Chilean Christmas Bread
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Pan de Pascua
This rich, slightly sweet yeast bread is ubiquitous in Chile during the Christmas season. Accompanied by cola de mono, an eggnoglike, spiced coffee drink spiked with aguardiente liqueur, it's the classic holiday snack. Similar to German stollen and Italian panettone, the recipe probably traveled to Chile with German immigrants in the early 1900s.
This recipe can be baked in a 9-inch-diameter springform pan with 3-inch-high sides or, for a taller, narrower loaf like the one shown above, an 8-inch diameter clay flowerpot. It can be made a day ahead and rewarmed in a 350°F oven for 10 minutes before slicing and serving. Leftovers make excellent French toast.
•Dissolving the yeast in water that's the correct temperature is key: water that is not hot enough will result in a rise that is too slow; water that is too hot will kill the yeast, and the dough will not rise at all. Use an instant-read thermometer to check the temperature of the water: To get an accurate reading, begin with more water than you need, and then pour the extra off.
•Be sure to use active dry yeast, not instant.
•Before you begin, be sure that your butter and eggs are at room temperature. To warm the eggs, place them in a small bowl and then add several changes of hot water to cover.
•A standing mixer is the best to make this bread, which is too soft to knead by hand and exhausting to knead by stirring. Use the paddle attachment for best results.
•A baker's trick: Use an empty butter wrapper to grease the bowl for rising.
•When letting the dough rise, look for a warm, draft-free area of the kitchen. If your kitchen is somewhat cold, turn the oven on to its lowest setting and set the dough on the stovetop (but not too close to the oven vents).
