Easter Bread

Impress your family and friends this Easter with a delicious homemade bread recipe. From kneading to baking, learn step-by-step how to create a perfect loaf of bread that will have everyone coming back for seconds.

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Easter bread is one of the cutest traditional treats with the most precious symbolism and meaning behind it! This sweet yeast bread is just the thing to add into your Easter traditions. Getting in the kitchen and making homemade bread is so much fun, and it really isn’t difficult when you have an easy recipe like this one.

Italian Easter bread is similar to Jewish challah bread in taste and texture, but the shape is a bit different. If you like brioche bread, you’ll like this Easter bread recipe. Make this yummy bread a part of your Easter dinner menu this year, you won’t regret it!

Why You’ll Love Easter Bread

• This recipe only requires 20 minutes worth of prep time. While the total time is closer to two hours, much of that is the bake time and cooling period.
• Easter bread is a fun tradition to create with friends and family. You can make it a habit of baking this bread together every year!
• Traditional recipes, like this one, have a rich history. This one in particular also has a very sweet meaning.

Ingredients for Easter Bread Recipe

• Large eggs – Allow the eggs to come to room temperature before mixing them with the other bread dough ingredients.
• Water – A little water is needed to help thin out the egg wash so that it is easier to use.
• Unsalted butter – Use unsalted butter so that you have full control over the salt content of the bread. If you only have salted butter on hand, you can still use that.
• Instant yeast – Active dry yeast is the easy button on making homemade bread quickly while still having it be fluffy and delicious.
• All purpose flour – For the best flavor and texture, use a high-quality all purpose flour.
• Milk – Ingredients like milk are what makes this bread rich and delicious.
• Salt – Salt not only helps to develop the gluten, but balances out the flavor in a tasty recipe like Easter bread.
• Granulated sugar – Sweeten the bread dough with a bit of sugar.
• Dyed Easter eggs – After you dye Easter eggs, you can use them as a cute little centerpiece in the middle of your braided sweet bread.
• Colorful sprinkles – The colorful sprinkles add the most adorable touch to the top of this traditional Easter bread.

How to Make Easter Bread

Add milk and butter to a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Be sure that it doesn’t get too hot, and once the butter is melted pull it off of the heat.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the yeast, salt and sugar and then add the eggs and whisk together.

Pour the warmed milk and butter into the yeast mixture and then add 2 cups of all purpose flour.

Connect the dough hook attachment to your stand mixer and mix the dough on medium speed for about 2 minutes until smooth. If needed, scrape the sides of the bowl with a silicone spatula.

Slowly add the remaining 2 cups of flour while the mixer is on medium-low speed. Knead the dough for about 12 minutes until stiff and slightly sticky.

Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and hand knead it for 3-4 minutes, adding a bit of flour as you go to prevent sticking. Don’t use more than ¼ cup of flour.

Shape the dough into a ball and then cover it with a clean dish towel and allow it to rest for 10 minutes.

Divide the ball into 8 portions and roll each of them into a long rope about 1-inch wide and 14-inches long. Then take 2 pieces and braid them together pinching the ends together. Loop them into a circle and connect the ends securely.

Place the unbaked Easter bread onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet, two per pan making sure to leave enough room for the dough to rise.

Loosely cover the baking sheet with a clean dish towel and allow the bread to rise in a warm area until it doubles in size. This should take about 45-60 minutes.

When you are just about ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Set the oven rack in the middle position.

Whisk together the egg wash ingredients and brush the braided Easter bread with the egg wash.

Gently place one dyed Easter egg in the center of the braided ring, but don’t press it down.

Bake one tray of Easter bread at a time for 15-18 minutes until golden brown.

Once baked, transfer the bread to a wire rack and allow to cool before slicing into it.

How to Store Italian Easter Bread

Place leftover bread into an airtight container or a zip top plastic bag with the air squeezed out. Store at room temperature, without the egg, for up to 5 days.

You can also freeze leftover bread in a freezer bag! Just remove the egg first and then freeze for up to 2 months.

