4-05-2026 4:38am

Philosophizing About Food With Francine: Easter Bread

Lesley Misko Editor

by Francine Black

Our Easter bread is made of a rich but not too sweet brioche dough in the French style.

There are many traditions regarding the baking of this bread hearkening back to Byzantium, Eastern Catholicism, and the Orthodox Christian church – although recipes for this special bread date back much farther to the Ancient Greek culture of Homer’s time. In my childhood home, which was a wonderful melding of Protestant and Christian Orthodox traditions, we honored both observances respectful to both faiths.

In my Serbian grandmother’s home, the family would fast throughout the entire Lenten season by avoiding rich foods: meat, eggs, dairy, sweets etc. When the fast was over on Easter morning, the day of joy and feasting would begin. The Easter bread, in particular, symbolized the triumph of Christ over sin and darkness, the abundance of renewed life and the promise of hope and new beginnings.

My French mother lovingly made Easter cakes for my father in her way, which was the brioche of her heritage. We were delighted to enjoy slices for Easter morning breakfast slathered with sweet butter and plum jam along with brightly colored Easter eggs and the very necessary cafe au lait.

Part of the morning ritual was listening to our parents recall the Easters of their childhoods and though we were thousands of miles and decades removed from their memories, in those precious moments, we knew a bond and a love for our family that warms my heart to this day.

I wish you many blessings, my friends, and during this Holy Week when Christians and Jews draw closer to God, may we find ways to reach out to one another in love and kindness.

High in the mountains above Bally, where the dense groves of treetops seem to touch the sky, is Francine Black, Boyertown’s own version of chef Julia Child. Her daily activities reflect the things she most values: family and friends, music, and lovingly prepared food.