Italian Easter Bread

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This Italian Easter bread is made from a rich, buttery brioche dough. Soft, tender and lightly sweet, it’s sprinkled with crunchy nonpareils. Each piece of braided Easter egg bread features a dyed hard boiled egg in the center.

📌 PIN ITALIAN EASTER BREAD

Easter egg bread is a family tradition. It’s a must-have for Easter brunch. Our local bakery makes this specialty item in the shape of a 14-inch tall bunny. They call it Bunny Bread, and it sells for $18.95 each.

But with this easy recipe you can make Italian Easter bread at home in the shape of wreaths or bunnies – for a fraction of the cost of store bought. And when you make it yourself, you can get creative and mix things up.

I’ll usually make a second batch of Easter egg bread without the colorful candy sprinkles. After the bread is baked and cooled, I drizzle the top with a simple sugar glaze – a mix of powdered sugar, milk and vanilla extract.

When you’re invited to an Easter brunch at someone’s home, this is an excellent recipe to make and bring. With its festive presentation, it’s a stunning addition to the serving table. Enjoy it with butter and jam.

🛒 INGREDIENTS

Dyed Easter Eggs

We’re using a classic method for dying eggs – water, vinegar and food coloring. If you have an Easter egg coloring kit on hand, feel free to use it.

• Boiling Water: This is needed to dissolve the food coloring.
• Distilled White Vinegar: The acid in vinegar causes a chemical reaction that helps achieve vibrant-colored Easter eggs.
• Food Coloring: I use AmeriColor gel food coloring in Violet, Soft Pink, and Wedgewood. Gel food coloring results in speckled eggs. For smoother more evenly-colored eggs, use liquid food coloring instead.
• Hard Boiled Eggs: I use large eggs, but feel free to use medium eggs instead. Some Italian Easter bread recipes call for uncooked eggs, as they cook in the oven. But when I’ve experimented with raw eggs in the bread, they ended up baking to the texture of soft-boiled eggs.

Brioche Dough

• Whole Milk: Adds richness and moisture to the dough. If desired, you can use 2% milk or water instead.
• Granulated Sugar: Adds a bit of sweetness to the dough and acts as food for the yeast.
• Active Dry Yeast: Helps the dough rise so the bread is nice and soft. Yeast also provides a delicious flavor and yeasty aroma.
• Large Eggs: Add moisture and richness to the dough while helping to bind the ingredients together. One egg is reserved for making an egg wash to help the sprinkles stick to the bread.
• All-purpose Flour: Gives the dough structure. I use all-purpose flour because it’s what I always have on hand in the pantry. But bread flour will also work.
• Kosher Salt: Enhances the flavor of the other ingredients.
• Butter: Enriches the dough while adding a delicious buttery flavor. Make sure the butter is fully softened so it can incorporate smoothly into the dough.
• Rainbow Nonpareils: Are used for decorating the wreaths. But feel free to use sprinkles, white (coarse) sparkling sugar, pretzel salt, poppy seeds, sesame seeds, or sliced almonds instead. Or after baking, you can drizzle the bread with a delicious sugar glaze.

📖 RECIPE STEPS

Dye the Easter Eggs

• STEP 1: In a heat-proof bowl, stir together the hot water, white vinegar, and food coloring. Add 1 hard boiled egg and let it sit until it reaches the desired shade – about 3 minutes.
• STEP 2: Remove the dyed egg to a plate. Keep a separate plate for each color. Repeat the coloring process for the remaining 5 eggs.
• STEP 3: Allow the eggs to dry completely. We don’t want to tuck colored eggs with wet shells into the Italian Easter bread.

Make the Brioche Dough

• STEP 1: In the bowl of a stand mixer whisk together warm milk, sugar and yeast. Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes or until the yeast is foamy.
• STEP 2: Whisk in 3 of the eggs. [Save the last egg for the egg wash.]
• STEP 3: Add 3 cups flour to the bowl. Mix on low speed using the dough hook attachment. Once the dough has come together into a loose ball, start adding the softened butter – 1 tablespoon at a time. When the dough sticks to the sides of the bowl (usually after adding 3 to 4 tablespoons butter), add another 1/4 cup flour. Continue alternating butter and flour until all of the ingredients have been added.
• STEP 4: Continue mixing until the dough comes together into a smooth ball – about 2 to 3 minutes. Place the dough into a lightly-oiled boil and cover it with a dampened cloth. Set it aside in a warm draft-free place. Allow it to rise until doubled in size – about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

HELPFUL KITCHEN TOOL: A dough-rising bucket is a closed container that promotes a better rise. It creates the ideal warm, humid environment for soft and supple yeast dough. Because it’s translucent with markings on the side, you can more easily gauge when the dough has doubled in size.

Form Italian Easter Bread Wreaths

RECIPE PREP: Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Set them aside.

• STEP 1: Transfer the dough to a lightly-floured surface and divide it into 12 equal pies. Roll each piece into a 12-inch long rope.
• STEP 2: Twist 2 ropes together.
• STEP 3: Shape the braided rope into a circle. Pinch the seams together – we don’t want the wreath to unwrap in the oven.
• STEP 4: Place a dyed hard-boiled egg into the center of each wreath.

BAKER’S TIP: Feel free to shape the dough into various designs. Some years I’ll shape it into an Easter Bunny, placing a dyed egg onto its tummy.

• STEP 5: Transfer the wreaths to the prepared baking sheets. Make sure to place them at least 3-inches apart – they will puff up as they bake.
• STEP 6: In a ramekin (or small bowl), beat the remaining egg with a splash of water to create an egg wash. Brush the edges of the wreaths with egg wash, avoiding the dyed egg or the color may bleed onto the dough. Sprinkle the wreaths with rainbow nonpareils.
• STEP 7: Bake the Easter egg bread for 25 to 28 minutes, or until golden blonde. Allow the wreaths to cool completely on the pan.
• STEP 8: Serve and enjoy for breakfast or brunch.

🤔 FAQ for easter egg bread

These are the most commonly-asked questions for achieving the BEST Italian Easter bread, and the most helpful answers for recipe success.

More baked goods for easter

These are the special recipes my family requests year after year when planning our Easter get-togethers. Add them to your collection. Make and enjoy them throughout the spring season.

• Hot Cross Buns
• Easter Bunny Bread Rolls
• Robin’s Egg Easter Cupcakes
• Easter Cheesecake Bites
• Robin’s Egg Easter Donuts

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