Customs and traditions at a wedding
- The best recipes for making loaf for a wedding
- How to beautifully decorate a loaf of bread for a wedding with your own hands?
- Why does the loaf settle after baking?
- DIY salt dough loaf
A solemn event - a wedding is associated with ancient folk traditions. Bachelorette party, bachelor party, ransom, bride's bouquet, wedding loaf originate in the depths of the Slavic epic .
Wedding bread is a good symbol of every wedding. According to tradition, relatives on the groom’s side should bake a loaf of bread for the wedding. A clean married woman with a strong family and healthy children is selected in advance. It’s great if the groom’s godmother bakes the loaf. The energy of a prosperous person leads to harmony and wealth in the new family. Bread is baked on the wedding day; the married man must put it into the oven. The baked pie is hidden from the evil eye until the moment of serving. The mother-in-law should serve the loaf to the newlyweds after arriving from the registry office or the wedding on an embroidered towel (long towel), giving a parting speech.
According to signs, newlyweds who have tasted bread and salt are not afraid of family troubles and adversity!
Whoever bites off the larger piece will have power in the house
Wedding cake decorations are also traditional. Spikelets symbolize wealth, doves - love, swans - fidelity, braids - fertility. And the round shape of the loaf itself is a symbol of the sun .
Photo of a loaf at a wedding
Wedding loaf traditions and rituals
They began to bake loaves since the formation of Rus'. This baking required a special approach; not everyone could start preparing a loaf for the newlyweds. Only married women with children were allowed to knead the dough. Housewives had to be experienced in cooking. This was done so as not to spoil the loaf and so that the guests would like it.
The loaf should turn out lush, rosy, and rich. This will mean a happy family life, good luck in business, and prosperity. Only women with a kind soul who do not envy the newlyweds were allowed to prepare the loaf. It was necessary to prepare bread with good thoughts; it was with them that the loaf was fed. What kind of energy was present during the preparation meant that the same atmosphere would reign in the family.
As noted, the loaf has a round shape, and for its decoration, sprigs of wheat were made from elastic dough. The shape of the circle signifies the sun, which grew the ears of corn, which were later processed into flour. An interesting fact is the origin of the word “loaf”. The fact is that the loaf is so named for a reason. It is combined from two words: “cow” - from ancient Slavic means bride and “ai” is translated as a man, a bull. Thus, the loaf is a fruit that should unite the newly formed family.
How to “stick” jewelry on a product
If we use the same yeast dough for decoration as for the wedding cake, we should not attach it to the base before baking. In the oven, all the details will blur and become barely noticeable. How to decorate a loaf with pieces made later? Fifteen to twenty minutes before the loaf is ready, take it out of the oven. You need to work very quickly. After all, overcooling an unbaked product can cause the dough to fall off. Brush the top with sugar syrup or beaten egg white. We attach decorations to this culinary “glue”. Place in the oven and bake until fully cooked.
How to welcome newlyweds with a wedding loaf
According to Russian tradition, the loaf of bread at a wedding should be on the threshold of the groom's house. Mother and father meet the bride with bread and salt with words of farewell to family life. Now this tradition has changed somewhat; weddings are celebrated very rarely in homes. Mostly couples celebrate their celebration in cafes and restaurants. There, the groom's relatives (father and mother) meet the newlyweds with a loaf of bread.
The newly-made mother-in-law holds a loaf of bread in her hands, and the father-in-law blesses the newlyweds with an icon. Salt or a miniature salt shaker must be placed in the middle of the loaf. At many weddings, the toastmaster takes the initiative into his own hands and asks the newlyweds to tear off a piece of bread and salt them at their discretion. At the same time, ordering the husband and wife to salt the bread as much as possible. When a couple salts their pieces, the toastmaster usually wishes for the new family that this be their first and last salt in their marriage.
When meeting the newlyweds with a loaf, the parents ask the newlyweds to tear off a piece of the loaf without their hands. Whoever breaks off a large piece will be the master of the house. Previously, according to tradition, wives tried to tear off a smaller piece. This is due to the fact that the husband brought his wife to the parental home, where he was also the breadwinner. Therefore, it was inappropriate for the wife to bite off a large piece.
Making braided buns
The easiest option for effectively decorating pies or buns is to use as a base a rope rolled from a piece of, for example, yeast dough . Do you remember how to weave braids, or maybe you have access to the wisdom of weaving macrame knots? Take advantage of this knowledge. The length and thickness of the tourniquet depends on the desired result.
