturnal creatures.
The modern times we live in today are very different, but still the traditional elements of the past have been largely preserved - the eggs to be painted on Thursday or Saturday, the table to have Easter cake and lamb, to go to church, people to change into new clothes, not to work on the Easter holidays.
In the past, during the whole Holy Week, no agricultural work was done, no cattle were harnessed, no horse was ridden, especially on Good Friday - then the fast was the strictest. The ancients believed that if work was done then there would be thunder and hail.
"With a feverish and vain noise, the capital welcomes the feast of the greatest teacher of mankind, Jesus Christ. The streets are crowded with men and women rushing to finish their Easter shopping. Even during these days, the life of the capital is concentrated, as if only on Lege and Targovska streets. On the other hand, the heightened pace of mood coming from the pre-holiday days is hardly felt. Everyone rushes to these streets to get out of them with a carefully folded package. And on the faces of all is read a greater joy than in the ordinary days of metropolitan life. (…) No less is the bustle on Maria Luisa Street. From "St. King "next to the Halls on the sidewalks of this street are housed sellers of Easter cakes and eggs, who with their deafening shouts remind buyers not to forget that their goods are also needed for Easter."
Do not forget that Easter is not three days, but seven - the so-called Holy Week, and for 40 days after Easter Orthodox Christians greet each other with Christ Risen and Truly Risen! *source
Go ahead and grab this easy recipe :)
Prep: 40 min (+3 hours waiting for the dough to rise)
Cook time: 20 min
Level: medium
Servings: 20-25 buns
Calories per serving: 159 kcal
Find the recipe & nutrition facts below :
For the yeast:
1 cup warm soy milk (250 ml.)
1 tbsp. sugar (20 g)
2 pcs. active dry yeast (14 g)
3 tbsp. white flour (45 g)
For the dough:
1/2 cup soy milk (125 ml.)
2/3 cup sugar (165 g)
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup flavorless coconut butter (70 g)
3 1/2 cups + 1/2 cup white flour (520 + 80g)
1/4 cup oil (50 ml.)
For the filling:
lokum of choice
For brushing:
3 tbsp. soy milk
1 tbsp. Maple syrup
Method:
Step 1: In a large bowl, mix one cup of warm soy milk with 1 tablespoon of sugar, 3 tablespoons of flour and add the dry yeast, stir. Leave for 10 minutes.
Step 2: In a small saucepan, place half a cup of soy milk with the sugar over medium heat and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved. Let it cool down completely.
Step 3: Add chopped coconut oil to the yeast mixture and add the cooled mixture of soy milk and sugar. Start adding pre-sifted flour gradually, stirring constantly with a wooden spatula. After adding 3 and a half cups of flour, start kneading.
Step 4: On a floured surface, move the dough and constantly knead with your hands and stretch the dough, gradually add the remaining half of the cup of flour. Kneading will take about 10 minutes at this stage. The dough should be elastic and not sticky.
Step 5: Prepare the required amount of oil. The important thing when adding oil is to make it gradually. Take the dough and stretch it with your hands in the ellipse shape. Put about 1 tsp. of oil in the middle and pull the edges towards the middle, closing the oil inside, start active kneading until the oil is completely inserted into the dough and it starts to stick slightly. Repeat the procedure until the oil runs out. (This process takes about 25-30 minutes.)
Step 6: Place the dough in a bowl and cover it with a kitchen towel or wrap it with foil. Leave it to rise for 2-3 hours.
Step 7: Divide the dough into two parts.
Step 8: Place half of the dough on a floured surface and roll out into a 1-2 cm thick rectangle. Cut into triangles. Place about 1-2 pieces of Turkish delight on the wide part of the triangle and wrap it in a bun. Repeat with the rest of the dough. Place on a baking tray covered with baking paper. Cover with a kitchen towel and leave for 1 hour in a warm place to rise.
Step 9: Preheat the oven to 175C. (355F)
Step 10: Mix 3 tbsp. soy milk with 1 tbsp. maple syrup and brush the risen rolls. Sprinkle with coconut sugar.
Step 11: Bake for about 20 minutes.