Italian Easter Bread
Submitted by cjheath
Sweet yeast dough studded with candied fruit, almonds, and anise gets braided into a ring with dyed eggs nestled in the twists for a stunning Italian Easter centerpiece bread.
YIELD
12 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
35 minREADY
2 hrsThis bread makes Easter morning feel like an actual celebration.
The dough is enriched with eggs, milk, and butter, then loaded with chopped candied fruit, almonds, and star anise for subtle licorice notes. After the first rise, you divide it in half, roll each piece into a long rope, twist them together, and form a ring. Here’s where it gets dramatic: you tuck dyed raw eggs into the twists before the second rise, and they bake right in the bread, turning golden and festive. Drizzle it with sweet icing and sprinkles after cooling.
Slice it to reveal jewel-toned fruit and the surprise of hard-boiled eggs baked into tradition.
Pro Tips
- Keep candied fruit dusted with flour while kneading to prevent sticking
- Pinch the ring ends together firmly so they don’t separate during baking
- Use uncooked eggs (they cook through during baking)
- Let bread cool completely before icing or it will melt and run off
Ingredients
Directions
In a large mixing bowl, blend the sugar, salt, and yeast well with 1 cup of the flour.
In a saucepan, combine milk and butter, heating slowly until liquid is warm and butter is melted.
Pour the milk into the dry ingredients and beat 125 strokes with a wooden spoon.
Add eggs and ½ cup flour or enough to make a thick batter, beat vigorously for 2 minutes.
Then stir in enough flour to make a ball of dough that draws away from the sides of the bowl.
Turn out onto a floured board and knead for about 10 minutes, working in additional flour to overcome stickiness.
Place the dough in a greased bowl, turning to grease the top.
Cover tightly with plastic wrap and put in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in bulk about 1 hour.
Meanwhile, combine the fruit, nuts, and anise seed.
Punch down the dough and return it to a lightly floured board.
Knead in the fruit mixture, keeping the syrupy pieces dusted with flour until they are worked into the dough.
Divide the dough in half. Carefully roll each piece into a 24 inch rope - the fruit and nuts will make this slightly difficult.
Loosely twist the two ropes together and form a ring on a greased baking sheet.
Pinch the ends together well. Brush the dough with melted shortening.
Push aside the twist to make a place for each egg.
Push eggs down carefully as far as possible.
Cover the bread with wax paper and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until double in bulk, about 1 hour.
Bake the bread in a preheated 350℉ (180℃) oven for about 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in a twist comes out clean.
Place on a wire rack to cool.
Once the bread is cool, drizzle the icing on top between the eggs, and decorate with colored sprinkles.
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