Italian Easter Bread Recipe

What we have here is something similar to brioche, though not as fussy. You mix it all together in one step (no beating in the butter once the dough is made) and let it rise as you would any bread dough. The result is a bread that’s still quite soft and rich, but without the explosive rise of brioche, which in this context is a good thing. You’ll need:

4 ounces (1/2 cup) butter
6 ounces (3/4 cup) milk
1 lb. 1. 1/2 ounces (3 1/2 cups) all-purpose flour
2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
zest of one orange
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
6-8 hard boiled eggs, dyed Easter colors
egg wash

Combine the butter and milk in a microwave-safe bowl and zap in bursts of 10 seconds until the butter is completely melted. Set the mixture aside to cool.

Next, combine the flour with the instant yeast, salt, cinnamon and orange zest in a large bowl and whisk everything together.

Pour the cooled milk and butter mixture into the bowl of a stand mixture fitted with the paddle (beater), then add the sugar and lightly beaten eggs. Stir the mixture together on low, then steadily add the flour mixture.

The whole thing should come together into a soft dough. If the dough appears quite sticky when you’re done, add up to another half a cup or so.

Switch to the dough hook and knead for 5-7 minutes until the dough is smooth. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover it with plastic wrap and let it rise about two hours until it is more or less doubled.

There are lots of ways to shape this bread. Stay tuned for the tutorial for more on that.