What is the significance of the Easter bread?

This delicious bread is an Italian based tradition that represents the significance of Easter. It’s circular shape is said to symbolized the crown of thorns that Jesus wore on the cross. Traditionally, the bread is braided with three strands and is said to represent the Trinity. And the Easter egg in the middle is there to represent the resurrection of Jesus! A wonderful reminder from a lovely recipe.

Can you freeze Easter bread dough?

While you can freeze the final product, you can also freeze the bread dough! Once you have shaped the traditional Easter bread into it’s rings, place them onto a baking sheet and freeze. Remove from the freezer and wrap them individually in plastic wrap or carefully place into a freezer bag.

Freeze for up to 3 months. When you are ready to bake the bread, un-package it and let it thaw. Once thawed, wait for the bread to rise then add the Easter egg and egg wash and bake as normal.

This fun tradition is really so simple, even with multiple steps! I hope you love it!

More Easy Bread Recipes

• Make Copycat Olive Garden Breadsticks that are just as good as the ones in the restaurant!
• Fluffy Dinner Rolls are a wonderful addition to any meal.
• These Copycat Texas Roadhouse Rolls are buttery, fluffy and melt-in-your-mouth delicious.
• Quick breads like this Beer Bread are easy to make and so tasty!

Did you make this? If you snap a photo, please be sure tag me on Instagram at @julieseatsandtreats or #julieseatsandtreats so I can see your yummy treat!

 

5 from 1 vote

Easter Bread

Impress your family this Easter with a tasty homemade bread recipe! 

Prep:20 minutes mins

Cook:18 minutes mins

Rising Time:1 hour hr

Total:1 hour hr 38 minutes mins

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Ingredients

• ▢ 1 ¼ cups milk
• ▢ ⅓ cup unsalted butter sliced
• ▢ 2 ¼ teaspoons rapid rise instant yeast (1 package)
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt
• ▢ ⅓ cup granulated sugar
• ▢ 2 large eggs beaten
• ▢ 4 cups all-purpose flour divided, plus more for kneading

Egg wash

• ▢ 1 large egg beaten
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon water
• ▢ 4 dyed easter eggs not hard boiled
• ▢ Colored sprinkles optional

Instructions

• In a small saucepan over medium low heat, add milk and butter to the pan and stir until the butter melts. Make sure not to let it get too hot, once butter is melted pull off heat.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine yeast, salt, and sugar. Add the eggs and whisk together. Add the warmed milk and butter mixture and then add 2 cups of the flour.
• Attach a dough hook to a stand mixer and mix on medium speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Scrape the sides with a spatula as needed.
• 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 surface and hand knead for about 3 to 4 minutes, adding a little more flour to prevent sticking if needed. 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 8 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), leaving enough room for the dough to rise.
• Loosely cover the baking sheet with a dish towel and allow to rise in a warm area until it doubles in size, about 45 to 60 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Set the rack in the middle position.
• Whisk together the egg wash, large egg and 1 tablespoon 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.

Tips

Place leftover bread into an airtight container or a zip top plastic bag with the air squeezed out. Store at room temperature, without the egg, for up to 5 days.

You can also freeze leftover bread in a freezer bag! Just remove the egg first and then freeze for up to 2 months.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 412kcal (21%), Carbohydrates: 59g (20%), Protein: 14g (28%), Fat: 13g (20%), Saturated Fat: 7g (44%), Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Trans Fat: 0.4g, Cholesterol: 167mg (56%), Sodium: 222mg (10%), Potassium: 206mg (6%), Fiber: 3g (13%), Sugar: 11g (12%), Vitamin A: 482IU (10%), Vitamin C: 0.1mg, Calcium: 79mg (8%), Iron: 4mg (22%)

© Julie's Eats & Treats ®

We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information. The information in the nutrition box is calculated through a program and there is room for error. If you need an accurate count, I recommend running the ingredients through your favorite nutrition calculator.