The Easter Bread Dove

Easter just wouldn't be Easter without bread doves. They are really simple - just a knot of bread with a bit of shaping and two cloves for eyes. They are fun to make and just as fun to eat, hot out of the oven, topped with a knob of butter.
My grandma used to make them with me and I have  made them with my own kids - and some years, I borrowed other people's kids to make them with.

The year I made them with Julien has gone down in history as the craziest ever. I probably wouldn't have thought of the Lady Gaga Easter bread.

Julien's Gaga bread is on the left. The real Gaga is on the right.

The doves are a traditional shape. For korovai, Ukrainian wedding bread, doves are made from a non-edible dough and placed on the bread to signify family and friends. For both Laura's and Krista's weddings, we made edible doves for each guest. They did double duty - looking pretty on the table plus tiding people over til the food was served.

Here are some of the 100+ doves Justin helped me wrap.

While they are relatively simple to make, there is a bit of a knack to it. Don't be disappointed if they aren't perfect on your first try. Some years they look more like slugs than pigeons, but it doesn't matter what they look like once you start eating them. Just remember to pull the cloves out before you eat them: they smell wonderful but taste like, well, cloves.

Use the paska recipe, but don't let them rise for a long time. Pop them in the oven as soon as you have a tray ready.

Roll out strip of dough about 8 inches long.

Make a knot out of the dough.
Make sure the middle six inches have been rolled in a bit of flour so the dough doesn't get all stuck as you form the knot.

Pull the ends of the knot through.

 

Set the knot down so one end will sit behind and be the tail. The other end will come out the top and be the head. Form a beak and crown of feathers on the head portion.

Use whole cloves for eyes.

Flatten the tail and make slices for tail feathers.

There she is.  A little smaller than my fist and ready for the oven.