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Italian Easter Bread With Dyed Eggs

Photo Credit
Natalia Wimberley/Shutterstock
The Editors
Yield
1 loaf
Category
Bread
Course
Desserts
Occasions
Easter Sunday
Sources
The OFA Recipes for Every Season
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This is an Easter bread worth baking! With its pretty dyed eggs tucked inside, Italian Easter Bread not only tastes delicious but also makes a beautiful edible centerpiece!  

Every year, my Italian-Catholic mother makes this sweet bread; the kids color the eggs, and she makes the dough, twisting it into a wreath. It’s easy to make and tastes fantastic!

Of course, the eggs are more symbolic, representing rebirth. You can add as many eggs as you wish; eating them is optional.

Note: Do not cook the whole eggs in advance, as they will bake at the same time as the bread.

My mother always adds a lot of icing on top (not featured in this photo). It’s optional, but I highly recommend it. Everyone—adults and children—love this bread and look forward to it every year. Make some memories!

Also, See our recipe for Greek Easter Bread. 

Ingredients
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 package dry yeast
2-1/2 to 3-1/2 cups unbleached flour
2/3 cup milk
2 tablespoons butter
2 eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup chopped mixed candied fruit
1/3 cup chopped blanched almonds
1/2 teaspoon aniseed
2 tablespoons melted shortening
5 uncooked eggs colored with Easter-egg dye
Icing:
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon milk
1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract
colored sprinkles, for decoration
Instructions
  1. 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 the liquid is warm and the butter is melted. Pour the milk into the dry ingredients and beat 125 strokes with a wooden spoon. Add the two eggs and 1/2 cup flour, or enough to make a thick batter. Beat vigorously for 2 minutes. Stir in more flour, enough to make a ball of dough that draws away from the sides of the bowl.
  2. Turn out onto a floured board and knead for about 10 minutes, working in additional flour to overcome stickiness. Place the dough into a greased bowl, turning to grease the top. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and put into a warm, draft-free place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. Meanwhile, combine the fruit, nuts, and aniseed.
  3. 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 it into a ring on a greased baking sheet. Pinch the ends together well. Brush the dough with melted shortening. Open up the twist slightly to make a place for each colored egg. Carefully push the eggs down into the dough as far as possible. Cover the bread with waxed paper and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until double in bulk, about 1 hour.
  4. Bake the bread in a preheated 350 degrees F oven for about 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into a twist comes out clean. Place onto a wire rack to cool. Once the bread is cool, drizzle the icing on top between the eggs and decorate with colored sprinkles.
About The Author

The Old Farmer's Almanac Editors

We love introducing fun new recipes as well as time-tested recipes, straight from the archives! Read More from The Old Farmer's Almanac Editors
 

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Comments

Sharon Nilsson (not verified)

2 years 7 months ago

This is exactly what they do in Spain too!! Must be a catholic thing!!!

Penny R Thomas (not verified)

2 years 7 months ago

I have read your recipe and wonder if I can make this dough with the dough hook on my Kitchen Aide? I'm thinking of making it fo Easter with my family.

Many thanks

Yes, Penny. You can certainly use the dough hook on your mixer. We’re glad you thought of it—much easier that way.

YTK (not verified)

11 years 8 months ago

Nonna Lucia used to make Italian Easter Bread every Easter -- it was in the shape of a lamb - with an hard boiled egg right in the center of the lamb. When little Sis and I first saw it we happily yelled "Oh! A HORSIE!!!"
We LOVED the sweet bread. We kept putting off eating the hard boiled egg-- until finally someone would break open the shell and say "Eeeyew! it's GREEEN inside!" and Mom Sylvia would always say "THROW IT OUT! IT's BAAAD!"

lol! Cute story, YTK! I just bought a lamb cake pan from a yard sale. Maybe I'll try your Nonna's recipe! :)