Pane di Pasqua (Italian Easter breads) fluffy, slightly sweet, rich and soft, like a brioche, flavored with generous amount of lemon zest and a touch of ground aniseed
Italian Easter breads from Roxanashomebaking.com Fluffy, slightly sweet, rich and soft, like a brioche, flavored with generous amount of lemon zest and a touch of ground aniseed
Last week Italian Easter Pie, now Italian Easter Bread.
These Italian Easter breads are fluffy, slightly sweet, rich and soft, like a brioche, flavored with generous amount of lemon zest and a touch of ground aniseed. Topped with colorful sprinkles and an egg in the middle, these Italian Easter breads are sure to impress everyone at your Easter table.
Other Italian Easter Breads I’ve seen shape the bread in one braided ring or one long braid, nesting eggs either in the middle or between the braids. I made 6 small braided rings, each one with a red egg in the middle.
I remember seeing this type of bread last year and was very intrigued by the egg nested in the middle. Especially since you don’t have to cook it. It’s going to cook while the bread is baking. How is that for a kitchen experiment?
First you start by dying the eggs. I made all of mine red, but you can do different colors if you prefer. While the eggs are resting, putting on the best color coat, start making the dough. There are several recipes for Italian Easter Breads but in the end I decided to use the dough from the Chocolate swirl bread recipe I shared last year, with only two small differences. Added lemon zest instead of orange zest and added a pinch of aniseed.
Yields 6 round breads
Italian Easter breads - fluffy, slightly sweet, rich and soft, like a brioche, flavored with generous amount of lemon zest and a touch of ground aniseed.
1 hrPrep Time
20 minCook Time
5 hrTotal Time
Save RecipeIngredients
- 1 bread dough substituting orange zest for lemon zest and adding a pinch of aniseed.
- 6 eggs
- 1 cup boiling water, food coloring, 1 tbsp vinegar
- sprinkles
- 2 tbsp milk
Instructions
- In a small bowl add the boiling water, food coloring and vinegar. Stir to combine. Place an egg inside a whisk and leave it in the water for about 5 minutes.
- Take the egg out and place it in a paper towel to dry. Do the same with the remaining 5 eggs, adding more food color if needed.
- Make the dough following the directions and leave it to rise until doubled in volume.
- When the dough is risen, divide it in 12 small balls. Shape each ball into a 13-15" long rope.
- Take two ropes and braid them together, forming a ring by pinching the ends. Do the same with the remaining ropes.
- Place the dough rings on a baking sheet, next a colored egg in the middle of each one, cover with plastic foil and leave to rise for another 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile heat the oven to 375F.
- Just before baking the rings, brush them with milk and top with sprinkles.
- Bake for 22 minutes or until golden.
- Leave to cool completely. Enjoy!
Linking this Romanian Easter Bread to Bake Your Own Bread and Twelve Loaves
Other Italian Easter Bread recipes you might also like
Italian Easter bread recipes at Cake Duchess, Brown Eyed Baker, The Italian Dish, My Italian Grandmother
Sending love your way,
Roxana
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