The Cuddura Diaries

Every Easter since I met Jack Puglisi in 1982 I have heard the story of the cookie that he got to eat as a child at his Easter. He called it a Godura, baskets made by his Nonnie, a kind of sweet cookie that was wrapped around a real hard boiled egg and eaten at this time of the year.
Startlingly this year via the internet, cookbooks, searching, we figured out they are actually called cuddura or coddura, of course they are from Sicily ( we knew that) and made in various forms. One link we found took us here. Jack's memory is of a decidedly more height related form than we found on-line, basket like, and of a "good to eat" cookie.
With that egg in there.

So we tried cuddura today. This is the recipe we found to try:

( I suggest using some vanilla, maybe some lemon or orange zest)

2 cups flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
4 oz ( 1 stick) sweet butter, cut in pieces
2 large eggs
Hard boiled eggs, colored if desired
1 egg beaten

Combine dry ingredients in a bowl. Make a well in the center, add butter and eggs and work everything together with your hands until a dough comes together. On a lightly floured surface, knead gently for a few minutes until smooth and pliable.

Wrap in plastic, refrig an hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Divide the dough in 2 portions and roll out one half on a floured surface. Cut out desired shapes and place on a cookie sheet lined with baking parchment. Top each with a boiled egg, cross with two strips of dough, and brush with beaten egg. Repeat with the remaining half. Bake cookies until golden brown about 15 minutes.


To get an idea of the impossibility of running this down read here.

And I have found it called Cannateddi or Cannatunni.


I found this here:

  Easter Egg Bread Basket 

INGREDIENTS (Makes about 4 Baskets)
5 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
4 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 cup sugar
Colored sprinkles
13/4 cup corn oil
1 teaspoon of Vanilla
6 eggs
Milk & Egg White for brushing
1-2 Packets of Dye for the eggs

This is a very familiar sight to many people, especially those who
grew up Italian.  This tradition has occurred in many Italian families
both here after immigration, and those from the old country of Italy
and Sicily.  Very often, you can see these in Italian bakeries around
Palm Sunday and Easter time.  It is one of the many symbols and traditions
of our ancestors and being Italian.
---------------------------------------------
Easter Egg Bread Basket

This Sicilian tradition occurred in many Italian families both here after
immigration and before in the old country.  In fact, you can see them in
Italian bakeries just before Easter. They symbolize tradition and culture of
our ancestors.

Color eggs first, set oven for 350F. Line 2 cookie sheets with foil - makes
6 baskets.

Ingredients
6 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
4  teaspoons baking powder
1 cup sugar
colored sprinkles
1 cup corn oil
1 1/3 teaspoons vanilla
7 eggs
milk & egg white, for brushing.

To color the eggs boil a half cup water for each color and add 1 teaspoon
vinegar.  Add 10 drops of the food color, roll the egg in water solution.
Take pan off stove and let eggs dry on a spoon.

Combine sifted four, baking powder and sugar and set aside.  Beat together
the eggs, oil & vanilla. Knead with spoon while adding dry mixture to egg
mixture a little at a time. Knead with hands on a clean surface until evenly
mixed. Be sure not to over knead! On tine lined with foil, carefully shape a
cupful of dough into a basket shape. Place the colored eggs in center and
cover with a small piece of rolled dough, sealing edges to basket. Using
your hands, roll a 1" wide and  6"long piece of dough lengthwise and curve
to resemble basket handles.  Brush the basket with egg white and apply
sprinkles, then brush with milk.

Bake 20 minutes at 350F on foil lined cookie sheet. Let cool before
removing with wide spatula. Serve or give on paper plates with decorated
border. Wrap in plastic, tie with colored ribbon for a traditional and
unique Easter cookie gift! Makes 6 baskets.

Or this from here:

Italian Easter Bread

I have wanted to make this bread for years, but never made enough time to squeeze it into an Easter menu. It is time consuming, but it was worth it. I served it the next day, and I would recommend only serving this the same day you bake it.
EASTER EGG BREAD RING (Italian/ Greek)

5 eggs

1/4 cup white sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast

3 cups all-purpose flour

2/3 cup milk

2 tablespoons butter

2 eggs, room temperature

1/2 cup mixed candied fruit

1/3 cup chopped blanched almonds

1/2 teaspoon anise seed

2 tablespoons melted shortening

1 cup confectioners’ sugar

1 tablespoon whole milk

1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 tablespoons multicolored sprinkles (jimmies

