A few different cultures had the custom to make bread with hard boiled eggs. It is likely these customs originated from Christian Easter bread where the egg symbolizes the cycle of life. Easter is celebrated around the same time of Purim so it makes sense that the customs would overlap in form, but differ in meaning.
The Moroccan bread, Boyoja Ungola di Purim, is known as Haman’s Eye. It is a round loaf decorated with two hard boiled eggs in their shells representing Haman’s eyes and when you rip them out it is as if you are ripping the eyes from the evil villain, an eye for an eye. This bread is often a bit sweeter and includes the addition of sesame seeds, anise seeds, and almonds in the dough.
The Jewish community of Rhodes also incorporated boiled eggs into special Purim challah loaves. Their “folares” loves are meant to look like a cage, with hard boiled eggs – symbolizing Haman – trapped inside!
To make either bread it starts with your favorite challah dough, add the flavorings if you like and then it’s all about the shaping.
Ingredients
- Challah dough
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds and ¼ cup chopped almonds for Moroccan bread
- 4 hard boiled eggs
- 1 egg yolk
- Sesame seeds
Nutritional Facts
Instructions
For Moroccan bread
- Prepare your challah dough, add sesame seeds and almonds.
- Instead of braiding the dough, tear off a small piece, then divide remaining dough into four. Form round challahs out of dough, and using a sharp knife, cut egg-sized slits into the side of each loaf.
- Push one hard boiled egg into each loaf. Divide the small piece of dough into eight, and roll the pieces out to form “X” shapes: put an X over each egg, and press down to seal.
For Folares
- Optional: add food coloring to the water when you boil the eggs, to dye them the color of your choice. Blue was a traditional color used for Folares.
- Instead of forming loaves, divide the dough into four parts.
- Take each part and divide it into three more pieces. With one piece, form a bottom nest, and place a hard-boiled egg on it.
- Roll the other two pieces into ropes, and cross them over the egg, forming a cage. Pinch the bottoms of the cage to the base to seal.
For both
- Place on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper, cover, and let rise one hour. Beat egg, and brush it over the loaf to glaze. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.
- Preheat oven to 350°F, and bake about 30 minutes, until loaf is golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.
