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For the Easter holiday I like to use recipes that pair well with the sensation that comes along with springtime. One of my favorite ways to celebrate any holiday is with a sweet treat, so this year I wanted to use a recipe that combines the two. I decided to go with the Italian Easter bread, or Pane di Pasqua, because it is a long-time Easter tradition and it truly is the perfect match for Easter. This delightfully soft bread is carefully twisted around colorful Easter eggs and finished with a glaze before being baked to sweet satisfaction. Not only does it make a graceful Easter centerpiece, but this delectable goodie melts away in your mouth.
The crispness of spring almost demands the same of the season’s baked good presentations. You want a beautifully-presented dessert to serve for the holiday so pay close attention because baking bread can sometimes be tricky. I have composed some of my best Easter bread-baking tips to help you struggle less and enjoy more. I am also going to fill you in on how to make Easter egg dye the all-natural way with different ingredients and produce that you just might already have in your kitchen. Skip the possible kitchen disaster and follow along for easier bread-baking and guaranteed family-impressing.
Tools and Equipment for Easter Bread Success
First, there are a few equipment suggestions and tips that I want to share with you for success in your bread-baking adventure. These are important so follow closely.
- Baking sheet
- Silicone baking mat – Parchment paper can be used in its place but I highly recommend investing in a few silicone baking mats. These are wonderful because they are reusable and easy to clean.
- Glass mixing bowls
- Heat mat – This is to help the dough rise, especially if your kitchen is colder than it needs to be.
- A rising box could also be used to rise the bread but I prefer the mat. The heating mat is portable and can just be rolled up and stored away easily whereas the box is bigger and much more sophisticated for household kitchens.
- A rising box could also be used to rise the bread but I prefer the mat. The heating mat is portable and can just be rolled up and stored away easily whereas the box is bigger and much more sophisticated for household kitchens.
- Zester
- Silicone pastry brush
- Cooling rack
Italian Easter Bread Ingredients
Next, let’s go over the ingredients needed for the bread and the simple glaze. It is important to pay attention to special ingredient temperatures for smooth Easter bread making.
For Easter bread:
- Sugar
- All-purpose flour
- Active dry yeast
- Salt
- Unsalted butter– melted
- Lukewarm milk
- Eggs
- Lemon zest and juice– Or you can use zest and juice from an orange. This is optional but I recommend it for optimum flavor.
For glaze:
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp. water
Other Easter Recipes
Coloring Easter Eggs the All-Natural Way
Growing up in Russia we did not have synthetic dyes to dye Easter eggs with so we used what was already available in our kitchen to make all-natural homemade dyes. I actually still prefer using this homemade method much more because both the taste and smell of the eggs seem to be better compared to using synthetic dyes. For this recipe I use a more common method using food coloring which I will cover first.
For this method you will need:
- Boiled eggs – read my recipe card for easy egg-boiling method
- White vinegar
- Food coloring
To make dye using this method:
- In several medium-sized dipping bowls, mix boiled water (from egg-boiling process) with vinegar and desired food coloring.
- Then, dip 1 egg at a time into the dye and let sit for 5-10 minutes. You can let the egg sit in the dye longer if a darker color is desired.
- Finally, gently transfer eggs to a drying rack with a paper towel underneath.
For all-natural homemade dyes you can use a plethora of produce. Here are some that I have tried in my homemade Easter egg dyes:
- Onions -orange
- Turmeric -yellow
- Red cabbage -light blue
- Blueberries -dark blue
- Spinach -green
- Beets -purple
Vinegar is also needed for this method.
To make this all-natural homemade Easter egg dye:
- First, combine the chosen produce dye ingredient with water and bring to boil. Cover and simmer for 15-30 minutes.
- Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.
- Next, drain the dye through a fine strainer and into a dipping bowl. For each cup of dye, add in 1 tablespoon of vinegar.
Dip the eggs in the dye and let sit until desired color is reached. Then, scoop them out and set them out to dry on a drying rack.
Making and Baking Easter Bread
Once you have your eggs colored and ready, the bread-making process is pretty simple but a bit lengthy. The key factors come down to the rising and the braiding, both of which I will go over for you.
- First, keep in mind that your Easter eggs must be cooked and colored before baking the bread.
- Now, start by whisking together the sugar, flour, yeast, and salt in a glass mixing bowl.
- Next, add in the butter, milk, and eggs, mixing well between each addition.
- Tip: A wooden spoon can be used to mix the dough but I prefer to use my kitchen mixer because it makes the job so much easier on my hands.
