Filled with a surprising lemon flavor, this Italian Lemon Easter Bread is a great addition to your holiday celebration.
This is not a traditional loaf bread recipe. Instead this recipe uses yeast as it's leavening agent.
This bread gets the lemon flavor from a package of lemon pudding mix! I know, it sounds strange, but trust me, okay?
Check out all the other Easter Bread Recipes for even more deliciousness!
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This recipe for Italian Lemon Easter Bread is different from the traditional Easter bread recipes posted on my site. But it's just as delicious and doesn't involve braiding dough. There's also no colored eggs involved as in my Traditional Easter Bread Recipe.
I guess you could call this an "un-traditional" Easter bread recipe; just like my Easter Banana Bread Recipe. Both of these recipes are delicious!
Table of Contents
Easter Bread Glaze
This recipe has an Easter Bread Glaze drizzled on top with just a little hint of fresh lemon juice. Then I grate the lemon peel to decorate the top of the loaves.
Easter Bread Tradition
When you’re raised in an Italian family, baking Easter bread is a tradition every year, however, I doubt my grandmother ever made this particular recipe.
🛒Helpful Kitchen Tools
Digital Meat Thermometer, Instant Read Food Thermometer for Cooking,More InformationReynolds Kitchens Cookie Baking Sheets, Pre-Cut Parchment PaperMore InformationPremium Multipurpose ZesterMore InformationHome Pantry Lemons All Over Kitchen Dish Towel SetMore InformationFresh Lemons 6pc Melamine Salad Plate SetMore Information
📋Ingredients
Here's a quick overview of the ingredients for this recipe. Find the exact amounts and click the Instacart button to easily add them to your cart – all in the printable recipe card below!
- Milk - use either 2% or whole milk for this recipe.
- Water - used to dissolve the yeast.
- Butter - softened
- 1 package instant lemon pudding mix; 3 .4 ounce size
- Eggs
- All-purpose flour - you'll need about 5 cups total but don't add all the flour at once.
- Powdered sugar - for the glaze
- Fresh lemon juice and the zest of one lemon for decorating.
📌Quick Tip: always use a digital meat thermometer to check the temperature of my water and milk. You want the liquid to be anywhere from 105° to 115° for most bread recipes.
🥣Instructions
Step 1: Make the Dough
- In a bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm water.
- Once the yeast has proofed, add it to the bowl of a KitchenAid Mixer with the dough hook attached.
- Then add the warm milk, melted butter and pudding mix.
Step 2: Knead the Dough
- Next, add the eggs followed by 3 cups of the flour. Mix until smooth. Add more flour to form a soft dough.
- Allow the machine to knead the dough for at least 5 minutes or until the dough has formed a ball and is no longer sticking to the sides of the bowl.
- Remove the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead by hands just a few times. Place in a bowl that's been greased with one tablespoon of oil.
- Cover with a dishtowel and allow to rise until the dough is doubled in size.
Step 3: Allow the Dough to Double in Size
- After about 60 minutes the dough will have doubled in size and it's ready to be formed into the two loaves.
Step 4: Shape the Dough
- Remove the dough from the bowl on to a lightly floured surface.
- Divide the bread dough into two equal pieces.
- Shape each piece into loaves and place in two greased 8x4 inch loaf pans that are lined with parchment paper.
- Cover with a clean dishtowel and let rise until doubled; about 40 minutes.
Step 5: Baking Instructions
- Bake in a preheated 350° for 30 minutes or until both loaves are golden brown.
- Remove both loaves of bread from the pans and set them on a wire rack to cool while you prepare the lemon glaze.
- See how easy the bread lifts out of the pan when you use parchment paper? Nothing sticks!
Step 6: Prepare the Glaze
- Combine the glaze ingredients together and slowly pour on top of the cooled loaves of bread:
- Depending on the consistency, you may need to add another tablespoon of milk.
- You don't want the glaze too runny or too thick.
Step 7: Add Grated Lemon to Decorate
- Using a zester, grate about one to two tablespoons of lemon peel and add the to the top of the glaze on the Italian Lemon Easter Bread.
- Slice and serve!
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🌟Try these recipes next...
- Traditional Easter Bread – made in individual rings so you can give these to friends and family.
- Bread Machine Easter Bread – think working with yeast dough is too intimidating? Try my new recipe that uses dough prepared in a bread machine!
- Homemade Amish White Bread - the very first bread recipe I taught myself to make.
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📇Recipe Card
📖 Recipe Card
Italian Lemon Easter Bread
Ingredients
- 1 package active dry yeast; ¼ ounce or 2 ¼ teaspoons
- ½ cup warm water; 105° to 115°
- 1 cup warm milk; 105° to 115°
- ¼ cup butter; softened
- 1 package instant lemon pudding mix; 3.4 ounces
- 3 eggs
- 5 to 6 cups flour
- 1 cup confectioner's sugar
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Method
- In a bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Once the yeast has proofed, add it to the bowl of a KitchenAid Mixer with the dough hook attached.
- Then add the warm milk, melted butter and pudding mix.
- Next, add the eggs followed by 3 cups of the flour. Mix until smooth. Add more flour to form a soft dough. Allow the machine to knead the dough for at least 5 minutes or until the dough has formed a ball and is no longer sticking to the sides of the bowl.
- Remove the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead by hands just a few times. Place in a bowl that’s been greased with one tablespoon of oil.
- Cover with a dishtowel and allow to rise until the dough is doubled in size.
- After about 60 minutes the dough will have doubled in size and it’s ready to be formed into the two loaves.
- Remove the dough from the bowl on to a lightly floured surface. Divide the bread dough into two equal pieces.
- Shape each piece into loaves and place in two greased 8×4 inch loaf pans that are lined with parchment paper. Cover with a clean dishtowel and let rise until doubled; about 30 to 40 minutes.
- Bake in a preheated 350° for 30 minutes or until both loaves are golden brown.
- Remove both loaves of bread from the pans and set them on a wire rack to cool while you prepare the lemon glaze.
- Combine the following together and slowly pour on top of the cooled loaves of bread. Add freshly grated lemon peel immediately after.
Tanya @ Mom's Small Victories says
Yum! We need this like now! Stopping by from the Creative Muster party. Thanks for sharing!