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A close up of Italian Easter bread with sprinkles and a blue egg in the middle
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5 from 3 votes

Italian Easter Bread

How to make Italian Easter bread. Braided soft, sweet and buttery brioche style bread baked with fun colourful eggs and bright sprinkles. This bread is perfect for Easter breakfast or served as a snack with butter or jam.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Proving time3 hours
Total Time3 hours 50 minutes
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: Italian
Servings: 8 breads
Calories: 378kcal
Author: Emily Wyper

Ingredients

  • 3.5 cups bread flour (470g) *spooned and leveled
  • 6 tablespoon unsalted butter melted (85g)
  • 1 cup whole milk warmed (240ml)
  • 3 large eggs
  • cup granulated sugar (70g)
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoon instant yeast fast action yeast
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • 8 raw eggs in their shells
  • Food coloring for painting the eggs (optional)

Instructions

  • Gently warm the milk (it shouldn't be hot) and melt butter separately.
  • Add the flour, sugar, salt and lemon zest to a bowl of a stand mixer and mix to combine.
  • Add the yeast, mix to combine then make a well in the center of the bowl. Add the whisked eggs (2 large), warm milk, melted butter and 1 teaspoon of vanilla.
  • Using a paddle attachment mix everything for a few seconds then swap to a dough hook attachment and knead the dough for 10 minutes on a medium/low speed. The dough will be very sticky but shouldn’t stick to your hands when touched.
  • Transfer the dough to a clean, lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let is rise for 2 hours or until doubled in size.

Colouring the eggs

  • Paint raw, uncooked eggs with any food coloring of your choice. I find that gel food coloring works best. Let them dry completely then give them a gentle rinse under cold water to stop the colour running onto the dough. Pat them dry with kitchen paper.
  • Note: It’s best to use white shelled eggs rather than brown.

Assembling the Easter bread

  • Once risen, knock the air out of the dough and place it on a clean work surface very lightly dusted with flour (don’t add too much or it’ll be too difficult to roll).
  • Cut the dough into 8 then cut each piece in half so you have 16 pieces. Roll two pieces of dough to roughly 10 inch long strands. Pinch the strands together at the top and weave them together to create a braid. Join the top and bottom ends together to create a wreath then place on a baking tray lined with baking parchment and place a colored egg in the middle of the wreath. Repeat with the remaining pieces.
  • Cover the baking tray with plastic wrap and leave to rise again for 1 hour.
  • Once risen, pre-heat the oven to 350F/180C.
  • Gently brush the Easter bread with a beaten egg and top with sprinkles. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until golden brown on top.
  • Remove from the oven, let cool and serve. Best eaten the same day.

Video

Notes

  • Preparing in advance - You can prepare the dough and place it into the fridge overnight until doubled in size. The next day you can shape them into wreaths and let them rise. They may take a little longer to rise since the dough is cold.
  • *Measure the flour correctly - if you don't have a kitchen scale and are using cups make sure to spoon the flour into the cups and level it off with a knife so you don't over
  • Serve the same day - this Italian Easter bread is best served the same day when it's fresh and extra soft. Like most brioche breads it dries out quickly so it's best spread with jam or butter or toasted the next day.
  • Use whole milk - although you can use lower-fat milk just fine you won't get the flavour and richness that you get from using whole milk!
  • Additional flavours - you can add in candied peel or raisins if you like and can adapt the flavours with something like anise or almond extract.
  • Leftovers - leftover bread can be made into the most delicious French toast or dunked into a frothy cappuccino for breakfast if it has dried out too much.
  • Freezing - You can freeze the baked bread for up to 3 months. Defrost completely then warm up in the oven or toast if preferred.

Nutrition

Calories: 378kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 96mg | Sodium: 189mg | Potassium: 156mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 417IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 57mg | Iron: 1mg