Annunciation volunteers prep for months for big Easter Bake Sale

It's that time of year again: Time to order delicious Greek pastries from the Annunciation Philoptochos Easter Bake Sale.

The sale will happen April 1 and 2 during Holy Week at Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church, 128 S. Union St., in Akron. Western Easter is April 5, while Orthodox Easter is a week later.

Volunteer work at Annunciation starts months early for the popular annual sale, which normally sees its koularakia cookies and galaktoboureko pastries sell out.

"You can't find pastry like this anywhere else in the city," said the Rev. Father Dean Kokanos of Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church. "This is the best Greek pastry you'll find in the city."

Sweet Greek treats include baklava, syrup-dipped finikia, galaktoboureko, karithopita honey walnut cake, koulourakia twisted coffee cookies, kourambiethes butter cookies and paximadia "Greek biscotti." Orders for loaves of braided Easter bread and savory spanakopita are also available online.

To order online, see easterbakesale.square.site . The last day to order online is March 30.

In late January, about 20 volunteers were making the labor-intensive galaktoboureko at a workshop. The delicious Greek custard desserts were flash frozen for the big sale happening right before Easter.

Co-chairs Kathryn Schlosser, Argie Karvounides and Robin Louis were helping make sure the magic happened with all the baking workshops.

Karvounides, who had prepared some finikia earlier, said the Lenten variety uses no egg or butter, just oil. The cookies, also called melomakarona, have an English translation that means honey moist dough.

Louis' granddaughter, 9-year-old Isabelle Louis, was the youngest volunteer Jan. 28 and a third-generation baking volunteer.

Volunteers ran the gamut, including experienced baker Olympia Pipilakis from Crete and Kalle Pugliese, a friend of Schlosser who is not Greek but has been the fastest at making pastries for the last three years. John Carroll student Zoe Nicholas also was volunteering with her mother, Paige Nicholas.

Just making the balls of custard for 2,000 galaktoboureko takes a full day, Schlosser said.

At the workshop, women buttered half of their phyllo, folded the dough, added a ball of cream and elongated it, created margins to seal the cream, rolled the pastries and finally brushed them with butter. They created 20 pastries in one sitting so the phyllo wouldn't dry out.

The milk custard cream pastries have been in existence since 1410, Schlosser said. Its custard cream, or krema, is made with semolina, cream of wheat, milk, eggs, butter and vanilla extract.

This pastry is the Greek Easter Bake Sale's top-seller each year.

"This year, we're making way more than we made last year because we're tired of running out and having customers disappointed that they can't get it," Schlosser said of the pastries.

Louis, who said she's not big on milk, fell in love with galaktoboureko last year when she ate one warm from the oven.

Following the January workshop, in early February, volunteers made koulourakia, an ancient, twisted cookie soaked in honey and topped with crushed walnuts and cinnamon.

Details on pickup

Orders may be picked up from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. April 1 and 2. Baked good also will be sold at the church those days, while supplies last.

Philoptochos, which means "friend of the poor," is a nationwide women's organization dedicated to charitable works, community service and spiritual growth. Easter Bake Sale proceeds help support the Annunciation group's philanthropic work.

Arts and restaurant writer Kerry Clawson may be reached at 330-996-3527 or kclawson@thebeaconjournal.com.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Greek pastry delights await at Annunciation Easter Bake Sale