- Knead the dough for about 5-10 minutes until the dough is smooth.
- Form dough in the bowl, then move to a separate, lightly-greased large glass bowl to rise. Cover with a towel then with food wrap. Let sit for one hour or until the dough has doubled in size.
- The kitchen towel helps absorb moisture while the cellophane wrap helps keep the dough warm.
- For dough to rise properly, the kitchen has to be at the right temperature and sometimes it’s just not. If you run into this problem then you can use a heating mat to help the dough rise. This mat is especially useful during the colder months or if you happen to have a colder kitchen.
- Then, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 3 equal parts. Roll each dough portion into 24 inch long rope.
- Start the braid by pinching all the ends together and gently begin to braid. It is crucial to braid the dough loose enough that it has room to rise in the oven. Braid very loosely by leaving gaps between the dough strands.
- If the braid is too tight then it will break when the bread starts to rise when baking.
- Next, transfer the braid onto a baking sheet lined with a silicone mat -or parchment paper, if needed. Gently shape the braid into a circle.
- Space the Easter eggs evenly into the braid.
- Again, cover the braid with a towel then with food wrap. Let rise for one more hour or until the dough has doubled in size.
- Alternatively, you can just flip another empty baking sheet over the braid to cover while it rises.
- Next, preheat the oven to 350°F and then quickly whip up the glaze.
- To make the glaze, simply whisk together an egg and a teaspoon of water.
- Then, carefully brush the egg glaze onto the braid dough making sure not to get any on the eggs.
- Bake for 25 minutes.
- Finally, let the bread cool for 10 minutes still on the baking sheet. Then transfer the bread to a cooling rack and cool completely for 30-50 minutes. Enjoy!
Italian Easter Bread Presentation, Gifting, and Storage
This gorgeous Easter bread is a heavenly addition to your Easter festivities. It can be presented beautifully at your own table or packaged up and delivered to loved ones who can not be present in person to celebrate. Try this recipe for:
- A festive Easter centerpiece.
- A scrumptious Easter dessert for brunch or dinner.
- Pack up safely in a cupcake box to deliver smiles and sweets to loved ones, friends, and neighbors.
- A thoughtful treat to share with coworkers before the holiday weekend.
The Italian Easter Bread can safely be stored by wrapping in food wrap and keeping in the fridge for 2-3 days.
The intricate twists of this delightful dessert paired with the colorful Easter eggs make it a lovely and graceful presentation completing the Easter atmosphere for your home. This Easter bread’s wonderfully-soft texture and sweet taste matches perfectly to the crisp, fresh sensation of spring. Share that joyous feeling with ease by making some to share with your loved ones this Easter holiday!
Italian Easter bread
Equipment
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp active dry yeast
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted
- ¾ cup milk lukewarm
- 2 eggs
- 1 lemon lemon zest and juice optional
Eggs coloring
- 5 eggs
- 1 tsp white vinegar
- food coloring
- 2 cups water boiled
Glaze
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp water
Instructions
Eggs coloring
- Place uncooked eggs into a medium-size pot and fill with cold water to cover eggs.
- Bring to boil over medium heat. Remove from the heat and let it sit for 11 minutes.
- Transfer eggs into cold water with ice.
- In a medium bowls, combine boiled water with vinegar and food coloring. Add one 1 egg at a time into the bowl for 5-10 minutes. Keep longer if you want to color of the egg to be darker.
- Transfer colored eggs on the kitchen drying rack over the paper towel.
Glaze
- In a small bowl, whisk together egg and water.
Dough
- In a large bowl, whisk together all dry ingredients: sugar, flour, yeast, and salt.
- Add butter, milk, eggs. Keep mixing between each addition.
- Knead the dough for 5-10 minutes, until smooth.
- Form dough into a bowl and place in a lightly greased large glass bowl to rise. Cover first with a towel and after with food wrap, and let rise for 1 hour, or until the dough doubled in size.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. After, divide the dough into equal three parts. Roll each portion into a 24-inch long rope.
- Start braiding by pinching all three ropes together. Braid very loosely by leaving gaps between the strings. Dought will need to have a space to rise.
- Transfer braid into the baking sheet lined with silicone baking mat. Shape into a circle.
- Place colored eggs into the braid, spacing them evenly.
- Cover first with a towel and after with food wrap, and let rise for 1 hour, or until the dough doubled in size.
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Carefully brush braid with egg glaze. Make sure not to get the glaze on the eggs.
- Bake for 25 minutes.
- Cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheet. After transferring bread to the cooling rack and let it cool completely for 30-50 minutes.
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