Breaking (Easter) Bread

As the holiday is fast approaching, I can't miss an opportunity to post something about Easter Bread. I have a love of the many varieties of flavored breads that fall into this category. Most importantly, my mom and my grandma each make their own version of Easter Bread. My mom's bread is light, anise flavored bread that is braided and iced with a sweet, thin icing. It is best right from the oven or the same day it is baked, as it tends to get dry and the icing gritty if it isn't eaten soon after baking. My grandma's (my mom's mom's) is heavier, also anise flavored, and has gold raisins in the dough. It is best from the oven or toasted for days after. It also makes for a great bread pudding.
There is an ongoing battle of sorts between my mom and gram as to whose bread is the family favorite. Problem is: the breads are so different. Which is the favorite is a matter of preference for type of bread, not bread baker. Though you can't convince my mom or grandma of that. Just today, my grandma called me on my lunch break and told me that the Easter bread was coming out of the oven and that I should come have a slice for lunch. Nothing like a thick slice of bread and butter for a healthy lunch, eh? So as to not offend grandma, I put aside my yogurt and honey lunch snack for some bread. And it was great. To my surprise, my mom called me as I was leaving work and told me that she had just made some Easter bread, that it was coming out of the oven, and that there was a loaf with my name on it should I want it. Should I want it? Do I want to be written out of my mom's will? To break her heart? To fall to the bottom of her ladder of love? She knew I was at Grandma's for lunch today, there was no way I was getting out of some after work bread as well. (Note to self: this is why my two-a-days at the gym have been of little affect lately...)Inheritance aside, I was happy to get some of my mom's hot Easter bread as well. It too was wonderful in its own distinct way.
And here's the rub of this post - the many varieties of Easter bread local to my hometown and I assume on a wider basis. Many of the Italian ladies in my hometown make Easter Bread and share it with other bread-makers as a calling card of sorts. I have had heavy, booze-filled breads, delicate anise seed bread knots, lemon bread filled with ricotta, and a lot of things in between. This year alone, I have had bread braided, in knots, in round and rectangular loafs, iced, sprinkled with powdered sugar, and baked with a hard boiled egg inside. Whatever the variety, whatever the case, I am thankful for the time and love that goes into making this holiday treat as well as the generosity of the bread maker in sharing it. Happy Easter!