Easter Monday Mona

History

After the forty days of Lent, Christians observe not only forty but fifty days of Easter that are filled with church services, merriment, and, of course, feasting! It may come as no surprise that most, if not all, traditional Easter recipes work in many of the rich foods from which Christians have traditionally abstained during Lent. Items such as eggs, meat, cheese, milk, cream, and sugar therefore take center stage in the historic main dishes, breads, and other sweets we make during Eastertide, including Easter Monday!

The Easter mona is no different. A sweet bread with sugar, milk, oil, and a hard boiled egg right in the middle of the bread, this treat originated in Spain and is but one variation of the many Easter sweet breads that are traditional all over Europe and Russia.

One distinctive element the Easter mona is that it is a traditional food tied to Easter Monday (not just Easter in general) and is given as a gift from godparents to godchildren. As for the recipe itself, this Spanish brioche bread is made with olive oil instead of butter and flavored with orange zest. The recipe likely began as a simple sweet bread as pictured below, but over time bakers made more and more decorative breads using toppings such as icing, sprinkles, chopped nuts, and candied fruit.

Easter Mona

Similar to Easter Babka, the mona is a sweet yeasted bread that uses a significant portion of oil, making this dough slightly stickier until thoroughly kneaded. The recipe calls for a multi-step process with three separate resting periods: the first to allows the yeast/milk mixture to bloom, and then two other rest times allow the dough to proof. All of the rising periods are critical to the texture of the finished product, so we advise planning ahead to make sure they fit into your day.

Get creative with toppings! Here, we added a simple icing topping made up of one part confectioner’s sugar to one part milk. Other options might include drizzled chocolate, slivered almonds, sprinkles, or a combination of all three—or whatever else you have on hand that might make for a more delicious and festive treat!

Ingredients

½ cup warm milk

1 packet yeast

¼ cup granulated sugar, divided

2 ⅓ cups flour, divided

½ cup olive oil

2 eggs

zest of 1 orange

6 dyed, hard-boiled eggs

Instructions

1. Combine the warm milk with 1 tablespoon of sugar and 4 tablespoons of flour. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes.
2. Near the end of the rest time, combine the remaining the flour and sugar and add in the salt, orange zest and one egg.
3. Add the milk mixture into the other ingredients. Lightly grease your hands and begin kneading the dough. Continue for 3-4 minutes until the lump is smooth. Cover and let rise until doubled, approximately 1 hour.
4. Once doubled in size, form the dough into 5-6 small “wreaths.” Either braid the dough or make a simple bagel shape, allowing a small pocket in the middle for the egg. Cover and let rise for another 45-60 minutes.
5. Preheat the oven to 350°F and place the dyed Easter eggs in the middle of each wreath. Create an egg wash with the other egg by separating the white out to combine with 1 tablespoon water. Brush the egg wash over the wreaths and bake them in the oven for 30 minutes or until golden brown on top.

References:
1. “Mona de Pascua, A Spanish Sweet Tradition for Easter”, Misadventures with Andi