Peanut free braided easter bread

Liam, my anaphylactic son, actually loved the Sarma! He wolfed them down! So, although they didnt meet my standards, they sure met his.

To compensate for my so so Sarma, last night I made them peanut free Braided Easter bread. Its easy to make, and to be honest, I prepared and raised my dough in a bread machine, following the bread machine technique of putting all the liquid ingredients first, and topping off with flour, sugar, salt and yeast.

This recipe is not a traditional Armenian Choreg recipe, and any Armenians or Mediterraneans who taste it say its 'ok' or 'yeannie'. However all Canadians who eat it, LOVE it. It doesnt have any shaved nuts on it, or vegetable oils or shortenings. So as long as you confirm that the other ingredients have had no cross contamination, you'll be fine.

I adjusted the original recipe by adding ground Mahleb (the seed of the St. Lucie cherry) to it. This is the tricky ingredient. Please make sure your child isnt allergic to this, and also you MUST ensure that there has been no cross contamination during packaging. I bought mine then scrubbled them, let them dry, and then ground them. However, I suggest you skip this ingredient if you think there is any chance of allergic reaction, and I will take no responsibility for it.


Peanut free Braided Easter Bread (Mixer version)


2 1/2 tablespoons active dry yeast

1/4 cup warm water

1 cup warm milk

1/2 cup melted unsalted butter

2 slightly beaten eggs

1 cup sugar (only use 1/2 cup if you prefer it more like bread than cake)

5 1/2 cups flour

1/2 flour (for kneading, and work surface)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground mahleb (if using)

egg wash



Egg Wash

1 egg

2 tablespoons water

Disolve the yeast in the warm water and milk and a teaspoon of sugar. Cover and let froth. Add the slightly cooled melted butter. In a large bowl, mix eggs and sugar. Add the yeast mixture. Mix, add mahleb (if using), then add one cup of flour with the salt, and continue mixing. Mix in flour one cup at a time until you get a soft dough. If its too sticky, you may need another 1/4 cup of flour. Turn dough out onto floured work surface, and knead. If the dough is still too sticky, slowly add in a tablespoon of flour at a time (too much will make it tough). Knead the dough until elasticky. Place in a large, lightly oiled bowl. Turn dough over to coat with oil. Cover bowl with wrap, and place in a cool oven to rise. When the dough doubles in size (approx. 1 hour, sometimes more), remove from oven, punch down, and divide into four portions. Cover 3 of the portions. Take the first quarter and cut into thirds. Roll each third into a long thin roll. Once you've rolled all three out, you can reroll them, as the first one rolled will have rested, and become more elasticky. Make three uniform lengths, braid, and set aside. Gently place braids on parchment lined cookie sheets.

Repeat with the three remaining quarters. You will have four lovely, plump, braids. Cover with wrap, and return to cold oven. Let rise for another hour. The Armenian way is to let these loaves rise overnight. When the loaves are ready, brush with egg wash, and bake in a 375 degree oven for approx. 45 to 60 minutes. When the top is golden, check bottom to make sure its baked, and remove. Let cool completely, wrap and freeze. Or, eat warm with or without butter!

These are really yummy and very kid friendly treats. You can eat it for breakfast, or anytime. I used to make them for my kids Montessori school class a few years ago, before the directress banned any baked treats from coming in for the entire class i.e. no birthday cakes, cookies etc... . If you are so lucky to belong to a school like this, you will see what peace of mind it provides. People try to reassure you that they made the treats at home and that they are 'nutfree', but they dont know what is nutfree. They dont understand that vegetable oils, and any bulk food items are not allowed. Most dont even check labels for 'nut warnings'. However, that is another rant...

Arda