BBA: Anthos (Greek Celebration Bread)

Now they're coming thick and fast. The lack of rigid schedule for this BBA challenge is allowing my obsessions to get the better of me, and I'm baking at a too rapid pace. Still, I have guests this weekend, and they'd probably like some bread to eat while they're here.

They can eat Anadama bread. At least half of that loaf is still left, and I'm not sure that the puffy airy Anthos (Greek Celebration Bread), flavored with spices and almond and orange oil, will be lasting until they get here.

This bread is presented by Reinhart as a kind of base recipe for various kinds of Greek holiday breads, including the Easter loaf studded with red eggs, and the New Year's vassilopita. It is soft and sweet and rich, laden with eggs and milk and oil, as well as the aforementioned spices. It's also, thanks to the addition of commercial yeast and sourdough, perfectly light, and disappears very quickly. It's too rich for real every day bread use, but I can't imagine a better loaf for french toast or bread pudding or mushing up and eating with fresh slightly overgelled rhubarb jelly.