Whole Wheat Easter Bread

INSTRUCTIONS

• 1
  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• 2
  Pour 40 ml of lukewarm milk into a small bowl, add 10 g of brown sugar, 10 g of spelt flour, and 20 g of yeast, and mix everything together. Cover the bowl with a towel, place it in a warm spot, and let the yeast rise (this will take 20–25 minutes).
• 3
  Meanwhile, in a larger bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, place the egg yolks, the remaining brown sugar, and a pinch of salt, and whisk everything thoroughly into a smooth cream.
• 4
  Then add the prepared yeast mixture to the cream, the remaining spelt flour, pre-soaked raisins, and melted butter, and gradually add the remaining milk to create a smooth dough. If the dough is too stiff, add a little more milk.
• 5
  Cover the finished dough with a towel and let it rise for 60–90 minutes in a warm place. About 30 minutes before the dough is fully risen, preheat the oven to 180–185 °C.
• 6
  Transfer the risen dough to a work surface, shape it into a loaf, and place it on the baking sheet lined with parchment paper. In a small bowl, whisk the egg. Sprinkle the loaf with almond slices and brush it with the whisked egg using a pastry brush.
• 7
  Place the baking sheet with the prepared Easter bread into the preheated oven and bake for 40–45 minutes at 180–185 °C.
• 8
  Let the finished Easter bread cool on a rack for at least 1 hour before serving.