John Dipalo's Recipe

Crawfish Bread

Category: Recipes

7 Grams yeast (1 envelope ---about 2 teaspoons)
1/2 cup warm water
1 teaspoon sugar
1-1/2 cups milk at room temperature
1 kilogram flour
5 tablespoons vegetable shortening (about 2.5 oz.)
6 tablespoons butter (about 3 oz.)
1-3/4 teaspoons salt
6 tablespoons sugar
3 eggs
1 kilogram crawfish tails, finely chopped
3/4 cup raisins
30 olives, filled with red bell pepper
1 tablespoon butter
2 egg yolks
2 tablespoons water
1/8 tablespoon salt

Directions:

1. Mix the yeast, warm water, and the teaspoon of sugar in a pot. Cover with a wet cloth and let it rest for about 20 minutes.

2. In a large pan, place the milk and add the yeast mixture. Mix thoroughly. Sift 1-lb. of flour into this mixture and blend with your hands. Store in a place where there are no air currents, cover with a damp cloth and let it rest till it raises ---about 4 hours.

3. Using the same pan, sift the rest of the flour into the mixture, also blending with your hands. If the dough dries too much, add 2 tablespoons of cold milk. Cover with a damp cloth and place in the fridge from 6 to 8 hours or until the next day.

4. Remove the mixture from the refrigerator and place it on a table. Add the shortening, butter, salt, and sugar. Also ad the eggs ---one at a time, and molding thoroughly so that the dough will smoothen out without any clots. At the end, when the dough has been throroughly mixed, beat by lifting it up in the air and letting it drop repeatedly until the dough no longer sticks to the table or to your hands ---about 100 times.

5. Divide the dough into 3 equal parts, to make 3 breads. Save the excess.

6. Flaten the three portions on the table, with a roller to between 1/4" to 1/2-in. thick rectangles.

7. Divide in three equal portions the crawfish tails, the rasins, repectively, extending them up to 1-in. or 1 1/2-inches from the edges of the rectangles.

8. Roll up the rectangles like Swiss Rolls and seal the ends. Use the excess dough for a design, such as a crisscoss. Place each loaf diagonally in a large metal tray, previously buttered. Cover each loaf with a cloth and store for 2 hours in a place where there are no air currents.

9. Preheat the oven -at-400ºF.

10. Place a loaf on a tray in the oven, and 15 minutes later, using a brush, paint it with a mixture of the 2 beaten egg yolks, 2 tablespoons of water, and 1/8 teaspoon of salt and return it to the oven for another 5 minutes, until it starts to brown on top. Remove and place on a cooling rack. Repeat the process for the other 2 loaves.

Serves: 30 portiones.