Today I'm sharing with you my Grandma Santelli's recipe for Traditional Easter Bread. This is a sweetened bread dough with colored Easter eggs in the center.
My sister and I make this recipe every year to celebrate Christ's resurrection and all things Spring.
I have quite a few variations of this traditional Easter bread recipe posted on my site. A few are shortcut recipes to help take advantage of family traditions, but without all the time involved.
Check out all the other Easter Bread Recipes for even more deliciousness!
One of my new favorite ways to make this traditional bread recipe is to use either frozen bread dough and make Individual Bread Rings. I also like to take advantage of my bread machine to make Bread Machine Easter Bread.
Easter Bread Tradition
When you're raised in an Italian family, baking Easter bread is a tradition every year, however, my mother never baked this recipe. My grandmother, and Aunt Carmel were the bread bakers.
Then my sister started baking the bread recipe and of course, I followed. I'm now sharing the recipe that my grandmother, aunt and sister have baked for many years.
And I'm happy to say I baked this traditional Easter bread recipe with my daughter recently. I'm glad the family tradition is continuing!
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📋Ingredients
This is an overview of the ingredients and instructions. Be sure to see the recipe card below for exact quantities, detailed instructions and special notes.
- Warm Milk – heat the milk in the microwave in 30 second intervals until it reaches 100 to 105 degrees.
- Butter - melted
- Eggs - for this recipe, you'll need 4 eggs for the dough and then an additional 3 raw colored eggs to stuff the bread dough circles.
- Sugar – this is a slightly sweet dough recipe.
- Flour – always measure properly. See note below for my measuring tips.
- Salt – for flavor.
- Yeast
- Almond Extract
- Egg yolk - to brush on the bread rings before they bake.
- Colorful Easter Sprinkles
📌Quick Tip: Whenever proofing yeast, cover the bowl with a plate to trap the heat of the liquid. This will help the yeast proof quicker.
🥣Instructions
Step 1: Prepare the Bread Dough
- Heat the milk in the microwave in 30 second intervals until it reaches 105° to 110° F. Use a Digital Meat Thermometer to make sure you're not overheating the milk.
- Then add the yeast and 2 tablespoons of sugar to the warmed milk. Cover with a plate and let stand until bubbly; about 5 to 10 minutes.
- If the yeast mixture is not bubbling, the yeast is not alive. Try again.
- In the bowl of a KitchenAid mixer, add 2 cups flour, remaining sugar, 4 eggs, melted butter and almond extract.
Step 2: Knead the Bread Dough
- Finally add the salt. Allow the machine to combine everything on low speed and then add the yeast, milk mixture.
- Slowly stir in the remaining flour, ½ cup at a time. Allow the machine to knead the bread dough for about 5 minutes until the dough is no longer sticking to the sides of the bowl.
- Remove the dough from the bowl and on a lightly floured surface knead by hand for a minute until the dough is smooth. Then transfer the dough to a bowl with about 1 tablespoon of oil.
- Cover the bowl and allow the dough to rise in a warm place until doubled; about 1 ½ hours.
Step 3: Shape the Dough
- Once the dough has doubled in size remove it from the bowl and place it on a piece of parchment paper on the counter.
- Divide the dough into three even pieces.
- Then divide each piece in half so you have 6 pieces total.
Step 4: Form the Bread Circles
- On a baking sheet that's been lined with parchment paper, roll each piece into a long rope about 16 inches long.
- Then braid the rope pieces to form one long braid. Pinch the ends together and form a circle.
📌Quick Tip: Brush a little vegetable oil on the bottom of each colored egg to prevent "bleeding" when the bread bakes.
Step 5: Add the Colored Easter Eggs
- Place a raw colored egg in the center of each circle.
- Allow the bread circles to rise another 60 minutes.
- Then brush each bread circle with a beaten egg yolk mixed with 1 teaspoon of water.
- Sprinkle the colorful Easter sprinkles on top of each bread circle.
Step 6: Baking Instructions
- Bake in a preheated 350°F degree oven for 25 - 30 minutes or until the breads are golden brown and sound hollow when tapped.
⭐Before You Begin! If you make this recipe, please leave a review and star rating. This helps my business thrive and continue providing FREE recipes.
💡Recipe FAQ's
Yes, you can eat the eggs in Easter bread. The eggs cook while you bake the bread and they are perfect hard-boiled eggs when the bread is done cooking.
Yes, they are the same but with different meaning and tradition.
🌟Try these recipes next...
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Recipe Card
Traditional Easter Bread
Traditional Easter Bread – made the way my Grandma Santelli did for many years. This is a sweetened bread dough with colored Easter eggs in the center.
Ingredients
- 1 cup warm milk, 105°F - 110°F
- 1 package yeast; 2 ¼ teaspoons
- ½ cup sugar; divided
- 5 - 6 cups all-purpose flour; divided
- 1 cup butter; melted
- 4 eggs
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 3 raw colored eggs; not hard-boiled
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon water
Instructions
- Heat the milk in the microwave in 30 second intervals until it reaches 105° to 110° F.
- Then add the yeast and 2 tablespoons of sugar to the warmed milk. Cover with a plate and let stand until bubbly; about 5 to 10 minutes.
- In the bowl of a KitchenAid mixer with the dough hook attachment, add 2 cups flour, remaining sugar, 4 eggs, melted butter, salt and almond extract.
- Allow the machine to combine everything on low speed and then add the yeast and milk mixture.
- Slowly stir in the remaining flour, ½ cup at a time. Allow the machine to knead the bread dough for about 5 minutes until the dough is no longer sticking to the sides of the bowl.
- Remove the dough from the bowl and on a lightly floured surface knead by hand for a minute until the dough is smooth. Then transfer the dough to a bowl with about 1 tablespoon of oil.
- Cover the bowl and allow the dough to rise in a warm place until doubled; about 1 ½ hours.
- Once the dough has doubled in size remove it from the bowl and place it on a piece of parchment paper on the counter. Divide the dough into three even pieces.
- Then divide each piece in half so you have 6 pieces total.
- On a baking sheet that’s been lined with parchment paper, roll each piece into a long rope about 16 inches long. Then braid the rope pieces to form one long braid. Pinch the ends together and form a circle.
- Place a raw colored egg in the center of each circle.
- Allow the bread circles to rise another 60 minutes. Then brush each bread circle with a beaten egg yolk mixed with 1 teaspoon of water.
- Sprinkle the colorful Easter sprinkles on top of each bread circle.
- Bake in a preheated 350°F degree oven for 25 – 30 minutes or until the breads are golden brown and sound hollow when tapped.
Notes
- Make sure you use raw eggs. Don't worry, they will bake along with the bread in the oven and become perfectly hard-boiled eggs.
- Brush a little vegetable oil on the bottom of each colored egg to prevent “bleeding” when the bread bakes.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
24Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 682Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 83mgSodium: 179mgCarbohydrates: 124gFiber: 4gSugar: 5gProtein: 19g
The nutrition information is calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee its accuracy. If this data is important to you, please verify with your trusted nutrition calculator.
Barbara says
Looks so pretty with the egg in it's bread dough nest! Thank you for sharing at Share Your Style, Lois!! I am happy to share your post at this week's SYS #338 for you. Happy almost spring!
Hugs,
Barb 🙂