Lazarakia / Saturday of Lazarus

Lazarákia are small, sweet spice breads made in Greece and Cyprus by Orthodox Christians on Lazarus Saturday, the Saturday that begins Holy Week. They are eaten to celebrate the miracle of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead.

Ingredients:

800g of plain flour

1.5 cups of warm water

1 sachet of yeast

150g of sugar

1 levelled tsp of ground cinnamon

50g of olive oil

1/4 tsp of ground cloves

50g raisins or cranberries

Cloves to decorate

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Line a couple of trays with baking paper.

In a mixer, add the yeast, sugar and warm water.

Whisk and set it aside for 10 minutes to activate the yeast.

In another bowl, add flour and ground cloves into a large bowl and give these dry ingredients a quick mix.

Then, add into the dry mixture, the olive oil and the activated yeast.

Stir these ingredients together until the dough is thick enough.

Then add raisins or cranberries.

Cover the dough and allow it to rest for 30 minutes.

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After the dough has rested and risen, divide the mixture into small balls.

Shape each of the balls into small men. Roll them out into an oblong shape, create two slits on one end for legs.

In the middle, cut a slit on each side and wrap across the front to represent arms.

Insert 2 whole cloves above the arms where the head should be to create the eyes.

Bake the little Lazarous buns into the oven, for approximately 30-30 mins, until golden.