Cuddura Cull’ova (Sicilian Easter biscuits)

1.For dough, combine flour, sugar, yeast, seeds and lemon zest in a large bowl. Add lard, eggs and almond extract and knead to bring dough together. It will not be smooth (2 minutes). Cover in plastic wrap and rest at room temperature or in fridge for 2 hours. Rest dough in fridge before rolling out. Remove from fridge 15 minutes before using.

2.Meanwhile, for dyed eggs, bring a saucepan of water to a gentle boil in a large saucepan. Add eggs and simmer until hard-boiled (9 minutes); drain. Combine 2 litres boiling water and vinegar in a bowl, add colouring and mix in. Add eggs, ensuring they are all submerged, and leave for 5 minutes or longer (up to 1 hour, otherwise the vinegar begins to corrode the shells). Transfer to a wire rack to dry.

3.Preheat oven to 180˚C. Divide dough into 10 balls (about 100gm each), then divide each ball into 3 pieces. Roll each piece into a 1 cm-thick rope; trim so they are same length. Lay ropes, side by side, pinch top together and braid. Join two ends together to form a circle and pinch to seal. Place on an oven tray; repeat with remaining dough. Press an egg into centre of each crown (do this step at end to minimise dye bleeding into biscuits), brush lightly with extra beaten egg and bake until golden and cooked through (about 20 minutes). Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

4.For almond glaze, combine icing sugar, almond extract and enough lemon juice to form a runny glaze. Coat biscuits in glaze, place on a wire rack over an oven tray and leave for glaze to harden. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.