I have the best Italian Easter Bread recipe for you! Italian Easter Bread (Pane di Pasqua) is a traditional Italian sweet bread typically eaten for breakfast on Easter. The braided circle and egg represents new life and is enjoyed as part of a celebration. There are a lot of ways to shape the dough but I love that these are braided into individual servings. Each bread has its own egg in the center.  I am obsessed with the cuteness of these and they are so delicious. I’m super excited to have Chino Valley Ranchers work with us on bringing you this recipe! 

How Do You Make Italian Easter Bread

Making Italian Easter Bread is very simple but it does require a few steps of waiting for the dough to rise. This is a great recipe to make while you make other items. First, you’ll add the yeast and milk to the mixing bowl and let it sit for 5 minutes. 

Next, you’ll add the butter, eggs and sugar to combine. I used Chino Valley Ranchers Organic Omega-3 Soy Free eggs. These eggs are made with a special soy and corn-free diet, that contains flax seed—a grain naturally high in Omega-3 fatty acids reaching levels of around 225mg or more. Their organic eggs have the most brilliant colored yolks, amazing taste and are high quality.

Add the flour slowly to combine into the dough. Knead the dough on low until its tacky and not sticky. Then add the dough to an olive oil coated bowl to let rise for an hour.

Dye your uncooked eggs while you wait for the dough to rise. Then, cut the dough into 12 pieces and roll into 12 inch ropes. Braid the dough by twisting two ropes together and then pinch them at the ends to join. 

Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and cover with a towel for one hour. Preheat the oven to 350F and add an egg wash to the bread dough. 

Sprinkle with rainbow non-pareils sprinkles. Add dyed non-cooked eggs to the center of each bread. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Easter Traditions

Letting the dough rise is what takes the longest but its sooo worth the wait! The kids are going to love having these on Easter this year. This will be a new tradition for us. My mom-in-law makes a similar bread every year for Christmas. Now, we will have a delicious Easter breakfast in the morning before we go to the grandparents house for dinner. 

The Best Italian Easter Bread

Yield: 6

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Additional Time: 2 hours

Total Time: 2 hours 45 minutes

The Best Italian Easter Bread is the perfect breakfast for Easter morning with the family!

Print

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 Tsp Yeast
• 1 Cup of Warm Milk
• 1 Stick (1/2 Cup) of Butter
• 1/3 Cups of Sugar
• 4 Cups of Flour
• 2 Eggs, Lightly Beaten
• 1 Egg Wash - egg combined with 1 TBSP water
• 2 TBSP Non-Pareils Sprinkles
• 6 Eggs Uncooked
• 5 Drops of Food Coloring Each - Red, Yellow & Green (or other color)
• 6 Tsp White Vinegar, 2 Tsp Per 1 Cup of Water
• 3 Cups of Water

Instructions

1. Add the yeast and milk to the mixing bowl and let it sit for 5 minutes
2. Add the butter, eggs and sugar then combine.
3. Add the flour slowly to combine into the dough.
4. Knead the dough on low until its tacky and not sticky.
5. Add the dough to an olive oil coated bowl to let rise for an hour.
6. Dye your uncooked eggs. Add food coloring, water and vinegar to 3 mugs. Drop one egg into one cup for 5-10 minutes each.
7. Cut the dough into 12 pieces and roll into 12 inch ropes.
8. Braid the dough by twisting two ropes together and then pinch them at the ends to join.
9. Place braided dough on a parchment lined baking sheet and cover with a towel for one hour.
10. Preheat the oven to 350F and add an egg wash to the bread dough.
11. Sprinkle with rainbow non-pareils sprinkles. Add dyed non-cooked eggs to the center of each bread.
12. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Enjoy!

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 528Total Fat: 13gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 318mgSodium: 162mgCarbohydrates: 80gFiber: 3gSugar: 16gProtein: 21g

I hope you enjoy this delicious festive Easter treat! xo, Bri 

This post is sponsored by Chino Valley Ranchers. All opinions are my own.