Traditional Italian Easter Bread
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.
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 An italian easter bread
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 just to combine. Cover the bowl with plastic and let rise in a warm draft free area.
Fold both ends into the middle, repeating 4 times.
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. Knead again until the dough is smooth and does not stick to the sides of the bowl.
Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic and refrigerate.
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.
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 until doubled in bulk.
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.
Immediately move the baked bread to a wire rack to cool.
How to know if the dough is proofed perfectly
Proof your dough with the “poke test”. With a fully proofed dough, you should be able to poke it and leave an indent that slowly starts to fill back in but doesn’t spring back completely.
If your dough is under-proofed, it will spring back almost immediately, if your dough is over-proofed it will not spring back at all.
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.
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.
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!
Traditional Italian Easter Bread
Ingredients
BRIOCHE DOUGH
- 1¾ cups +2 tablespoons all purpose flour (234 grams total, if you double or triple the recipe double or triple this amount)
- 1 pinch salt*
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 2½ tablespoons granulated sugar
- ¼ cup lukewarm milk (I used 2 % milk)
- 1½ teaspoons active dry yeast
- 2 eggs (room temperature) (slightly beaten)
- ½ cup butter (room temperature)
If using unsalted butter add ¼ 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 eggs. 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.
Is it possible to make a larger Easter bread instead of smaller wreaths?
Hi Elissa, yes you can make a larger bread, just bake for a bit longer. Let me know how it goes.
I have made this recipe many times and it is wonderful. I like to make 2 or 3 batches ahead and freeze for gifts. I make a tin foil egg shape to bake in the loaves and then add a coloured boiled egg in the hole where the tin foil was, the day I gift them, so they are fresh that day. It has always worked out and no one cares when the egg went in! Sometimes I glaze the bread lightly and then put the sprinkles on – this makes those with a sweet tooth happy. Thank you for sharing.
Hi Vicki, thanks so much so glad you enjoyed it. Great idea with the eggs. Take care, Happy Easter.
I will absolutely try it. My mother is almost 85 years young and has mentioned the Italian Easter Bread Grandma use to make for her family of 10. My Grandparents are Italian 100%. I love and proud of my Italian heritage. I want to surprise my mother with this bread for Easter.
Hi Marsha, thanks so much, I hope your Mom likes it. Glad I could bring back some memories. Take care and Happy Easter.
Hi Rosemary,
Awesome recipe! My Sicilian grandmother would make this Easter bread for all her grandchildren every year. I thought I would carry on with the tradition. The recipe is straightforward and simple to follow. I did a test batch for Palm Sunday and they came out just as I remember them from my Nanny years ago. I would however make one minor modification and reduce the baking time by 1 or 2 minutes. They seemed to be a tad “well-done”. A separate oven thermometer confirmed the oven temp to be accurate. Other than that, they were awesome.
Thank you for bringing a piece of my childhood back for me to enjoy. Nanny is no longer with us but her love will live on, and what a wonderful way to remember her by!
Warmest regards,
Michael I.
Hi Michael, thanks so much, so glad I could bring back memories of your grandmother. Take care and Happy Easter.
Hi,
Do you put the yeast in dry or dissolve it with the water.
Hi Lucy, in this recipe I add the yeast in dry. 🙂
I’d prefer to make two easter breads instead of 6. Would you change anything about the recipe, like cooking time, etc.?
Hi Joanna, yes the baking time will be longer try for 25-30 minutes. You can use a thermometer and the inside should be 190F when cooked through. Hope that helps.
Have you ever tried to make this recipe with dairy free butter and milk? My son is allergic.
Hi Amanda, I haven’t but I am pretty sure it would work. Let me know if you try it. Take care.
Can I use a bread machine? I can’t use my hand, it’s fractured.
Hi Beth, I have never used a bread machine, but you could try, it might work I really don’t. Sorry about your hand. Take care.
i just realized i added the entire packet of active yeast – ugh!! do you think it will be okay?
Hi Ellie, well it might taste quite yeasty and it will probably rise faster, other than that it will work. Let me know.
Hi! Will the bread turn out ok if I do all the kneading by hand? I don’t have a standing mixer. Thanks!
Hi Kathleen, yes it should be fine by hand just be sure to knead it enough approximately 10-12 minutes. Let me know how it goes.
It turned out great, thank you!
Hi Kathleen, thanks so much, so glad you enjoyed it. Take care and Happy Easter.
Wondering how to form the Easter bread if I don’t want to put an egg in it. Do I still divide it in fours ?
Thanks
Hi Chris, you can form it the same way and just leave the egg out that will be fine. Or do them all as buns. Both work. I hope you like it.
Can you make the dough the day before and refrigerate overnight to make the next day
Hi Jackie, yes you can, let it come to room temperature (1-2 hours) before baking. Let me know how it goes.
Can I make this ahead of time and bake the Easter morning?
Hi Enza, you could make it the night before and let it rise in the fridge. Bring it to room temperature for an hour then bake it. 🙂
Hello, this recipe looks fantastic!!
Any chance you’ve ever used instant yeast? Of so, what are the modifications in amount and proofing?
Hi D if you use instant then you should use 1 and 1/8 teaspoon of instant yeast (to convert multiply the amount of active dry yeast by .75 eg. 1.5 x .75 = 1.125). And it will rise quicker, start checking at 30-60 minutes, of course this also depends on the warmth of your home. Let me know how it goes.
So the eggs cook fully once baked?
Hi RPruitt, yes the eggs cook fully. 🙂
The BEST Easter bread recipe.. I have eaten Easter bread all my life and followed the recipe of my Nana .. (it would be a lie if I said her recipe wasn’t good but I’m not a fan of aniseed) but I throughly enjoyed your recipe with lemon flavoring. Beside making my house smell sooo good. It is well worth the time.. Thank you
Thanks so much Austin, so glad you like it. Yes my husband doesn’t like aniseed either. Have a great weekend.