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Traditional Italian Easter Bread

By: Rosemary Published: Updated on: June 5, 2022

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This Traditional Italian Easter Bread is a soft sweet brioche dough formed into wreaths or braided. Coloured eggs are baked into the bread and the bread is sprinkled with lots of nonpareils. Festive and bright for the Easter Holiday.

Another very popular yeast bread is a recipe called Casatiello Napoletano which is a savory stuffed bread.

2 individual easter bread on a wooden board

I absolutely love Brioche Bread and of course this Sweet Soft Bread is a must in any Italian home on Easter.

I wanted to find a true Traditional Italian Recipe and I came upon this recipe  Brioche di Pasqua from a fellow Food Blogger, Chiara from Chiarapassion.com.

How to make it

In the bowl of a stand up mixer whisk together the flour, salt, zest and sugar, make a well in the centre and add the milk and yeast, mix together with a fork.
mixing the dry ingredients adding the yeast
Then add the egg. With the dough hook attachment knead for approximately 1 minute just to combine*. Cover the bowl with plastic and let rise 2 hours.
adding the egg and kneading the dough 1 minute
Every 30 minutes fold both ends into the middle (repeating 4 times).
folding the dough into the middle x 4
When the time has passed add the butter a little at a time at medium high speed with the dough hook, knead to just combine all the butter, then let the dough rest 10 minutes. Knead again until the dough is smooth and does not stick to the sides of the bowl. 
adding the butter and kneading until smooth
Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.
dough in a bowl to be chilled.
Move the dough to a lightly floured flat surface. Divide the dough into 4 parts. Roll each part into 2 ropes, join the 2 ropes at the top.
forming into 2 ropes and joining the ends.
Twist the ends one over the other join the ends to form a wreath (circle) repeat with the remaining ropes. Place the wreaths on the prepared cookie sheet, cover and let rise in a warm draft free area for 1-2 hours or doubled in bulk.
ropes twisted and formed into wreaths and placed on cookie sheet for rising
Before baking an uncooked dyed egg can be placed in the dough, then the dough is brushed with a simple egg wash and covered in sprinkles (nonpareils) and baked.
dough risen an egg and sprinkles added and ready for baking.
Immediately move the baked bread to a wire rack to cool.

Tips on making the best Easter Bread

  • This Italian Easter bread is a yeast bread which means you need time and patience. It’s not difficult just time consuming but absolutely worth it.
  • This dough needs to rise 3x, the first time the dough (without the butter added) is placed in a bowl for 2 hours. Every 30 minutes the dough needs to be folded over.
  • The second rise is done once the butter has been added to the dough and then refrigerated for 1-2 hours.
  • Believe me they are worth every minute of your time!

This bread is very popular all over Italy. Sometimes I like to make an Easter Bread from the South of Italy, it is a much drier bread and is used as a dunking bread in your morning caffe latte or afternoon espresso or this Easter Sweet bread from the North of Italy. But the most popular Easter Bread which is called Colomba or Dove Bread is also worth a try.

How to colour eggs with Natural Dyes

If you decide to use coloured eggs in your bread and you don’t want to use regular dyes then there are Natural Dyes that you can use. Vegetables and spices are great for dying eggs especially red onions, paprika, dill seed and even red cabbage.

up close easter bread

What is the significance of Easter Bread?

Italian Easter Bread when it is baked in the shape of a wreath it is to symbolize the crown of thorns worn by Jesus Christ. When the dough is braided with three pieces it represents the Holy Trinity.

Adding an egg to the bread represents rebirth, Christ rising from the dead.

2 individual easter bread on a wooden board

How to Store Italian Easter Bread

Be sure to store the Brioche Bread in an air tight container or bag for up to 5 days. The breads can also be frozen again in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 2 months. Just be sure to remove the egg before freezing.

So if you would like to surprise your family and friends with a delicious soft Italian Easter Bread, then I hope you give this a try and let me know how you like it. Enjoy!

2 easter breads on a wooden board

Traditional Italian Easter Bread

Rosemary Molloy
This Traditional Italian Easter Bread is a soft sweet brioche dough formed into wreaths or braided then topped with coloured eggs & sprinkles.
4.99 from 126 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 mins
Cook Time 20 mins
Rising Time 6 hrs
Total Time 40 mins
Course Bread and Pizza, Breakfast, Dessert
Cuisine Italian
Servings 4 breads
Calories 503 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

BRIOCHE DOUGH

  • 1 3/4 cups +2 tablespoons all purpose flour
  • 1 pinch salt*
  • zest of 1 lemon
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup lukewarm milk (I used 2 % milk)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
  • 2 eggs (room temperature) (slightly beaten)
  • 1/2 cup butter (room temperature)

If using unsalted butter add 1/4 teaspoon of salt.

