No wedding is complete without a traditional loaf, because it is considered an integral part of the wedding ceremony. It is considered a symbol of love and prosperity. Baking this bread took place as a ritual, which had its own requirements and rules. At the same time, a lot of time is devoted not only to preparing the dough, but also to decorating it.
What kind of decoration for a wedding loaf is used to make it lush, original and beautiful.
Previously, cooking loaf was only allowed to married women who were happily married. Divorced and childless girls were not allowed to bake, as their unhappy fate could affect the life of the bride and groom together.
See photo.
Previously, the official day for preparing a loaf was Saturday. On this day, women prepared everything they needed for baking, and also performed special rituals. But now weddings can take place on any day, so this tradition of baking bread on weekends has practically become obsolete.
What products are included in the recipe:
- 10 cups flour
- 25 grams of dry yeast
- 100 grams of butter
- half a glass of milk
- 10 eggs
- tablespoon salt
- 8 spoons of sugar
- raisin
- nuts
According to superstition, it is believed that the larger the loaf, the happier the couple’s marriage will be. Therefore, whenever possible, it was prepared in large sizes.
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It is recommended to bake a loaf in a great mood, and always with great warmth and love. Bread made with your own hands is considered a symbol of the beginning of a new family.
How to knead the dough. Dissolve yeast in warm milk, add sugar and mix thoroughly. Sift the flour through a sieve and add to the milk and yeast. The consistency should resemble pancake batter. Sprinkle some flour on top, cover with something, and place in a warm place, let it sit for a couple of hours.
Once the dough rises, you need to do the following.
- Separate the yolks from the whites; one yolk can be left for greasing the baked goods.
- Grind the egg yolks with sugar and add to your dough.
- Next, the whites are beaten and the butter is dissolved.
- Take half a glass of flour, make a mound and a hole inside.
- Pour in a little dough and start kneading the dough.
- Gradually add the egg whites and beaten yolks and mix it all well until the dough begins to stick to your hands.
- Leave the resulting dough in a warm place for two hours.
You will get about two kilograms of dough. Leave 600 grams for decoration. Form a ball from the remaining mixture. While the oven is heating up, you make decorations for the loaf. When everything is ready, take a baking sheet, cover with baking paper, put in the bread, grease with yolk, and set off to cook. Baking time is about one and a half hours.
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If you doubt your abilities, you can always get a master class from experienced women who know how to prepare it.
What is a loaf?
A loaf is a ritual bread, richly decorated, baked in accordance with special rituals, symbolizing wealth, happiness and well-being. What is the significance of a loaf of bread at a wedding? It is very difficult to overestimate the role of bread in the culture and life of the Slavs - “bread is the head of everything” , this parting word was left to us by our ancestors, and we observe ancient traditions and customs. Few people refuse this beautiful and very symbolic ritual - taking out bread when the newlyweds meet.
Photo of the wedding loaf
All this symbolism is embodied today in ritual bread for the young - that’s what the loaf is for. Previously, such bread was baked according to a special recipe only by married women with children. Widows , divorced or unmarried women were not allowed to participate in the bread baking ritual. Happiness in marriage, procreation - according to legend, women shared all this with the young, putting special energy into the loaf. Reading prayers, singing ritual wedding songs, special rituals for making dough and decorating bread became part of baking.
However, such bread was put into the oven by a married and happy man, thus, from those who prepared the loaf, the young people received, as it were, a particle of happiness and the ability to get along
Today, more and more often, one of the relatives buys a loaf in a specialized store or orders its production at a bakery. This approach is dictated by life itself, with its rapid pace and partial loss of some traditions. But for those who would like to bake bread with their own hands , there are loaf recipes that can help create a masterpiece of culinary and aesthetic skill with special energy and symbolism.
Wedding loaf recipe
For the test you will need:
- 4 kg of wheat flour;
- milk - 2 liters;
- dry yeast - 100 grams;
- eggs – 6 pcs.;
- 2 tbsp. l. Sahara;
- 1 tsp. salt.
Photo of a loaf at a wedding
Process of preparing a loaf:
- Dissolve dry yeast in heated milk, add sugar and a few tablespoons of flour. Stir until the sour cream becomes thick, sprinkle with flour and cover with a towel.
- Wait for the dough to increase in volume and add the yolks, vegetable oil, the rest of the flour and salt. Knead the dough until it begins to pull away from your hands.
- Set aside 200 g of dough (for decoration), divide the remaining dough into four parts. Weave a braid out of three and form a ring from it; Fill the center with a quarter of the dough.
- For decoration, mold leaves, ears of corn, plant ornaments, and decorate the loaf with swans.
