Traditional Italian Easter Bread

One Easter bread bun on a piece of parchment paper.

4.99 from 223 votes

This Traditional Italian Easter Bread is a soft sweet brioche dough formed into wreaths or braided then topped with coloured eggs & sprinkles.

Prep Time20

Cook Time20

Rising Time6

Total Time40

Course: Bread and Pizza, Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: small breads

Calories: 503kcal

Author: Rosemary Molloy

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)

US Customary - Metric

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.

Notes

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.

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.

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 eggs before freezing.

Nutrition