Italian Easter Bread
User Reviews
5
Italian Easter Bread
Description
This bread dough combines all-purpose flour, instant dry yeast, fine sea salt, sugar, lemon zest, melted unsalted butter, warmed milk, eggs, and vanilla extract. The dough is mixed first with a paddle attachment then kneaded with a dough hook for 8 minutes, creating a smooth and elastic dough. It rises covered in a warm place for 2-3 hours until doubled.
Coloured raw eggs are prepared with food coloring and dried thoroughly to prevent color bleeding during baking. The dough is divided into 16 equal pieces, shaped into 10-12 inch ropes, and braided in pairs. The bread is traditionally decorated with the dyed eggs woven within the dough braid and topped with Easter sprinkles before baking.
The resulting bread is a soft and flavorful sweet bread often eaten fresh during Easter celebrations. It can be enjoyed plain or used for dishes like French toast from leftovers.
The recipe notes that precise weighing is helpful but not critical, and that diastatic malt powder may be added to improve browning. Dough can be prepared ahead and refrigerated overnight, with time allowed to warm and rise before shaping and baking. Leftover bread keeps well for up to five days.
Ingredients
For the dough
- 5 cups (625 grams) all-purpose flour
- 3 teaspoons instant dry yeast
- 1/2 teaspoon salt fine sea salt
- 1/2 cup (120 grams) granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons lemon or the zest of 2 lemons, zest
- 11 tablespoons (156 grams) butter melted, unsalted
- 1 cups (240 grams) milk warmed, whole
- 3 large egg beaten
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
remaining ingredients
- 8 large egg whole uncooked eggs in their shells
- Food Coloring for eggs
- 1 large egg for egg wash
- Sprinkles Easter pastel
Instructions
For the dough
- Combine the flour, yeast, salt, sugar, and lemon zest in a stand mixer and combine.
- Add the beaten eggs, warmed milk, melted butter, and vanilla. Use the paddle attachment for 1 minute then switch to the bread hook and knead for 8 minutes on a low to medium speed.
- Remove the dough and transfer to a lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise in a warm place for 2-3 hours or until it doubles in size.
Coloring the eggs
- Color raw (preferably white) eggs with your choice of food coloring, then let them dry completely. Before using the eggs lightly rinse and dry the eggs. This will help prevent the egg coloring from bleeding onto the dough.
Making the Easter bread
- After two hours move the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Cut the dough into 8 equal-sized pieces. Cut those pieces in half for a total of 16 pieces.
- Shape and roll each piece into a roughly 10-12 inch rope.
- Attach two pieces together on one end then form a braid and then a circle shape. Pinch the other end together and place each circle on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Repeat the process for the remaining dough, then insert a colored egg into the center of each wreath. Note: You can opt to make longer-style double wreaths by using more dough. The choice is yours.
- Cover the baking tray with plastic wrap and allow the Easter bread to rise for another 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350f.
- Beat the egg and 1 tablespoon of water together to make an egg wash.
- Lightly brush each circle of braided dough with the egg wash then top with sprinkles. Bake the Easter bread for 25 minutes or until golden and serve right away.
Notes
- Use a scale for measuring ingredients accurately, but cup measurements work if flour isn't packed.
- Diastatic malt powder (up to 2 tsp) can improve bread browning if desired.
- Dough can be made a day ahead and refrigerated overnight; allow 2-3 hours to warm and rise before baking next day.
- Eat the bread fresh for best texture; leftovers store up to 5 days and work well for recipes like French toast.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 8breads
Amount Per Serving
Calories 519 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 519kcal | 26% |
| Carbohydrates | 62.4g | 21% |
| Protein | 16.1g | 32% |
| Fat | 22.8g | 35% |
| Saturated Fat | 12g | 60% |
| Cholesterol | 287mg | 96% |
| Sodium | 211mg | 9% |
| Potassium | 214mg | 5% |
| Fiber | 1.7g | 7% |
| Sugar | 15.2g | 30% |
| Calcium | 92mg | 9% |
| Iron | 4mg | 22% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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