Italian Easter Bread or Pane di Pasqua is a slightly sweet, braided bread with an incredibly soft and light texture.
This bread is similar to challah, which I thought I should never attempt. But after baking this bread, challah is on my list! You will be pleasantly surprised by how easy this is to make. I surprised myself that I baked such a pretty loaf of bread. No, really I’m not kidding. I called the family into the kitchen just to admire my accomplishment.
This bread is sure to impress your guests by appearance, taste, and texture.
Italian Easter Bread
Just look at how gorgeous they came out. Who knew I could make this myself? Not me.
How to Make Italian Easter Bread
In a small saucepan, add the milk and butter to the pan. Heat the milk to 120 to 130°F, stirring the milk until the butter melts.
In a large bowl of an electric stand mixer, combine the yeast, salt, eggs, and sugar. Add the warmed milk and butter mixture.
Add 2 cups of the flour to the mixing bowl. Attach a dough hook to the mixer and combine until smooth on medium speed, for about 2 minutes. Scrap side of the bowl with a spatula as needed.
Slowly add the remaining 2 cups of flour to the mixing bowl, kneading the dough on medium-low speed, scraping the sides as needed. Knead until smooth and the dough is stiff, no longer sticky, about 14 minutes.
Shape dough into a ball and place into a lightly greased bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and let rise for an hour in a warm place until the dough doubles in size.
While the bread dough is rising, dye the eggs. For the colored eggs you will want to use raw eggs, they will cook in the oven.
Also, dye them enough in advance so they have time to dry completely. I used 1/2 cup room temperature water + 1 tablespoon vinegar and food coloring to dye these Easter eggs.
After the first rising. Punch the dough down, divide into 12 equal pieces.
Roll each piece to form a 1-inch thick rope about 14 inches long. You do not need a floured surface for this step. Too much flour will make the rolls heavy and tough.
Twist two ropes together to form a “braid”, then join the ends to loop into a circle while pinching the tips together. Place on a prepared baking sheet.
Let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
Brush with egg wash, top with sprinkles and place one dyed egg in the center of each one.
How pretty and fun are these bread wreaths?!? You can also make one big braid.
Sweet breads are always a great addition to any holiday meal!
Happy Easter!
Italian Easter Bread Recipe
Italian Easter Bread
Ingredients
- 1 package 2-1/4 teaspoons rapid rise instant yeast
- 1-1/4 cup milk
- 1/4 teaspoon of salt
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 4 cups all-purpose flour (more as needed for dusting and kneading)
- Vegetable cooking spray or vegetable oil for greasing proofing bowl
- 1 large egg, beaten with 1 teaspoon of water
- 6 dyed Easter eggs they do not need to be boiled, they will cook as the bread bakes
- Colored sprinkles
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, add the milk and butter to the pan. Heat the milk to 120 to 130°F, stirring the milk until the butter melts. Do not allow the milk to go above 130°F.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the yeast, salt, eggs, and sugar. Add the warmed milk and butter mixture. Add 2 cups of the flour to the mixing bowl. Attach a dough hook to the mixer and combine until smooth on medium speed, for about 2 minutes. Scrap side of the bowl with a spatula as needed.
- Slowly add the remaining 2 cups of flour to the mixing bowl, kneading the dough on medium-low speed, scraping the sides as needed. Knead until smooth and the dough is stiff, no longer sticky, about 14 minutes. Shape dough into a ball and place into a lightly greased bowl (vegetable cooking spray or oil). Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and let rise for an hour in a warm place until the dough doubles in size.
- Punch the dough down, and then divide into 12 pieces. Roll each piece to form a 1-inch rope, about 14 inches long. Taking 2 pieces, twist the pieces to create a braid shape, pinching the ends together and loop into a circle.
- Place the shaped dough on a parchment-lined baking sheet (3 per sheet), spacing the braided dough, so that it has enough room to rise. Loosely cover the baking sheet with plastic wrap and allow to rise for 1 hour, until it doubles in size.
- Brush each braided bread with the beaten egg wash. Top with sprinkles, as desired. Gently place one dyed Easter egg in the center of each braided bread ring.
- Bake the bread at 350°F until golden brown, approximately 18-20 minutes. Quickly transfer the baked bread to a cooling rack. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition facts will depend on what type of ingredients you use. This is just an estimate. We do our best to give you nutritional information as correct as possible. Please feel free to calculate for yourself.
Nutrition
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Comments
Carlee
March 23, 2016Those are absolutely stunning! I really want to make some one of these Easters!
handmade by amalia
March 23, 2016These look both delicious and fun.
Amalia
xo
DSTR
March 23, 2016Thank you, Amalia!
Donna (Just One Donna
March 23, 2016Your Easter breads came out perfectly! I’m pinning for future reference.
DSTR
March 23, 2016Thank you, Donna! I was skeptical when I started this recipe but it was really easy.
Olivia
March 24, 2016They came out pretty! I’ve seen these around Pinterest and have always wondered how to place in the eggs in the middle 😉 Following from This is How We Roll!
