In the old days, on Saturday of Lazarus, women kneaded a special type of bread, which they called "Lazarus" or "Lazarakia". The "Lazarakia" had the shape of a man, just as Lazarus is portrayed in the icons. In memory of the resurrection of Lazarus, the housewives cooked on the Lazarus Saturday, that is, on Saturday before the Holy Week, the “lazarakia”. Inside the dough, they used to put honey, walnuts, raisins or whatever they liked.
Ingredients:
1 kilo of wheat flour
1 tea cup of raisins
4 spoonfuls of sugar
½ tea cups of corn oil
1 teaspoon of aniseed or mastic
Beer yeast
Some nutmegs and some sesame
Instructions:
Dilute the yeast with a tea cup of lukewarm water, in a bowl suitable for kneading and add the olive oil, the sugar, the raisins, the aniseed or the mastic and one more tea cup of lukewarm water. Add the flour and knead the mixture again, so it will turn into a medium dough. Put the dough on the floured kitchen bench and knead it again strongly. Divide the dough into pieces and shape them like little men by putting nutmegs for their eyes, nose, e.t.c. Spread a little oil on the large baking pan, put the “lazarakia‘’ on the baking pan, sprinkle them with sesame and cover them with a cotton towel. Leave them in a warm place to rise. Bake them in 180 degrees for 45-50 minutes.
Find here the cookbook: Traditional Recipies of Holy Mount Athos by Monk Nikitas Agioreitis