Bake the loaf on a sheet greased with vegetable oil, brushing the loaf with yolk before baking. Baking time: approximately 55 minutes at 170 degrees
Step by step recipe
Today there are many different recipes for wedding loaf. They differ mainly in their ingredients and their quantity. Below is the most popular and affordable recipe that you can use at home.
Step-by-step instructions for preparing dough and baking a loaf:
- The milk is heated until barely warm. Add the specified amount of dry yeast and 1 teaspoon of sugar to it. Leave for 10 minutes until the milk-yeast starter foams.
- 9 eggs are carefully separated into whites and yolks. The last, tenth egg will be needed to grease the top of the loaf.
- The yolks are well ground with a glass of sugar until a homogeneous beige mixture is obtained.
- The ground yolks are combined with milk-yeast starter and mixed well.
- The flour is carefully sifted several times. This will rid it of small hairs and other contaminants, and this process will also help to obtain a lighter and more airy dough.
- ? Parts of the sifted flour are poured into a heap into a deep bowl and a fairly large depression is made in the middle. Pour the egg-milk mixture, softened butter, whipped egg whites, salt and cinnamon into the resulting hole.
- All the above ingredients are mixed and then placed on a floured table. If the dough turns out liquid, do you need to add the rest? part of the sifted flour.
- The dough is kneaded until a homogeneous mass of medium density is obtained. It should be plastic and not stick to your hands.
- The resulting dough is transferred to a tall bowl, covered with a new towel and placed in a warm place for 1.5 hours.
- After the dough has risen, it must be slightly kneaded, releasing the gas formed inside. Then he is allowed to come up one or two more times.
- A third of the dough is separated for future decorations, and the rest is given a round shape, placed on a baking sheet lined with special parchment and left for 10 minutes.
- At this time, leaves, spikelets and braids are made from a piece of dough separated in advance, with which the loaf is decorated. It is worth noting that massive figures for decoration should be baked separately to avoid burning them. In the middle of the loaf you can make a hole for salt.
- After the specified time, use a special brush to brush the surface of the dough with beaten egg yolk mixed with 1 tbsp. spoon of water. Then the dough is sent to the oven or oven.
- First, preheat the oven well, setting it to maximum temperature. Then set it to 170? C and bake the dough. Baking time depends on the oven or stove. As a rule, it is 50–60 minutes.
Serving a loaf at a wedding: an ancient tradition
Despite the change in the attitude of modern people to bread, you can buy a fresh product in any store; bread is still used as a ritual dish . At Easter, many housewives bake Easter cakes and ears of bread, fruit bread for Christmas and loaf for a wedding - this is more than just bread. Sacred symbols of important events and great holidays, they become an obligatory part of some rituals. Such bread was always skillfully decorated, and with certain symbolism. The beautiful Russian loaf is replete with various decorations. Each detail has a certain meaning and significance; many decorative elements are designed to appease higher powers, ask for a blessing or show your respect.
Photo of wedding loaf decorations
Bread for a wedding was always baked in a round shape - in honor of the sun, symbolizing happiness, life and goodness. A large wedding loaf was baked, because according to custom there were several stages of dividing the bread:
- The newlyweds were the first to bite into bread;
- the middle part was distributed to the guests;
- the lower part is for musicians;
- whatever was left was given to the poor waiting at the gate.
Thus, the young people seemed to share their happiness with those invited , whose gifts were gratitude for this benefit. Guests took pieces of the loaf home and shared it with their household, thereby sharing happiness. The newlyweds had to salt a piece of bread, thereby eating up all the salt of future tears, especially for the bride.
The bread was carried out on a towel - a beautifully embroidered towel.
The ancient Slavs called wedding bread a loaf - it was most often round, large enough bread to serve to all guests. A special meaning was invested in such a treat , since even special people were involved in its production, flour was ground on special millstones, and all this was accompanied by prayers and special rituals. It was a symbol of a happy life, prosperity and prosperity.
The loaf has not lost its relevance today . The groom's parents meet the newlyweds at the doorstep of the house with bread on a towel and icons, thereby blessing the young family for a long, happy life. The wedding ceremony does not set strict limits in this case. Some parents are holding bread, some are holding icons. Both parents say parting words.
Photo of a beautiful loaf
Not only the symbolism of decorations is important on wedding bread. On top of the loaf there is a place for a salt shaker . This can be simply a depression in the dough where salt is poured, and there is also a place for a salt shaker, which can be either glass or wooden with painting. They bring out a loaf of salt to the young people; it is not for nothing that in Rus' from time immemorial they greeted dear guests very magnificently and offered them a taste of bread and salt.
