An Easter pinze is a traditional Austrian pastry specifically made for Easter. Easter pinze is typically baked in the form of round loaves and adorned with a distinctive pattern created by making cuts before baking. It is a popular Easter treat in Austria, enjoyed during the holiday season.
Pinze
Osterpinze is a variety of Easter bread native to Croatia, Slovenia and Austria.
Servings 10 Pices
Ingredients
- 1 kg all-purpose flour
- Approximately ½ L milk
- 1 tsp whole anise seeds
- 1 cube fresh yeast
- 80-100 g sugar
- 150 g melted butter
- 6 egg yolks
- 1 level tbsp salt
For brushing:
- 1 egg
Instructions
- Gently heat the milk with anise seeds and let it steep for several hours. Strain the milk before using.
- In a mixing bowl, start by preparing a starter (Dampfl). Crumble the yeast and a pinch of sugar into some of the lukewarm milk, and whisk together. Sprinkle some flour over it and let the sponge rise.
- In the meantime, whisk together egg yolks, melted butter, and sugar with the remaining milk until frothy. Once the sponge starts bubbling, mix in the egg mixture. Add flour and salt. Combine the ingredients with a wooden spoon, then knead lightly by hand.
- Cover the dough for the Easter pinze and let it rise in a warm place until it doubles in size. You can also use an oven set to a maximum of 40°C for this purpose.
- The first rising takes about half an hour. After that, punch down the dough and let it rise again. Repeat this process of rising and punching down several times until the dough becomes bubbly, smooth, and finely porous. The rising time will decrease with each repetition.
- Sprinkle some flour on the work surface. Turn the dough onto it and divide it in half. Divide the first half into five pieces. Shape each piece into a round loaf, place them on a greased or parchment-lined baking sheet, and cover them with a kitchen towel. Let the pinze rise again until doubled in size.
- Brush the Easter pinze with beaten egg and make three cuts with scissors, but do not cut through, to create the typical pinze pattern. Place them in a preheated oven at 200°C and reduce the temperature to 180°C. Bake for approximately 20-25 minutes.
- While the first batch of pinze is baking, prepare the second half of the dough as described above. Let the finished Easter pinze cool, then enjoy or gift them!
