FOCUS ON FOOD
All Hearts Rising
Sweet bread for Mother’s Day
Story and Photograph by Rose Shewey
Mother’s Day makes me long for simpler times. At the risk of romanticizing the good old days — after all, simple is not synonymous with easy — I can’t help but feel that there was so much more beauty and calm in how we celebrated holidays just a few decades ago.
In my childhood, on mother’s special day, I typically set my alarm clock to wake up early, then tiptoed out the door to cycle to a little flower meadow beyond the forest that surrounded our village. I picked the most cheerful blooms and arranged them in a little bouquet that I set on the kitchen table, together with whatever I had crafted that year: a card, a crocheted potholder, a necklace made of wooden beads.
We usually had a cozy breakfast and went for a hike in the woods on Mother’s Day. It was simple, but meaningful. No store-bought greeting cards, chocolates or greenhouse flowers, just things we kids gathered or made by hand. No extravagant brunch or dinner; we ate at home. To be fair, my mom still had to do all the cooking, just because no one, including herself, wanted to eat what the rest of us were capable of making.
And to my memory, at least, there has never been a single holiday without yeast bread — sweet bread was omnipresent in times of celebration. Naturally, Germans have made bread into an art form, so yeast dough would be skillfully shaped to represent the occasion. Little good luck piglet-shaped bread rolls on New Year’s Day; bunnies or lambs for Easter; hearts for Mother’s Day; or just plain old yeast dough wreaths on ordinary weekends.
If simple sounds good to you this year — simplicity is the essence of yeast dough — try your hand at these heart-shaped rolls with strawberry jam layers. Mom will love it.
Sweet Bread Rolls
(Makes 8-10 heart-shaped rolls)
For the dough:
7 grams active dry yeast
250 milliliters milk, lukewarm (about 110F)
90 grams plus 1 teaspoon granulated sugar, divided
500 grams all-purpose wheat flour
1 medium egg
70 grams butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
For assembly:
1/2 cup jam, strawberry or raspberry
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon milk
Chopped nuts, optional
Method
In a cup, combine the yeast with the lukewarm milk and one teaspoon of sugar. Stir until the sugar and yeast have dissolved.
Place the flour in a large bowl and press a mold into the center. Pour the lukewarm yeast-milk mixture into the mold. Add the remaining sugar and mix lightly with some flour. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and allow to rest for about 15 minutes.
Add the remaining ingredients (egg, butter, vanilla, salt) and mix everything together. Knead the dough until it is smooth. Cover the dough and allow to rise for at least 45 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.
Once the dough is ready to be processed, knead once more and take about 100 grams of dough (or divide dough into 8-10 equal parts) and shape into a ball. Roll out into a circle and spread a scant tablespoon of jam through the center of the dough (less is more).
Roll up the dough (just like a jelly roll), then fold in the center. Pinch the two raw edges together to seal them. With a knife, cut the folded, bulging side lengthwise about 2/3 down the middle to create a heart shape. Fan the cut sides out to display the jam layers. Repeat with the remaining dough and place hearts on a baking sheet and allow them to rest for another 20 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350F. Brush hearts with a mixture of beaten egg yolk and milk and sprinkle with chopped nuts. Bake the hearts for about 15-20 minutes or until they are cooked through, with a golden crust.