Today, the signs and customs that accompany a wedding say that whoever bites off the largest piece of bread will be the head of the family . Previously, girls did not strive for dominance, the husband was the breadwinner, the breadwinner, and it was he who was assigned this role, and the wife took care of the housework and children, but times have changed. You are also allowed to break off the loaf with your hands to take a piece for yourself.
The groom's parents greet the newlyweds with bread not only on the doorstep
This could be the wedding palace, the entrance to the restaurant or the beginning of the banquet. There are no strict rules here, so everyone decides where and how the bread will be taken out.
A loaf at a wedding means the first bread shared by the newlyweds. This is the first step of two young people starting their journey together. They have to live a long life, overcome many difficulties, and raise children. But at the beginning of this interesting journey is the wedding day and the first piece of bread together.
How many loaves should there be at a wedding?
Photo of a festive loaf
If there is a wedding ceremony, then there should be four loaves :
- The first loaf is baked for matchmaking. With this bread, the matchmakers go to the bride's house.
- Next, the loaf will be needed to bless the newlyweds after the bride ransom.
- The third bread is needed to meet the newlyweds after registration. This loaf is held by the groom's parents.
- The fourth is usually presented after the wedding ceremony.
The history of the origin of the loaf in Rus'
The custom of serving special pastries at weddings originated with the ancient Slavs. In Ancient Rus', bread was considered a great gift from the earth's nurse, and the sun was the main patron. Therefore, the predecessor of the holiday loaf was round like the sun and symbolized fertility, abundance and prosperity.
Origin of the word "Loaf"
There are several assumptions about the origin of the name of ritual bread in Rus'. The most common of them comes down to the fact that the word “loaf” comes from the word “cow”, which in Slavic dialects means “bride”. And the suffix “ay” in the word is a symbol of a bull, that is, a man. Thus, the loaf personified fertility, the unity of the feminine and masculine principles.
Loaf decoration
Delicious wedding loaves with decorations become one of the main wedding rituals. The breaking of bread , the deep meaning of eating the first piece together, becomes the main event for the guests. Bread for a wedding must be brought out with salt. A loaf salt shaker can be purchased and inserted into a special recess on top.
Bread decoration is of particular importance. So swans symbolize fidelity, ears of corn - prosperity, grapes - abundance and numerous offspring, a pigtail - the intertwining of the destinies of the young, doves are placed on a loaf as a sign of love and fidelity and symbolize the bride and groom.
Particular attention is paid not only to the towel and decoration on the loaf, but also to the utensils for bread
A loaf tray for a wedding can be a great memorable gift for newlyweds on the day of registration or wedding. The symbolism on such a tray will remind the young people of the happiest day of their lives.
The loaf should not only be beautiful, but also tasty. Previously, it was baked for several days using rye flour. Today it is usually rich bread made from wheat flour .
Roses for wedding decoration
Making figurines in the form of roses will not be difficult for you. To do this, you need to roll out identical circles from the dough. Stack them on top of each other, pinch them in the middle, cut them and form a decoration. You will get two roses.
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There is another way to make roses.
- Take one circle and roll it into a sausage.
- You begin to roll what you get into a sausage again, turning the edges back a little.
- You twist it all until you get roses. This is not difficult to do at home.
How much does a loaf cost for a wedding?
The price of a loaf for a wedding depends on whether you bake the bread yourself or buy a finished product. If you decide to order baked goods from a specialized place, the cost will vary within a thousand, everything will depend on the complexity of the decor and the weight of the product. If you decide not to give such an important point into the wrong hands, then its price will be minimal - only the amount that is needed to purchase the ingredients.
Mandatory loaf at a wedding
Useful tips
It is quite possible to bake a loaf for a wedding so that it turns out to be tasty, fluffy and beautiful. To obtain a similar result, it is recommended to use the following tips:
- It is advisable that the dough rise three times. After it has risen, you need to knead it and moisten it with a small amount of sweet water. This action will avoid chapping. However, it is not recommended to overdo it with the moistening process, as this may prevent the cake from baking.
- While the dough is in the oven, it is not recommended to open it to check the readiness of the pie, as the product may settle.
- In order for the dough decorations to differ from the loaf in a contrasting shade, they should not be greased with yolk before baking. As a result, after baking they will acquire a golden color and will look beautiful against the background of a dark pie.
- It is not recommended to immediately remove the baked loaf from the oven or oven. Open the oven door halfway and let the cake cool for 15–20 minutes. After this, take it out, place it on a well-greased dish and cover it with whipped egg white using a brush.
- The finished loaf is covered with a clean towel or a new paper napkin and left in this position overnight.
