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Italian Easter Bread (Pane di Pasqua)
4.9 from 141 votes

Italian Easter Bread (Pane di Pasqua)

Italian Easter Bread (Pane di Pasqua) is a sweet braided yeast bread enriched with butter, eggs, orange zest, and vanilla, creating a tender and fragrant dough. It’s shaped into a circle with intertwined braids and studded with boiled eggs. The bread is decorated with colorful sprinkles and an egg wash glaze, baked until golden for a festive and decorative centerpiece traditionally served at Easter.

Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Additional Time
3 hrs
Total Time
3 hrs 50 mins
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup butter at room temperature, unsalted
  • 4-5 egg depending on size, at room temperature
  • 4 egg for decoration
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tbsp orange zest
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
  • Sprinkles multi-colored
  • 1 egg egg beaten with water for egg wash

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Use a fine sieve to sifted the flour into the bowl of a standing mixer or a large bowl. Mix in the sugar and the active dry yeast.
  2. Heat up the milk. Once heated, slowly pour into the flour mixture, and mix thoroughly.
  3. Cut the unsalted butter into small pieces and add to the mixture a lıttle at a time, allowing each portion to fully incorporate before adding the next. Add 4 large eggs, the vanilla and orange zest, salt and continue to mix.
  4. Brıng the dough together into a ball and place in a bowl, cover with film, and leave in a warm place until it has doubled in volume.
  5. Boil 4 eggs and let them cool.
  6. Divide the dough into two pieces, roll each piece out into long sausages and braid the two together. Form a circle by joining the two ends together.
  7. Preheat the oven at 356°F.
  8. Tuck the boiled eggs into the braid (they will settle into place as the dough rises), brush the surface with the beaten egg, sprinkle over some sugar sprinkles, and bake for 40 minutes or until it becomes golden-brown.
  9. When cooked, take the bread out and let it cool. Serve it cut into slices.

Notes