Italian Easter Bread

Italian Easter bread is a wonderful combination of braided brioche bread with an Easter egg in the center.  This bread is slightly sweet and is as fun to eat as it is to make!

Italian Easter bread is a wonderful breakfast treat to make for Easter morning.

The sweet brioche dough can be made and braided a day ahead, then baked Easter morning.

The eggs themselves are not boiled in water, rather they’re colored ahead of time and baked in the oven with the brioche to yield a perfect hardboiled egg!

These Easter brioche breads are slightly sweet, and are so much fun to make and eat!

If you’re a fan of eggs, we also recommend torta Pasqualina, which is a savory green pie that’s also served Easter morning!

How to make it

Each number corresponds to the numbered written steps below.

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, add 5 cups (625 grams) of all-purpose flour, 3 teaspoons of instant dry yeast, 1/2 teaspoon of fine sea salt, 1/2 cup (120 grams) of granulated sugar and 2 tablespoons of lemon zest.  Mix on low speed until combined.

2. Beat together 3 eggs, then add them to the mixer along with 1 cup (240 grams) of warmed whole milk, 11 tablespoons (156 grams) of melted butter, and 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract. Use the paddle attachment to mix for 1 minute.
3. Remove the paddle attachment and switch to the dough hook and knead on a low to medium speed for 8 minutes.

4. Remove the dough and transfer to a lightly oiled bowl and cover it with plastic wrap.  Allow the dough to rise in a warm place for 2-3 hours, or until it doubles in size.
5. While the dough is resting, begin to color 8 large uncooked eggs with your choice of food coloring and allow them to dry completely.  Before using the eggs, give them a light rinse and dry them off to help prevent the color from bleeding onto the dough. After 2-3 hours, move the dough to a lightly floured work surface and cut it into 8 equal-sized pieces, then cut each of those in half until you have 16 pieces total.

6. Begin to shape and roll each piece into a 10-12 inch long rope.  
7. Attach two pieces together on one end.  Note: the floured surface might make it difficult to stick the ends of the rope together.  A bit of water is all you need to get them to stick.

8. Braid the two pieces together as shown.
9. Place the dough onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and bring the top and bottom together to form a circle and pinch the end to seal.  Cover the baking tray with plastic wrap and allow the Easter bread to rise for another 30 minutes.  While the dough sits, preheat the oven to 350f. Note: you can also opt to make longer-style double wreaths or nests by using more dough.  

10. After 30 minutes,  insert a colored egg into the center and repeat the process for the remaining dough.  Beat one egg and 1 tablespoon of water together and with a pastry brush, paint the egg wash onto the braided dough.  
11. Top the dough with sprinkles.

12. Bake the bread in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until golden.  Serve immediately and enjoy!

Top tips for Italian Easter bread

• Cups vs. Grams. We always recommend opting for grams over cups when baking.  Using grams will yield consistent results while cups tend to fluctuate depending on who’s measuring, the cups being used, how it’s spooned, leveled, humidity, etc. It’s well worth it to purchase a kitchen scale.  
• Bread color. If you’d like even more browning of the bread, you can add 1-2 teaspoons of diastatic malt powder to the dough.
• Egg color. We used markers specifically made to color Easter eggs.  While not as fun as the old-fashioned way, it was definitely quicker.  To help prevent bleeding into the dough, run the eggs under water quickly and then gently pat them dry before nestling into the dough.  Though, you can see the colors still bled a bit onto our dough.  One way to get a perfect looking Easter bread is to bake the loaves with white eggs, then switch to colored eggs in the centers before serving.   
• How to eat.  For maximum deliciousness, we recommend eating the warm bread and egg shortly after they come out of the oven. 
• Day ahead. You can make the dough the day before, assemble the wreaths, and allow them to sit in the fridge overnight.  Add the eggs before you’re about to bake them to prevent bleeding into the dough overnight.  You can also use leftovers to make French toast! 

More Easter goodies

Easter is a festive day for many Italian-Americans, and Italians. For many, it’s a day to celebrate through food, especially for those who have had a Lenten fast.  Here are a few of our favorite Easter foods!

• Pizzagaina – also known as pizza rustica, this savory pie is loaded with ricotta, mozzarella, mortadella, salami, and more.
• Struffoli – tiny fried balls dipped in orange juice and honey and topped with nonpareils.
• Pastiera Napoletana – this sweet grain pie loaded with ricotta and orange zest is a must for Easter!
• Roasted boneless leg of lamb – with rosemary and garlic, this lamb is wonderfully juicy and perfect for Easter.

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