Easter bread from Le Marche

Today’s recipe belongs to the Easter culinary tradition of the Marches region of Italy, although there are variations throughout central Italy. It is a truly spectacular, leavened Easter 'cake’: a luscious emmenthal bread, perfect for serving with some sliced pork loin and with a nice full bodied red wine. One wine particularly suitable and traditionally used as an accompaniment to this Easter bread is ‘La lacrima di Morro D'Alba’, although you can choose your own preferred Italian red wine. This fabulous bread is excellent in two versions: either to serve as an appetizer for Easter dinner, or to take out as part of the Easter Monday picnic with plenty of cold cuts. When you arrive at your destination, all you need to do is slice your cake and serve with the salami and hams.

For this recipe the ingredient quantities are measured out with an empty 125g jar of yogurt i.e. after using the yoghurt in the recipe, you then use the empty container to measure out the other ingredients. Put the eggs in a mixer and start to mix, adding one at a time: the yogurt, the sifted flour with baking powder, oil, and the pecorino and Parmesan cheeses. If you wish you can also add some coarsely chopped walnuts. Add salt and pepper to taste. Spread the mixture onto a lightly floured work surface and add the diced emmental, leaving aside a few pieces. Roll up the dough and put it in a baking tin approximately 15 cm in diameter which has been well greased and floured. Add the set-aside diced cheese to the top of the mixture, lightly pressing them into the dough. Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for 30-40 minutes. When cooked, let the bread cool, then remove it from the mould by turning it over and lightly tapping its bottom.