Italian Easter Bread
Italian Easter Bread is a sweet braided holiday bread decorated with colorful eggs. A soft, festive recipe perfect for Easter brunch or dinner. It is slightly sweet with hints of orange. Perfect for Spring!!
Love making homemade breads? Then try Hawaiian Dinner Rolls or our delicious Brown Butter Banana Bread.
The braided Italian Easter Bread symbolizes unity and celebration, while the eggs baked into the bread represent new life and spring.
Why I Love This Recipe
- Gorgeous for Easter
- Adore the hint of orange
- Perfect for an Easter feast
- Great for brunch, tea time or dinner
- Love the bright spring colors
Helpful Items For This Recipe
This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small portion from qualifying purchases at no extra charge to you.
13 Inch Danish Dough Whisk with Dough Scraper
Serrated Bread Knife with Upgraded Stainless Steel Razor Sharp Wavy Edge
Walnut Wood Cutting Board | Jumbo Extra Large Size 26″ x 16″
Easter Bread Ingredients
The ingredients are simple, but the results are anything but.
Ingredients
Warm milk – The milk should be at 95-100 degrees F.
Active dry yeast – Make sure you buy the correct yeast. It makes a difference.
Granulated sugar – This needs to be divided.
All-purpose flour – I have not tried this with gluten-free flours, so I can’t make any suggestions for alternatives.
Salt – You need this to bring out the other flavors, even in a sweet bread.
Eggs – These are needed to be slightly beaten.
Orange zest and orange juice – This doesn’t leave a strong orange flavor, but just a hint in the bread. Substitute the orange zest and juice with lemon. Lemon is lovely in the bread, also.
Salted butter – This needs to be melted and cooled.
Vanilla extract – This pairs with the orange flavor beautifully.
Glaze
Powdered sugar – This is also called Confectioner’s sugar or Icing sugar, depending on where you live.
Milk – You need more or less to achieve the desired consistency.
Decorations
Egg wash – This is basically just an egg whipped up with a fork to brush on the dough so it browns.
Eggs for dyeing – You can choose the colors you like for the bread.
Sprinkles – These are optional, but really do make the bread pretty.
How to Make Italian Easter Bread
In a large mixing bowl, add the warm milk, yeast, and 2 tablespoons of sugar. Mix slightly and allow the mixture to rest for 5-10 minutes. This will allow the yeast to activate and bloom.
Add the remaining of the granulated sugar and half of the flour. Mix until all ingredients are combined.
Add in the salt and the eggs. Mix well.
Add the remaining of the flour, orange zest and juice, butter, and vanilla extract.
Mix until all ingredients are combined, and you have a dough ball. If mixing with a stand-up mixer, mix for 2-3 minutes. If making the bread by hand, knead for 5-8 minutes. The dough will be tacky but not sticky.
Place the dough into a mixing bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and allow the dough to rise in a warm, draft-free place for 60-90 minutes or until the dough has doubled.
Dyeing The Eggs
In a glass of water or a cup, add 1 tablespoon of white vinegar and 1 cup of water. Add the food coloring to the desired color. Add the egg and leave it in the water mixture until you have reached the desired color. Take it out of the water and allow it to dry completely before adding it to the bread.
Finishing The Bread
Once the dough has doubled in size, divide the dough into 3 equal parts.
Roll each part into a 20-22-inch-long rope. Loosely braid the bread. Pinch the ends.
Place the braid on parchment paper on a cookie sheet.
Place the dyed eggs on the braided bread. Make sure the eggs are well-nested in the dough.
Loosely cover with plastic wrap and allow the bread to rise for 45 minutes.
15 minutes before the end of the rise, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Brush the egg wash on the dough.
Bake in the preheated oven for 28-30 minutes or until the bread has an internal temperature of 190 degrees F and is golden.
Cool the bread completely.
Make the glaze by mixing the powdered sugar and milk. Add the glaze and sprinkles *optional*. Serve and Enjoy!
Little Chef’s Secrets
Italian Easter Bread Tips
Use Warm (Not Hot) Milk
Milk should be warm to activate the yeast, but not hot, which can kill the yeast and prevent the dough from rising.
Give the Dough Enough Time to Rise
Allow the dough to rise until doubled in size. This step helps develop a light, fluffy texture.
Don’t Add Too Much Flour
The dough should be slightly soft and elastic. It may be a little sticky, too. Too much flour can make the bread dense.
Braid the Dough Gently
When shaping the braid, handle the dough lightly so you don’t deflate the air that formed during rising. Also, don’t make the braid too tight; you want to allow the dough to have some room to rise.
Add the Eggs Carefully
Traditionally, dyed raw eggs are nestled into the braid before baking. They cook along with the bread.
Use an Egg Wash
Brushing the bread with an egg wash before baking gives it a beautiful golden shine.
Watch the Baking Time
Bake until the bread is golden brown. Overbaking can dry out the loaf.
Let the Bread Cool Before Slicing
Cooling allows the crumb to set and keeps the bread soft and tender.
Once the bread is completely cool, store it in an airtight container or plastic bag. It will keep at room temperature for 2 days.
Italian Easter Bread Recipe
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- In a large mixing bowl, add the warm milk, yeast, and 2 tablespoons of sugar. Mix slightly and allow the mixture to rest for 5-10 minutes. This will allow the yeast to activate and bloom.
- Add the remaining of the granulated sugar and half of the flour. Mix until all ingredients are combined.
- Add in the salt and the eggs. Mix well.
- Add the remaining of the flour, orange zest and juice, butter, and vanilla extract.
- Mix until all ingredients are combined, and you have a dough ball. If mixing with a stand-up mixer, mix for 2-3 minutes. If making the bread by hand, knead for 5-8 minutes. The dough will be tacky but not sticky.
- Place the dough into a mixing bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and allow the dough to rise in a warm, draft-free place for 60-90 minutes or until the dough has doubled.
- Dyeing the eggs. In a glass of water or a cup, add 1 tablespoon of white vinegar and 1 cup of water. Add the food coloring to the desired color. Add the egg and leave it in the water mixture until you have reached the desired color. Take it out of the water and allow it to dry completely before adding it to the bread.
- Once the dough has doubled in size, divide the dough into 3 equal parts.
- Roll each part into a 20-22-inch-long rope.
- Loosely braid the bread. Pinch the ends.
- Place the braid on parchment paper on a cookie sheet.
- Place the dyed eggs on the braided bread. Make sure the eggs are well-nested in the dough.
- Loosely cover with plastic wrap and allow the bread to rise for 45 minutes.
- 15 minutes before the end of the rise, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Brush the egg wash on the dough.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 28-30 minutes or until the bread has an internal temperature of 190 degrees F and is golden.
- Cool the bread completely.
- Make the glaze by mixing the powdered sugar and milk.
- Add the glaze and sprinkles *optional*.
- Serve and Enjoy!