1. Color the 5 eggs with egg dye. In a large mixing bowl, blend the white sugar, salt, and yeast well with 1 cup of the flour.
2. In a saucepan, combine 2/3 cup milk and butter, heating slowly until liquid is warm and butter is melted. Pour the milk into the dry ingredients and beat 125 strokes with a wooden spoon. Add eggs and 1/2 cup flour or enough to make a thick batter. Beat vigorously for 2 minutes. Stir in enough flour to make a ball of dough that draws away from the sides of the bowl.
3. Turn out onto a floured board and knead for about 10 minutes, working in additional flour to overcome stickiness. Place the dough in a greased bowl, turning to grease the top. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and put in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
4. Meanwhile, combine the fruit, nuts, and anise seed.
5. Punch down the dough and return it to a lightly floured board. Knead in the fruit mixture, keeping the syrupy pieces dusted with flour until they are worked into the dough. Divide the dough in half.
6. Carefully roll each piece into a 24-inch rope–the fruit and nuts will make this slightly difficult. Loosely twist the two ropes together and form a ring on a greased baking sheet. Pinch the ends together well. Brush the dough with melted shortening. Push aside the twist to make a place for each egg. Push eggs down carefully as far as possible. Cover the bread with wax paper and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
7. Bake the bread in a preheated 350 degree F (175 degrees C) oven for about 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in a twist comes out clean. Place on a wire rack to cool.
8. Once the bread is cool, drizzle the icing on top between the eggs, and decorate with colored sprinkles. To make icing: mix together confectioners’ sugar, 1 tablespoon whole milk, and vanilla.

Or this one from here:

SICILIAN EASTER BREAD - "Pupo con l'uovo"

Serves 6
7 cups flour
1 cup milk
8 oz shortening
8 oz sugar
5 teaspoons baking powder
6 hard boiled, colored eggs Colored sugar sprinkles

FROSTING
2 egg
14 oz confectioner's sugar
Lemon, a few drops
Mix flour, sugar, shortening and baking soda in a large bowl, then form a well in the center of it.
Add milk to the mixture a little at a time while mixing until you have a firm dough, Knead until smooth and elastic.
Let the dough rest for 1/2 an hour.
Preheat oven to 380 degrees F.
Divide into 6 portions. Take a portion of the dough and roll out in a circle to a between 1/8 and 1/4" thick, about a foot in diameter.
Place a hard-boiled egg in the center of the rolled out dough folding it over itself in such a way that the egg remains in the center of the dough. Do the same with the rest of the dough (all 6 eggs).
Form on a greased pan a circle with the dough-enveloped eggs so that they are touching each other. Shape the edges. Bake for 15 minutes.
FROSTING:
Beat 2 egg whites till they form peaks. Add the sugar, a little at a time continuously beating the egg whites till mixture is creamy. Add a few drops of lemon juice. With a pastry brush spread the egg and sugar mixture onto the cooled bread. Decorate with colored sugar.

Or this from here:

CUDUDUA (ITALIAN EASTER COOKIES)

6 eggs - well beaten
1/2 pound butter or oleo (margarine) (melted, then cooled)
1 1/2 cups of granulated sugar (my grandmother uses 3/4 cup of sugar)
2 TBSP of Baking Powder
2 TSP of Vanilla Extract (Pure)
Shake of Cinnamon
4 1/2 cups of sifted flour (more or less)
Some colored hard-boiled or blown Easter Eggs

Beat eggs until yellow and frothy (very well), then add a shake of Cinnamon. Add Vanilla, Cinnamon, Sugar (a little at a time - make sure it is dissolved before adding flour). Add melted butter after it has cooled. Add Flour and Baking Powder. Add enough flour so that soft but not sticky. Let dough rest for an hour in refrigerator (or table - can be room temp).

Heat oven to 375.

Take piece of dough out (about the size of a apple), roll into cylinder with hands while leaving the center thicker. Press center down with heel of your hand (this is for the egg). Place on cookie sheet, then put Hardboiled egg (or blown egg) in that spot. Place two small strips of dough (like a cross) on top of egg to hold it to the cookie. Prick the top of the dough and slit the tips for decoration.

Bake in 375 for 10 minutes until light Golden (make sure they are not too brown). Be careful taking out of oven because the cookies are delicate.

You can also make any design you want. My grandmother also makes smaller cookies by rolling into a 3/4 inch cylinder and cutting into 1 1/2 pieces. She also sometimes frosts them with a basic powder sugar frosting.

Now they are ready to be enjoyed by dunking in Milk, Tea, Coffee, and some people dunk in wine (yuck!)

Good Luck!

Or from here:

Great-Grandma Mary's Sicilian Easter Cookies
3 lbs. flour (4 cups/lbs.)
5 eggs
1 1/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 tab. vanilla
3 3/4 tab. baking powder
1 1/4 cup shortening (vegetable)
1 1/4 cup milk (more or less depending on cookie dough)
1/4 tsp flavoring (traditional: anise, can use lemon, almond, etc...)
Add eggs, sugar, shortening to mixer and beat well. Add 1/2 flour, mix well by hand. Add vanilla, milk and additional flavoring. Add remaining flour. Shape dough into logs and cut on angles (diamond shaped cookies). Can also make baskets and egg wraps with dough. Egg wraps include one hard boiled egg dyed with color to the middle of the dough and bake. Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes. Glaze with powdered sugar and sprinkle with round multi-colored sprinkles. Makes: A LOT!

So enough , enough......
We tried to do it this afternoon. Jack recalls "that he would go on Easter Sunday and his Nonni made each child one of these twisted braided baskets. He liked them."
That's the nostalgic story there.
Here is our attempt:


Still working on it.