Easter Bread Pinca
Pinca is a traditional Easter bread popular in Istria, Dalmatia and in the area around Trieste and Gorizia. The name ‘pinza’ derives from the Latin verb ‘pinsare’, which means ‘to knead’ or ‘to beat’. It is believed to have the same etymological origins as the word ‘pizza’.
Pinza is commonly prepared on Holy Saturday, taken to church to be blessed and then enjoyed on Sunday for Easter breakfast along with hard-boiled eggs, cooked ham and horseradish.
The pinca dough requires a lot of eggs, which have symbolic significance for Christians and represent the resurrection of Christ. The same can be said for the incision on the surface that is usually in the shape of a ‘cross' and symbolizes the suffering of Jesus Christ as a martyr. According to one tradition, Pinca itself represents a kind of Holy Sponge from which Jesus was offered a drink during the Crucifixion. Sometimes the incision is in the shape of the letter `Y’ and represents the Holy Trinity.
Pinca was also often given as a gift for weddings, childbirth, baptisms, and other occasions. When you gave pinca to someone as a gift, it meant that you wished them happiness.
Bogataj, Janez. Taste Slovenia. Ljubljana: Rokus Gifts & National Geographic, 2007.
Recipe
Ingredients:
500 g flour
15 g instant yeast
15 g salt
80 g butter at room temperature
100 g sugar
200 ml warm milk
1 egg
4 egg yolks
1 tbsp spiced rum
grated lemon zest of 1 lemon
1 egg for the egg wash
pearl sugar, optional
Instructions:
Dough
In a bowl, combine flour and yeast.
Heat the milk, sugar, and butter in a sauce pan until butter is melted. Let it cool down a bit.
Once the milk mixture is sufficiently cool, add the egg yolks, egg, rum and lemon zest and mix.
Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture and knead a little. Add the salt and continue kneading by hand or using a mixer until the dough is soft and elastic. It should not stick to your hands. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest in a warm place until the dough has doubled in size (about 2 hours).
Making pinca
Take the dough and divide it into 2 or 6 pieces, depending on how big you want pinca to be. In the pictures I made small pinca loaves. Traditionally, the loaves would be bigger. Shape each piece into a ball and let proof for another hour.
Heat the oven to 170 C (340 F).
Make a cut in the shape of a cross or Y on each loaf.
Whisk egg in a cup and gently brush the bread with it. Sprinkle with pearl sugar.
Bake the small buns for about 25 minutes and the bigger ones for about 40 min. Cover with aluminum foil after about 10-15 minutes so that they don’t brown too much.
Slice and serve.