Lazarakia

I have been wanting to make Lazarakia, and this year I finally did, although, just barely. I waited until about 9 PM to start the recipe on Lazarus Saturday to take to church for our Palm Sunday feast. I was up until after midnight making the bread!

I used the recipe from St. Theophan's Academy with only a few changes. I shortened the rising time (since I waited until 9 to start!), and I didn't add the sticky glaze - I just thought it would be too messy for church. I did brush them with olive oil and sprinkle with a mix of cinammon and sugar just before going in the oven, and that made a sweet, non-messy finish. I also left out the ground clove, but used cloves for the eyes.

Also, I couldn't find a gingerbread man cookie cutter! That seemed like such a simple way to go. Instead I braided ropes about 3" long and smooshed a little ball on one end for the head. I saw this somewhere online, and I like how it looks like a shroud. This was very time consuming, but a nice end result, and I spent it quietly listening to "Rejoice, O Bethany."