    EGG WASH

    • 1 egg
    • 1 tablespoon water

    TOPPING

    • 2-4 eggs (uncooked and dyed whatever colour you like)
    • 2-4 tablespoons sprinkles* (if desired)

    Instructions
     

    BRIOCHE DOUGH

    • In the bowl of a stand up mixer whisk together the flour, salt, zest and sugar, make a well in the centre and add the milk and yeast, mix together with a fork. Then add the egg. With the dough hook attachment knead for approximately 1 minute just to combine.
    • Cover the bowl with plastic and let rise 2 hours, every 30 minutes fold both ends into the middle (repeating 4 times).
    • When the time has passed add the butter a little at a time, on medium high speed with the dough hook, knead just to combine all the butter, then let the dough rest 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.
    • Move the dough to a lightly floured flat 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 (see photo), join the ends to form a wreath (circle) repeat 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 or doubled in bulk.
    • 15 minutes before rising time has finished pre heat oven to 390F (195C).
    • Add a dyed uncooked egg (if desired) to the centre of the wreath then brush the wreaths with the egg wash (be careful not to brush the eggs) and sprinkle with the sprinkles. Bake for approximately 20 minutes or until golden, or when tapped on the bottom and there is a hollow sound. Immediately move the baked buns to a wire rack to cool. Let cool before serving. Enjoy!

    EGG WASH

    • In a small bowl beat together the egg and water.

    Notes

    If the area where the dough rises is cooler, then be sure to let the dough rise longer.
    *I used nonpareils and not jimmies, these are the tiny round rainbow coloured balls used for decorating.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 503kcalCarbohydrates: 52gProtein: 12gFat: 27gSaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 185mgSodium: 271mgPotassium: 167mgFiber: 2gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 900IUCalcium: 55mgIron: 3.2mg
    Keyword brioche bread, Italian Easter bread, sweet bread
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

    Comments

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    2. Suzanne W says

      5 stars
      I’ve made these several times now and every time they come out perfect. Thanks for the great recipe.

      Reply

    3. Karen says

      5 stars
      Excellent recipe ! Was looking to make a sweet Italian Easter bread . Had misplaced an old recipe. This came out beautiful. Took a bit to incorporate the butter in the recipe but the results were beautiful and tasty. Made two. Gave one to my neighbors for Easter. They loved it! Only thing I did different was I used orange zest in place of lemon

      Reply

    4. Brenda Lasky says

      5 stars
      Made them for the first time this year. I’m very proud of them. The instruction and directions are super simple to follow.

      Reply

      • Elle says

        Probably you weighed out your flour. I did that and this dough totally didn’t work for me. This recipe works be more helpful with weights of ingredients.

        Reply

    6. Sheila says

      Could I make this recipe into one larger braided loaf? I’d like to make it for a gift for a neighbour.
      Thank you! I’m anxious to try it.

      Reply

      • Rosemary says

        Hi Sheila, yes you can, bake it for a bit longer. Check with the bread in the middle with a thermometer to be sure, it should measure 190F. Happy Easter.

        Reply

    7. sasa says

      4 stars
      Loved the recipe all the steps went so well up until baking. After 8mins my top were so brown already but bottom not At all hollow. My bread was already on lowest rack had to lower temp down but def too over cooked on top.

      Reply

    10. Amber says

      Hello, this is my first time making Easter Bread. Which type of butter do you recommend, unsalted or salted?
      Thanks for your time

      Reply

      • Rosemary says

        Hi Amber, you can use either, I use salted because I can’t find unsalted in Italy. If you use unsalted then add 1/4 teaspoon of salt instead of a pinch. I hope you like it. Happy Easter.

        Reply

    12. Nina says

      4 stars
      Wanted to try this because my mom’s receipt is from Sicily…and although it is dryer, i think it had a better taste. This needs a little more sugar for my liking…but the texture is wonderful.

      Nina

      Reply

    13. Kathleen says

      Hi! When you mention it can be stored in the fridge overnight and baked the next day, at what point should I refrigerate it? After mixing in the butter or after shaping into wreaths and resting? Thanks!

      Reply

      • Eileen says

        Hi! At what point do I put the dough in the fridge if I’m refrigerating it overnight? Should I do it after I add the butter or after I’ve shaped the dough into wreaths and let rise?

        Reply

        • Rosemary says

          Hi Eileen, I would probably refrigerate the dough overnight after it has been shaped. Bring it to room temperature for about an hour or 2 and then bake. I hope you enjoy it. Happy Easter.

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