Selena Robins, Author

Spring and Easter is a time when daffodils and tulips start to peek through the ground, as we embrace and joyfully celebrate a new season with hope, peace, and for us to anticipater and enjoy chocolate and baking treats.

The following recipe for Sweet Italian Easter bread will delve into the delightful worlf of a classic Italian delicacy.

Whether you’re an experienced baker or a novice, this recipe aims to make the process enjoyable and accessible to everyone. So, gather your ingredients, roll up your sleeves, and get ready to embark on a baking adventure.

Ingredients:

Makes 6 Breads

1 package Rapid Rise (instant) yeast

1 1/4 cups milk

1/3 cup butter (softened,)

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup white sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 TBSP honey

3 1/2 cups flour

1 egg beaten with 1 tsp. water

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp orange zest

1 tsp. lemon zest

Pinch of Salt

6 Dyed Easter Eggs

Directions:

In a large bowl, mix: 1 cup of flour, sugar, salt, lemon and orange rinds, and yeast and stir well.

In a small sauce pan over low heat, add: milk, and honey, mix and warm over low heat for about 3 – 5 minutes.

Remove from heat and let cool, stirring, as you don’t want the eggs to curdle when you add them.

In the center of the flour mixture, make a well and pour in the milk mixture.

Using your hand, mix the flour and milk mixture in a circular motion.

Once the flour and milk mixture is well mixed, add the vanilla, butter and add the 2 eggs (add eggs one at a time.)

Slowly mix in the remaining flour until everything is mixed well together and you have a doughy consistency.

Sprinkle flour on your working surface.

Turn the dough out onto your working surface and knead the dough until it is soft but elastic (about 7 – 10 minutes).

Cover the dough with a damp cloth, and let it rest for 15 minutes.

After the 15 minutes, uncover and punch dough down.

Divide into 12 pieces.

Roll each piece to form a 1 inch thick rope about 12 inches long.

Take two pieces of the dough-rope and twist together, forming a braid, pinch the ends and loop into a circle.

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper (or grease two baking sheets).

Cover the baking sheets with a damp cloth and let the bread rise until doubled in size (about one hour).

Once risen, brush each  bread with egg wash (1 beaten egg and 1 tsp water).

For added sweetness, you can sprinkle each bread with some sugar.

In the meantime, you can dye your eggs different colors.

Once dough has risen, preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Remove cloth from the dough and in the middle of each bread ring, gently place a colored Easter egg into the center of the bread ring.

Optional: You can sprinkle some sugar on the bread for added sweetness.

Bake at 350 until golden in color. Takes about 20 to 25 minutes.

Bottom of bread should sound hallow when you tap it. It means it’s ready.

Cool on a rack, and you can sprinkle with chocolate or coloured sprinkles if you’d like.

Please note:

You do not have to hard-boil the eggs. Just dye them and be careful not to crack them. They will cook at the same time as the bread. You can eat them afterward, however, I would recommend you eat the eggs right away and not have them sit around.

Happy Easter