Braided bun made from one long strand
If desired, a long rope can be laid out in a kind of infinity sign, and then turned into a bun using sushi chopsticks and a knife.
bun
If you roll up a thick and short rope, you can fold it into a spiral, cut it with kitchen scissors, and in front of you is a shaped bun.
Curly bun
If you roll out a long rope, then cut it into 8 equal pieces, make several not very complex weaves and trim off the excess dough, you get a spectacular brooch bun or button bun (usually large real buttons similar to this product are used to decorate coats or bags - very fashionable! ).
Bun-brooch
A striking example of skillful handling of a tourniquet is the well-known challah bread .
Challah
Or the lesser-known South African pastry kuksister, deep-fried and then dipped in ice-cold lemon syrup.
South African baked goods kooksister
DIY wedding loaf step by step with photos
According to Slavic traditions, the wedding loaf for the newlyweds was supposed to be prepared within the walls of the house. Now loaves are ordered from bakeries, bakeries, shops, and hypermarket bakeries. This is no longer taken as seriously as before, but in vain. Often purchased loaves spoiled the celebration and the guests remained dissatisfied. The loaf with your own hands turns out to be prayed for and soulful. Take your time and prepare it yourself.
wedding loaf master class
The loaf is prepared in several stages. This is the yeast dough for which the dough is prepared, and the dough for the approach. Remember that the mass of ingredients can be increased, you can add some additives according to your taste preferences. There should be enough loaf for all guests. Don't forget about a good mood, this is wedding bread that will have a soul. He will enter into a new family with this, so if you are not feeling well, then leave these troubles for a later time.
Before cooking, read a prayer, this will bless the bread into a new family. Then collect the list of ingredients:
- Wheat flour only of the highest grade - 8-9 glasses. More may be needed depending on the moisture content of the ingredients;
- Live yeast - 20 g. It is advisable that it be fresh. The splendor of the loaf depends on this ingredient;
- Vegetable oil or margarine (butter) - 5 tbsp;
- Cow's milk or government milk with a fat content of 3.2% - 0.5 cups;
- Chicken eggs - 10 pcs.;
- Salt, sugar - to taste. For moderate sweetness, add 8 tbsp. sugar and 2 teaspoons salt. If you need a sweeter mass, the amount of sugar can be increased.
According to your taste, the loaf can be filled with spices such as cinnamon, vanilla or lemon essence, or raspberry perfume. Sprinkles and internal fillers such as nuts, seeds, sesame, and raisins are allowed.
Prepare the dough. Boil the milk, set it aside and dissolve the yeast in it. Knead them like plasticine and stir them in boiled liquid. Pour a spoonful of sugar into them, and add a sifted glass of flour there. Knead the dough in a plastic or glass bowl; it should have the consistency of thick sour cream or like pancake dough. Dust it with a handful of flour on top and cover with a cotton napkin for 1-1.5 hours. When volume appears, remove the napkin.
Now prepare the rest of the dough. Separate the egg whites into one plate and the yolks into another bowl. Separate one yolk for brushing in advance. Use all other eggs to prepare the wedding loaf. Beat the remaining yolks with sugar. Add the yolk-sugar mixture to the dough and stir. Mix the whites. Melt the butter/margarine, pour the remaining flour into an empty pan, form a funnel in it and pour in the butter, mixed whites, dough with yolks, add salt.
Knead the dough until it comes off easily from your hands. Leave it to rise in a deep container and cover with a waffle towel. Once it has reached its maximum volume, lower it by pressing it with your hand. When the dough rises a second time, take it out for baking. Separate the part for forming the loaf and the part for sculpting decorations. Place the water and yolk next to it, which was set aside for greasing.
Prepare a baking sheet, grease it with oil. Form a loaf shape on it, the shape should be round, not high and not low, as in a folk song. Moisten the future loaf with water so that it does not dry out, and in the meantime, start decorating. Make the dough for decorations more elastic by adding flour to it. Form decorations: flower petals, viburnum branches, ears of wheat, falcons, pigeons. You can add the names of the newlyweds.
Grease the loaf circle with water again, so the decoration will stick to the dough. Brush the top of the future bread with yolk, preheat the oven to 200 degrees and place the loaf for baking. Wedding bread needs to be baked for at least an hour. During this time, you cannot open the oven, this will lower the dough. After time has passed, check the readiness of the loaf with a wooden stick.
wedding loaf decoration, detail
It is customary to decorate the loaf with the same dough as the bread itself. A little more flour is added to this part to make the decorations easier to sculpt and shape. Among the decor, braids, ringlets and curls are used. They are the easiest to make. If everything is clear with rings and squiggles, they are made from just one strip, then the braids are woven, like real ones, from three lines. They are not pressed down too much, creating an imaginary naturalness.
