Coming at you with another delicious Peruvian recipe, this time for an All Saints’ Day treat: tanta waws. Tanta wawas are a sculpted sweet bread enjoyed throughout the Andean region. Their name comes from Quechua. Tanta is bread, and wawa is baby, and the most popular shape given to these breads is that of a baby wrapped in a blanket, although shapes such as horses, llamas, and other animals, or unswaddled children or adults may also be found.
The tradition of tanta wawas is said date back to pre-Colombian and indeed pre-Incan times when, as Quechua nobleman and chronicler Felipe Wamán Poma explains, Andean communities would mark the first day of the month of Aya Markay Quilla (November)—the month dedicated to the dead, or ancestors—by carefully removing the most honored ancestors’ remains from their burial niches, dressing them lavishly, and then processing them around the town before including them in communal celebration and feasting. Tanta wawas are still given today as offerings to dear departed relatives, especially deceased young ones, on November 1st, a date which was later folded into the Catholic calendar and now goes by the name All Saints’ Day or Day of the Dead.
This particular recipe was shared with our family by our children’s school. As foreign implants eager to respect our host nation’s customs, we dutifully purchased a pricey tanta wawa from a reputable pastry provider near our home last year, but found the supposed delicacy dry and overly scented of aniseed. The tanta wawa our daughter brought home from her school’s baking class this week, however, was pleasantly sweet and flavorful with not a hint of anise (which in my opinion has no place anywhere near a dessert), if still a tad on the dry side. Nothing serving it alongside a cup of coffee or a glass of milk can’t help! It’s a fun recipe to make, as the shaping of the dough allows for a great deal of creativity . . .or utter laziness, depending on your mood!
So slip on an apron and roll up your sleeves, and get ready to make your very own cute little bread baby!
Tanta Wawas — Peruvian Bread Babies
(Makes 10 tanta wawa bread figures)
Ingredients
- 800 grams/ approx. 6 1/3 C whole wheat flour
- 6 eggs
- 250 g / 1 C raw sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 20 g / 2 ½ TB ground cinnamon
- 1/3 C cold water or cold anise tea (if you’re into that)
- 50 g / 1/ ¾ oz / 5 1/3 TB fresh yeast
- 50 g / ½ C dry shredded coconut
- 100 g / 7 1/3 TB vegetable shortening
- Raisins, sprinkles, etc. for decorating
- Sesame seeds for decorating (optional)
- 10 tongue depressors (these will be used to stabilize your tanta wawa as you shape it)
1. Place the flour, salt, cinnamon, sugar, and dry shredded coconut in a bowl or on a clean flat surface.
2. Make a small hole in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour into this the cold water and eggs.
3. Add the shortening and fresh yeast.
4. Kneed everything together until the dough is evenly mixed.
5. Cover and let stand for 1 hour.
6. Divide the dough into 10 equal portions, then further divide each portion in 3.
7. With one third of a portion, roll and stretch the dough into a stick form 5 or 6 inches long and place it on the tongue depressor. This will help the dough keep its shape. Use the other two thirds portions to shape a hat and blanket around the baby’s head and body, as well as any decorative dough designs you may desire.
8. Use raisins to make two eyes and a mouth. Sprinkle with sesame seeds if desired. Further decorate with more raisins, sprinkles, or seeds as desired.
9. Cover your tanta wawa and let stand 1 hour.
10. Preheat your oven to 350º F.
11. Bake for 45 minutes or until done.
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And here are some pictures of completed tanta wawas to inspire you!