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Cookie Recipes
Kaliopi Lambrakis’ Koulouria
- In a huge bowl mix well with mixer: 12 eggs. 1 C orange juice. 1 pound Crisco. 4 sticks of butter. 3 1/2 cups of sugar. 1 tsp cinnamon. 1 tsp baking soda. 12 tsp baking powder. Add 5-7 pounds of flour and mix by hand.
- Dough should be slightly stiff and no longer sticky. To remove dough from hands and sides of bowl: use flour. Begin with a large handful of dough and roll into a nice-sized snake. Break off into 1 inch pieces. You can roll or shape the cookies any way you like, but a twist is best for dunking and munching.
- Place cookies on lightly oiled cookie sheet. You only have to oil the first time.
- Paint the top with a bit of egg yolk for shine and if you like, sprinkle with sesame seeds.
- Bake at 325-350 until the tops are a nice golden color and the bottoms aren’t burnt. Any where between 10 and 20 minutes. This recipe makes a good 500 cookies that last forever!
PROSFORO Bread by Theodora Kouris
You will need:
4 Tablespoons Fleischmann's Instant Dry Yeast
4 teaspoons salt
12 ounces warm water
5 pounds and 3-5 handfuls of Pillsbury All Purpose Flour
Mixed with 36 ounces of warm water
4 round cake pans. One Prosforo seal. One toothpick.
How to
Mix yeast and salt with 12 ounces luke-warm water in a small bowl. Dissolve completely and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl mix 5 pounds and 3 hand-fulls of flour, 36 ounces of warm water, and yeast solution. Knead for 20 minutes. Add small amount of flour if dough is sticky.
Remove dough from mixing bowl and divide into four equal parts with a knife. Roll each ball until smooth and set into ungreased cake pan. Bless each pan. Create a cross by placing one hand over the other and begin to flatten the dough-balls so that they fill the pan.
Bless each pan. Press the seal deep into the loaf to a count of “10”. Carefully remove seal and place loaves into an oven with the door shut. No heat yet! Let rise anywhere from 1/2 hour to 3/4 hour.
Remove from oven. Then pre-heat the oven for 10 minutes at 350°. While oven is pre-heating take a toothpick (free from splinters) and gently poke each corner of the center square of the seal-print, the circumference of the seal- print, and around the outside of the loaf between the loaf and the pan. This is an excellent time for private prayer. Allow bread to set for 10 minutes before returning to heated oven to bake. Bake at 350° for 1 hour.
Take a damp towel and wipe around the top of the cooked bread. Remove loaves from pans. Allow to cool on a rack for 3 hours.
Comments
This is the bread that is used for Communion during our Divine Liturgy. This is also the bread that is shared with our church family at the end of services. It is important when making the Prosforo that you keep your mind and your heart in a special, holy and prayerful state. The church needs 4 loaves every time we celebrate the Divine Liturgy. Please Bake-and-Bring as we can never have enough. Thank you!