Traditional Sweet Italian Easter Bread

Traditional sweet Italian Easter bread is braided and baked with a hint of lemon and anise.  It’s made with Easter eggs baked in the middle, then glazed and decorated with sprinkles.

Italian Easter bread is a holiday tradition that’s been made every year in my family for as long as I can remember.

My mom would have the kitchen smelling of fresh baked sweet bread the day or two before Easter and she’d let my sister and I help her glaze and decorate them with sprinkles. 

We’d color our Easter eggs a couple days before and she’d use those in the middle of each braided loaf.

This traditional sweet Italian Easter bread is a version of the easy recipe my mother would use every Easter holiday.

I used my mom's good old recipe (you can see how old it is!) and I also used Brown Eyed Baker's recipe for some adjustments (original recipe here).

The history of Italian Easter Bread:

Easter bread originates back to the Orthodox Christian Church. 

It symbolizes the crown of thorns worn by Jesus Christ and the 3 braids together represent the Holy Trinity. 

The eggs symbolize birth and life.

What is Italian Easter Bread Called?

Pane di Pasqua means “Italian Easter Bread”

Traditional sweet Italian Easter bread is flavored with either orange or lemon zest and anise extract. 

It’s light and fluffy, yet golden and buttery, similar to a brioche dough.

I can remember waking up Easter morning, running in the living room to see what the Easter bunny brought me, and ripping off a piece of the delicious sweet and buttery bread to eat for breakfast.

First, the dough rises until almost doubled in size.

Then, it's divided into 6 equal pieces.

Each of those 6 pieces are divided again into 3 equal pieces and the 3 pieces are rolled into a rope shape and braided together.

The two ends of the braids are pinched together to form a "wreath" shape.

Then a dyed egg is placed in the middle.

The individual loaves then rise for a second time before baked.

Once the loaves are baked until golden, they're cooled completely then brushed with a powdered sugar/milk glaze.

You can decorate the loaves with colorful sprinkles if you'd like.

I still keep the tradition alive by making these sweet Italian bread loaves every Easter holiday. 

They make perfect homemade gifts to give to your Easter dinner host/hostess!  Plus, it’s fun to have the kids help with the sprinkles and of course coloring the eggs.

Tips for making sweet Italian easter bread:

1. If your yeast isn't foamy after the 10 minutes, it could either mean your milk was too hot and killed it, or the yeast is expired.  Be sure your yeast isn't past expiration or that the milk you use is warm to touch and not hot.
2. I find that I usually need to add an extra cup of flour after the 4 cups are mixed in.  You want the dough to be sticky, but pulling from the sides of the bowl.  If it's too sticky you'll want to add another ½ cup-1 cup of flour (this is why I put 4-5 cups in the recipe ingredients!)
3. If you don't plan on eating or serving the bread the same day it's baked, I suggest waiting to glaze the loaves because the glaze will get runny and the sprinkles will bleed once covered for too long.
4. If you want more medium-boiled eggs in the middle, you can use raw eggs that will bake as the loaves do.  You can also use already hard-boiled eggs if you prefer.
5. Dough needs a warm environment to rise.  If your house is cold or drafty, simply turn your oven on to preheat (only for a minute or two!), just until it gets warm (NOT HOT), then place your dough to rise inside.  

Can Italian Easter bread be made ahead of time?

• You can make the dough the day before.  After the dough is mixed, place the dough in an airtight container or bowl tightly wrapped with saran wrap.  Let the dough rise overnight, then proceed to shaping the dough.
• Easter bread can also be baked and stored in the freezer once cooled for up to three months.  Be sure to freeze the baked bread before glazing.  I also recommend removing the eggs since they do not freeze well.