DSTR
March 24, 2016Thank you, Olivia! I impressed myself with this recipe. 😉
Pam
March 24, 2016Love this! The recipe and directions look very easy to follow! Thanks! Happy to be your neighbor at the Linkup at Wordless Wednesday!
DSTR
March 25, 2016Thank you for stopping by, Pam!
Vicki Montague
March 24, 2016These look awesome! Fabulous recipe.
DSTR
March 25, 2016Thank you, Vicki!
Kim
March 24, 2016These are absolutely beautiful and perfect for Easter!
DSTR
March 25, 2016Thanks so much, Kim!
The Better Baker
March 25, 2016I would be surprised too, if I made such beautiful loaves of bread. =D Love seeing the dough rise in the pan. Thanks so much for sharing with us at Weekend Potluck. May you and yours enjoy a wonderful Easter weekend.
Munchkintime
March 25, 2016Wow they look so yummy, pinning to my Easter Recipe Board! Thank you so much for sharing!
DSTR
March 25, 2016Thank you for stopping by!
The Little Tourist
March 25, 2016This is such a beautiful way to display your homemade bread! Definitely a recipe my kids would enjoy making. Thanks for sharing at Freedom Fridays Link Up! 🙂
DSTR
March 25, 2016Kids would love this recipe! Thank you!
Honest Mum
March 25, 2016So beautiful. We Greeks dye the eggs too. Our Easter is in May. Have a lovely Easter x
DSTR
March 27, 2016Thank you!
Mimi
March 26, 2016That looks spectacular! Happy Easter!
DSTR
March 27, 2016Thank you, Mimi!
Theresa @DearCreatives
March 26, 2016Beautiful! Can’t wait to try this. Pinned & shared. Thanks for Sharing at the inspiration Spotlight party.
Life Loving
March 27, 2016These look amazing. I wish I had found this a bit earlier as I may well have given this a try for our family Easter celebrations tomorrow. I love the brightness of the egg against the bread.
Sally @ Life Loving
#LifeLovingLinkie
Sherry
March 27, 2016This is one of my favorite breads. It’s not Easter without at least two bread rings! Thanks so much for sharing your recipe with us at Funtastic Friday.
Helen at Casa Costello
March 28, 2016So pretty – One of the best Easter breads I’ve seen this year. Thanks loads for joining in with #BakeoftheWeek with this recipe. Hope you are having an awesome Easter.
DSTR
March 28, 2016Thank you, Helen!
Nikki Frank-Hamilton
March 28, 2016These are so pretty, I would be amazed if something I made turned out this gorgeous too! So cool! I’ve pinned, stumbled and yummed, I am bound and determined to try this, what a showstopper on the table!
DSTR
March 28, 2016Thank you so much, Nikki! 🙂
Kim
March 29, 2016Oh my gosh! So pretty! Thanks so much for linking up at the You Link It, We Make It party and we hope you’ll link up your favorites with us again!
Sarah, Maison Cupcake
March 29, 2016Looks so pretty! Very cheerful for Easter. Thanks for joining in with #BAKEoftheWEEK !
DSTR
March 29, 2016Thank you, Sarah!
Gaye @CalmHealthySexy
March 29, 2016This is gorgeous bread! Thanks so much for sharing with the Let’s Get Real party.
DSTR
March 30, 2016Thank you, Gaye!
Simnel Cakes, Easter Bread, Bake of the Week Round Up with new linky open - Maison Cupcake
March 29, 2016[…] Italian Easter Bread by Don’t Sweat The Recipe […]
Carrie Bowers
March 29, 2016These look AMAZING! The presentation and pictures are great! Making bread can be a little intimidating to me sometimes so I don’t have much experience with it. Thanks for linking up with us at Friday Funday and please come back again next week!
DSTR
March 30, 2016Thank you so much, Carrie! Homemade bread has intimidated me in the past too. Practice, practice, practice and a lot of failures! 😉
April R - Uncookie Cutter
March 30, 2016These are so beautiful! I didn’t realize those were eggs. Thanks so much for linking up at You Link It, We Make It. We are so happy to have you partying with us! Pinning!
DSTR
March 31, 2016Thanks, April!
Elaine
March 30, 2016It sure does look pretty and I bet it was good!! Thanks for sharing on My 2 Favorite Things on Thursday!! Hope to see you again tomorrow! Pinned!
DSTR
March 31, 2016Thank you and I will definitely be there!
Jenny
March 30, 2016Wow this is soooo amazing for Easter. I love this idea. I have tried making breads before and never good at it. Might have to give this a go. Lovely for holidays and guests over. Thanks for linking up to Share With me #sharewithme
Lindsay
March 30, 2016What a creative idea!! I’ve never seen this before! Pinned & shared! thanks so much for sharing at Funtastic Friday!
DSTR
March 31, 2016Thanks, Lindsay!
Menna Raafat
April 8, 2019Hi 🙂 Looks amazing ! Can i do everything the night before ? prepare the individual buns and leave it to rise all night and bake it in the morning ?
Thank you !
DSTR
April 9, 2019Hi, Menna! I’ve never tried that and I think they might become over risen. You could try refrigerating the dough, pull it out early in the morning. Let it come to room temperature and rise. Then bake. Let us know if you try it and it works or not!