A traditional festive Italian Easter Bread recipe that’s easy to make! This holiday bread with an egg in the middle is fun to decorate with family and makes a great gift for loved ones.
This Italian Easter bread is a fun and festive recipe similar to a challah egg bread. It’s a slightly sweet yeast-leavened baked treat that yields soft and tender slices with colorful sprinkles on top. You can work through each step, mixing, proofing, shaping and have time in between to decorate Easter eggs.
The eye-catching egg in the center will have your guests saying “oohs, and ahhs” about your beautiful creation. This recipe has been a family tradition starting with my husband’s grandmother Rose who made this every holiday. I love the vibrant colors and the fact this bread can be shaped in a variety of designs.
What is yeast?
This Italian Easter Bread is made from a yeast-raised dough, the yeast acting as the leavening agent. Yeast is living organisms, so just like us, they need food to grow. During fermentation, the yeast eats the sugars in the dough, and the result (by-product) is the creation of alcohol and carbon dioxide. The alcohol evaporates during baking and the carbon dioxide assists in leavening giving you airy bread.
How do you make yeast-leavened bread?
I use Fleischmann’s RapidRise instant yeast, which is added directly to the dry ingredients. The advantage of using instant yeast compared to active dry is you need only one rising step after shaping the bread into wreaths. This cuts preparation time in half!
I like to make my own homemade oven proofing box to create a warm and moist environment for the dough to elevate and expand. Just simply place the dough in a pan and cover with plastic wrap then place it in the oven.
How do you shape and decorate Easter bread?
This recipe yields three large wreaths, or you can make six mini wreaths with the dough. Two long ropes of dough are rolled out and then twisted to form a ring. A simple egg wash is brushed on each wreath just before baking to achieve the perfect golden brown color and shine on the Italian Easter bread.
Oh yeah, and don’t forget the sprinkles! The added pop of colors not only makes the finished product look beautiful, but it also adds just a touch of extra sweetness to each bite.
Do you need to cook the eggs before baking?
No need for hard-boiled eggs since they will cook in the oven during the baking process. However, the eggs will be medium-hard with a soft center once baked. If you want a hard boiled egg, use the steam or boil method, or Instant Pot eggs work great too.
How do you decorate the eggs for the bread?
While the dough rises at room temperature, this is an excellent opportunity to color eggs, so they have plenty of time to dry. I use 24 Karat Easter Egg Coloring Kit which is a paint that sticks better to the shell, or Paas Golden Egg Decorating Kit from Target which is a traditional dye.
Raw eggs can be used, but make sure to remove them if you plan on saving the bread to be eaten the next day (food safety first!).
How to not kill the yeast
Yeast is living organisms, sitting dormant when dried. When rehydrated with warm liquid, the yeast wakes up, become active, and starts to eat and ferment. Yeast dies at temperatures above 138°F (59ºC). In this recipe, warm milk is added at between 120 to130°F (49 to 54ºC). Any higher and the yeast will die, and the bread will not rise!
Italian Easter Bread
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups milk
- ⅓ cup unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
- 2 ¼ teaspoons rapid rise instant yeast, 1 package
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 4 cups all-purpose flour, divided, plus more for kneading
- 1 large egg, beaten plus 1 teaspoon water
- 3 dyed easter eggs, raw or hard boiled
- colored sprinkles
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, add milk and butter. Heat to 120 to 130°F (49 to 54ºC), stirring until the butter melts. Do not allow the milk to go above 130°F (54ºC).
- In a large mixing bowl, combine yeast, salt, and sugar. Add the eggs and whisk together. Add the warmed milk and butter mixture. Add 2 cups of flour.
- Attach a dough hook to a stand mixer and combine on medium speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Scrape the sides with a spatula as needed to incorporate the flour.
- Slowly add the remaining 2 cups of flour to the mixer on medium-low speed and scrape the sides as needed. Knead until the dough is stiff and slightly sticky, about 12 minutes.
- Place the dough on a lightly floured board and hand knead for about 3 to 4 minutes, adding a little more flour to prevent sticking. Do not use more than ¼ cup of flour.
- Shape dough into a ball, cover with a dish towel and allow to rest for 10 minutes.
- Divide into 6 pieces. Roll each piece to form a 1-inch wide rope, about 14-inches long.
- Taking 2 pieces, braid the rope, pinching the ends together and then loop into a circle. Make sure the ends are securely joined together.
- Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet (2 per sheet), providing enough room to rise.
- Loosely cover the baking sheet with plastic wrap or a dish towel and allow to rise in a warm area, like a proofing box, until it doubles in size, 45 to 60 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177ºC). Set the rack in the middle position.
- Whisk together the large egg and 1 teaspoon water. Brush each braided bread with the egg wash.
- If desired, top the bread with sprinkles.
- Gently place one dyed egg in the center of each braided ring. Do not press into the dough, it will sink as it bakes.
- Bake one tray at a time until golden brown, approximately 15 to 18 minutes.
- Quickly transfer the baked bread to a cooling rack.
Notes
- The recipe makes 3 Easter bread rings.
- Each ring serves 6 people.
- Six smaller rings can be made, adjust baking time accordingly.
- Raw or hardboiled and dyed eggs can be used. Raw eggs will be softboiled after baking.
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Luisa says
Can dough be made a day in advance; put in fridge after has doubled; taken out in morning to get to room temp and then baked for brunch?
Jessica Gavin says
I would shape the dough, then let it double in size in a warm area the next day, not the day before. It could lose it’s volume (air bubbles) if not baked the same day and get flat.
Anne says
Hi! Can I make the dough one day and bake it the next? At what step do I stop and how can I keep the dough properly? Thank you!
Jessica Gavin says
You can shape the dough, then cover it well in the refrigerator, then let it rise in a warm area the next day until doubled in size. Brush, sprinkle and bake.
mark says
Can I make this a day ahead of time, or is it best the day-of? Thanks!
Jessica Gavin says
It tastes the best freshly baked. You can make it ahead of time, wrapped well, and I like to reheat it in a warm oven before serving to regain the fresh, soft texture.
Ron says
This was the first time a made bread.I wanted to make Easter bread and I came across your recipe. It was easy and they just came out of the oven ,and they look great. This is a keeper. Thank you and Buona Pasqua.
Jessica Gavin says
Thank you, Ron! Great job! I’m so happy you gave the recipe a try and had success. Buona Pasqua!
Liz says
They came out great! But I lost the braided look… they puffed up… any suggestions to keep the braided shape? And how do I store them? I baked a day ahead… but they have an egg so in the fridge? Will that make the bread hard though? Thank you!
Jessica Gavin says
How long did you let them rise for? Sometimes if it’s over-proofed it may lose shape or volume. Also, you could try doing a 3 rope braid for more design. If you don’t eat the egg you can store it at room temperature wrapped well in plastic wrap and foil. If you store it in the fridge it will make the bread less soft. I would recommend lightly reheat in the oven to bring back some freshness, but the surface may be a little sticky with the sprinkles.
Maria says
Can I use this recipe in a bread machine
Jessica Gavin says
I wouldn’t use the recipe in a bread machine unless you change the type of yeast. With the instant rise yeast you don’t have to do the bulk proofing of the dough. Just mix, let it sit for 10 minutes, then shape and proof.
Teresa says
Is it 1 cup or 1 an 1/4 cup milk
Jessica Gavin says
Hi Teresa- 1 1/4 cups of milk.
Kelly Russo says
Your yeast temp for rapid rise is wrong. For active yes, not rapid.
Jessica Gavin says
Hi Kelly- According to the Fleischmann’s yeast company (the brand I use), 120°–130°F is the ideal temperature for RapidRise and 100°–110°F is the ideal temperature for Active Dry Yeast. The temperature listed in the recipe is correct.
Dina says
Hi there, thank you so much for the recipe, excited to try it. Have you tried this with gluten-free flour? The dairy-free options would be easy to swap out. Your insight is appreciated.
Jessica Gavin says
Hi Dina- I have not tried it with gluten-free flour. However from what I read you want a gluten-free flour blend that doesn’t have xanthan gum (a stabilizer that helps trap the gas bubbles created by the yeast), so you can add the amount you want later. You would need to experiment with the recipe since it’s not a straightforward ad. Let me know if you try it!
Graceann Pepe says
Hi Jessica, This looks great. I do prefer a sweeter Easter Bread and am wondering if I can add more sugar and also some Vanilla Extract? I know baking is chemistry and don’t want to do all this for it not to turn out good. Thank you 😊
Jessica Gavin says
You could add more vanilla, but I wouldn’t add more sugar. The dough will get really sticky and require more flour, which might risk making it tough.