Italian Easter Sweet Bread

 

Every culture has their own traditions for most major holidays. The Italian culture has some of my all-time favorites! For the Easter season in Italian cooking and baking, we see a lot of themes in ingredients including orange flavoring, rice, ricotta, different types of cheeses and of course, who could forget some cured meats? Today, I will be presenting one of my favorite traditional Italian recipes for Easter - Italian Easter Sweet Bread. This bread is usually served in a circular braided form with hard boiled eggs in the middle for decoration. It's perfect for dessert at your easter gathering served with a cappuccino or espresso!


Recipe


Ingredients

1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup sugar
2 1/4 tsp. yeast
4-5 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1 orange, zested and juiced
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cups unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1/2 tsp. ground anise or pure anise extract
6 raw eggs
1 egg beaten with 1 tsp. water


Instructions

1. In a small bowl, mix the warm milk with the sugar, until dissolved. Add the yeast and set the mixture aside until it begins to foam slightly, 5-10 min.

2. While the yeast is hydrating, in a large bowl, mix together 3 cups all purpose flour and the salt. Set aside.
    
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the orange juice and zest, the beaten eggs, melted butter, and anise. Set aside.

4. Add the yeast mixture and orange juice mixture to the flour, stirring until moistened. Add the remaining flour to the dough, a little at a time, mixing until the dough comes together.

5. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5-10 minutes, until soft and smooth.

6. Place the dough in a clean, oiled bowl, turning to coat the dough with oil. Cover the dough with plastic wrap or a damp tea towel, and set in a warm, draft free place to rise until puffy and doubled, 1-2 hours.


Shaping the Ring

1. Once the dough has doubled, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. 

2. Divide the dough into 3 equal pieces and gently roll each into a 24" rope.

3. Pinch one end of all three ropes together and braid the strands loosely. Shape the braid into a ring on a parchment lined baking sheet.

4. Gently tuck the dyed, raw eggs into the braid.

5. Gently brush the ring with the beaten egg and water egg wash, being careful around the dyed eggs.

6. Let the ring rise untl puffy and nearly doubled, 45 minutes - 1 hour.

7. Bake the bread for 25 minutes on 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Should be golden when ready. 







Check out these Dash stainless steel mixing bowls with lids. A must have product for baking:














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