A wide variety of flowers are made from dough, from roses to daisies, lilies, and cornflowers. Who, as they say, does it better. We suggest making roses. For each rose you will need 5 balls of dough. 1 ball with a diameter of 1 cm. Roll it out to a flat circle. Wrap the first petal around the match, then the second and third on top of it, and so on in increasing order, as in the photo below. Fold the petals like a real flower. For a loaf you need at least 7 colors, because... The number 7 is a symbol of family.
The petals on the wedding loaf are a complement to the flowers. There are no restrictions here, roll out the thick dough and cut out the leaves using scissors, a metal nail file or a carving knife.
Remember the ears of wheat. Each grain seems to be superimposed on each other. So here you will have to work hard on the wheat sprouts. There are two manufacturing options: mold the grains by hand or squeeze them out using tools, a small knife or the same metal file.
Using the same principle, you can cut doves from dough. You can find a sketch on the Internet or draw it on paper, cut out your doves using this image and transfer them to a loaf.
Housewives can come to the aid of molds that are sold in culinary stores. They are sold individually or in sets. One pressure on a piece of dough will make a ready-made masterpiece for a wedding loaf. It is better to choose metal forms; the edges of the figures will be accurate and smoother.
There are several secrets for decorating a loaf to differ in color saturation from the main edge. If you want to get a fried base and a white design, then brush the loaf circle with an egg and the decoration with plain water. During baking, the base of the loaf will brown, and the sculpted figures will only be slightly covered with gold.
video wedding loaves
https://youtu.be/-ZEhIwuYQ8whttps
http://youtu.be/hYePFQX8lL4
Butter dough decorations
So that the decorative details do not blur, but remain in relief, they should not be attached to the surface of the pie immediately, but fifteen to twenty minutes before the loaf is ready. An exception may be dough braids. Since this is a fairly large decoration, it needs more time to bake. In addition, the braid, like a hoop around a barrel, holds the surface of the wedding cake together, preventing the dough from spreading. This decorative detail is very easy to make. Cut three equal strips of dough. Their length should be two and a half times the diameter of the loaf. We fasten one end of the three strips together. And then we braid the braid. We lay it around the perimeter of the top of the product. We hide the tip of the braid underneath. After all, this braid should symbolize the infinity of marital happiness. You can weave another small and thin braid, decorating the place for the salt shaker with it.
What do you do with a wedding loaf?
It is customary to greet the newlyweds with a wedding loaf within the walls of the house or on the threshold of a cafe immediately after the registry office. As soon as the bride and groom have gone through the loaf rituals, tasted it and participated in the toastmaster competition, the loaf must be distributed to all guests. This is a symbol that the guests attended the wedding and supported the newly formed family.
If the loaf is left, you can take it home and eat it the next day. Some people wrap it in a handbrake and keep it until the first anniversary, as a family talisman. In the old days, husbands left a piece of loaf, or rather a cracker, and took it with them as a talisman on campaigns and battles. Until now, all couples behave differently, some do not share the loaf with guests, but leave it at home and share it only with their family, and some even take it to church as a donation. Everyone has their own opinion about the loaf, so decide the fate of the wedding bread yourself. Let everything work out for you, and the loaf will be a pleasant addition to the celebration!
The symbolic meaning of decorative details
Let’s not forget that this bread is ritual. Therefore, you need to approach its decor differently than decorating a cake. What is important here is not fantasy, but knowledge of the symbolic meaning of certain elements. First of all, don't forget to leave room for the salt shaker. It should be placed strictly in the center of the loaf. Floral ornaments should be placed around the salt shaker. As a rule, this is a pigtail (a symbol of a long-term relationship), ears of wheat (fertility, which in a wedding loaf is identified with having many children), flowers and leaves (well-being and prosperity), doves and horses, stars (happiness, fidelity). In Ukraine, bunches of viburnum are an invariable attribute on such ritual bread. This is not only a national symbol, but also a sign of love and marital fidelity. Of course, you can take a more modern look at decorating the loaf and decorate its surface with wedding rings, swans, and figurines of the bride and groom. You can stay true to pagan traditions and display stylized phallic symbols on the loaf. But it’s better to stick to the “golden mean”.
