How to make
Sift the flour into the bowl in which you will knead the Easter bread. Make a well in the middle. Leave the flour at room temperature.
Mix the yeast with 3/4 cup of warm milk. Add 1 teaspoon of sugar and as much flour to make a thicker mixture. Leave the yeast in the heat to rise.
Beat the eggs with the sugar, using a wire whisk, until they're white and foamy.
Pour the risen yeast into the well, add the egg mixture, salt and some of the melted butter.
Knead a soft dough, by dipping your hands in the remaining fat. The dough should not be hit, but stretched and gathered without sticking to your hands and walls of the dish.
When it starts to form bubbles, sprinkle it with flour and cover it with a towel. Leave it in a warm place for a few hours until it doubles in volume - this means that the dough has risen.
Soak the raisins and chopped apricots in a little rum. Once they have softened, strain them and roll them in flour.
Divide the dough into 3 large balls and each ball into 3 smaller ones.
Stretch each ball, put in the middle of each one the dried fruit and twist them into long sticks.
Knit three sticks for each Easter bread (to make three Easter bread loafs). Place the Easter bread loafs in suitable trays and leave them to rise again in the heat.
Spread each Easter bread with the beaten egg yolk and sprinkle them with crystal sugar on top.
Put them in a slightly heated oven with the fan on and gradually increase the temperature to 300°F (150 degrees). Monitor them constantly so that they do not burn.
If necessary, cover their surface with baking paper and bake them.
Wrap the fully baked Easter bread loafs with clean cotton towels and leave them to cool.
Store them in paper bags.
