Italian Easter Bread Recipe
Traditional Italian Easter Bread is a sweet braided bread formed into wreaths. Coloured eggs can be baked into the bread and they are typically topped with powdered sugar or sprinkles for a festive Easter touch. This Italian Easter Bread makes for a thoughtful gift to bring as a hostess gift with some flowers in a vase, and nice chocolates or bottle of wine. If you’re stuck on what to give as a gift this year, you can check out this post on How to Build the Perfect Easter Gift Basket, for inspiration.
Ready to get started? Find the full easy Italian Easter sweet bread recipe below! Be sure to read through the full article prior to beginning for everything you need to know.
Prep Time: 20 Minutes
Cook Time: 20 Minutes
Rising Time: 6 hours
INGREDIENTS
Yields 4 Braided Wreaths
BRIOCHE DOUGH
- 1 3/4 cups +2 tbsps all purpose flour
- 1 pinch salt*
- zest of 1 lemon
- 2 1/2 tbsps granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup lukewarm 2% milk
- 1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 2 eggs (room temperature, slightly beaten)
- 1/2 cup salted butter (room temperature)
EGG WASH
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon water
TOPPING
- 2-4 eggs (uncooked)
- You can leave these plain white, or dye them whatever colour you desire.
- 2-4 tablespoons sprinkles
METHOD
BRIOCHE DOUGH
- In a stand up mixer, whisk together the flour, salt, lemon zest and sugar. Make a well in the centre and add the milk and yeast; mix together with a fork. Now add the egg. With the dough hook attachment knead for approximately 1 minute to combine.
- Cover the bowl with plastic and let rise 2 hours, every 30 minutes fold both ends into the middle (repeat 4 times).
- When the time has passed, on medium high speed with the dough hook, add the butter a little at a time. Knead to combine all the butter, then let the dough rest for 10 minutes. Knead again for 5-6 minutes until smooth and the dough does not stick to the sides of the bowl. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.
- Lightly flour a flat, cool surface. Divide the dough into 4 parts. Roll each part into 2 ropes (10-12 inches / 25-30cm), join 2 ropes at the top and twist the ends one over the other and join the ends to form a wreath. Repeat this process with the remaining ropes. Place the wreaths on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet, cover and let rise in a warm draft free area for 1-2 hours.
- While your wreaths are rising, dye the uncooked eggs and let air dry (if desired).
- 15 minutes before rising time has finished pre heat oven to 390ºF (195ºC).
- Add a dyed uncooked egg to the centre of each wreath then brush the wreaths with the egg wash (be careful not to brush the eggs) and add sprinkles. Bake for approximately 20 minutes or until golden, or when tapped on the bottom and there is a hollow sound. Move the baked buns to a wire rack to cool. Enjoy!
EGG WASH
How to Store Italian Easter Bread
Be sure to store the Italian sweet easter bread in an air tight container or bag for up to 5 days. The Easter bread wreaths can also be frozen in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 2 months, but be sure to remove the eggs before freezing.
