Sweet Dough Breads - Easter Italian Bread 
Years ago, I use to do a class at Easter where we made this spectacular looking sweet dough with Easter eggs that had been hard boiled and coloured for Easter, embedded in the braid and then baked with the bread. All of the customers loved this beautiful dough and the wonderful seasonal-looking result of the this traditional Italian Easter bread which is known as Pan de Pasqua. These Italian Easter breads are fluffy, slightly sweet, rich and soft, like a brioche, can be flavoured with generous amount of lemon zest and a touch of ground aniseed. They can be topped with icing or added colorful sprinkles with an egg in the middle, or 3 or 4 eggs placed in the dip of the braid. These Italian Easter breads are sure to impress everyone at your Easter table.
 Bread is also an important part of any Easter celebration. Italian Easter Bread is rich with symbolism, baked in the shape of a wreath to symbolize the crown of thorns worn by Jesus Christ at the crucifixion. The three pieces of dough braided together represent the three elements of the Holy Trinity. The bread is either baked with colored eggs directly in the dough or with white eggs that can be decorated after baking
This Italian Easter breads is fluffy, slightly sweet, rich and soft, like a brioche, flavored with generous amount of lemon zest and a touch of ground aniseed. Topped with colorful sprinkles and an egg in the middle, these Italian Easter breads are sure to impress everyone at your Easter table. Make certain to have enough of the coloured eggs for all the children so they don't have to fight over them.
Click here for the printed copy of the Easter Egg Bread
The sweet dough is easy to make and we have added so whole wheat flour to the mix to get some of the healthy benefit of the whole grains in the recipe.
Easter Egg Bread (This batch is small enough to make in a Bosch Compact or the new Styline Bosch and can be doubled to make in a Bosch Universal Plus)
1 cup of milk
1 cup of water
4 eggs
1 cup of melted butter (or margarine)
3 cups of whole wheat flour (we mill ours in the Nutrimill grain mill, fresh)
1 Tbsp. Dough Enhancer
2 tsp. salt
4 tsp. Saf yeast
2 tsp. ground anise
3-4 cups of white bread flour (or all-purpose)
2 tsp. star anise
2 Tbsp. lemon zest (opt)
3 to 4 hard boiled eggs with shells on (Coloured ahead if you wish)
Place all the liquids in the Bosch Universal Plus Bowl (either theCompact or Universal Bowls will do this recipe) and add whole wheat flour and dry ingredients up to and including the ground anise. Start the mixer on slow speed and let mix for 30 sec and then add remaining white flour 1 cup at a time until the bowl cleans. Let knead for 7 min. Add the star anise seed with just 30 sec. left in the 7 min. kneading time. Oil the counter and remove the dough from the bowl and make 3 long ropes of dough. Place ropes on a parchment paper that is big enough for your baking sheet. Braid the dough starting at the top by pinching the dough and form the braid into a circle. Place on a greased cookie sheet and place 3 or 4 boiled eggs in the spaces between the braid. Let rise in a warm place for 20 min. Brush the top (being careful to avoid the eggs) with beaten egg white and bake in a 375 degree F oven for 30 to 40 min. until the top is golden brown. Cool on a rack.
PS- You can use the dough divider with the Bosch Universal Plus if you find this batch too small to mix in your 6 qt. bowl) |
recipe) and add whole wheat flour and dry ingredients up to and including the ground anise. Start the mixer on slow speed and let mix for 30 sec and then add remaining white flour 1 cup at a time until the bowl cleans. Let knead for 7 min. Add the star anise seed with just 30 sec. left in the 7 min. kneading time. Oil the counter and remove the dough from the bowl and make 3 long ropes of dough. Place ropes on a parchment paper that is big enough for your baking sheet. Braid the dough starting at the top by pinching the dough and form the braid into a circle. Place on a greased cookie sheet and place 3 or 4 boiled eggs in the spaces between the braid. Let rise in a warm place for 20 min. Brush the top (being careful to avoid the eggs) with beaten egg white and bake in a 375 degree F oven for 30 to 40 min. until the top is golden brown. Cool on a rack.
