Italian braided Easter bread is something that reminds me of my childhood. My sweet Italian neighbor, Betty would make it every spring and I remember her coloring the eggs and sitting them out to dry and the large bowl of dough that was puffed up all the way to the top where the cloth was spread across the top that it made a dome on the top. She would pop that dough and turn it out on the counter. Fresh flour was sprinkled on the counter as she reached for that dough and then the magic began.

It was so beautiful and always so sweet and delicious. She would eat it with a stout cup of coffee.

So here we go, trying to recreate Betty’s beautiful bread.

Betty’s Italian Braided Easter Bed

Contents hide

1 Betty’s Italian Braided Easter Bed

1.1 Topping:

1.2 Easter Bread Ingredients:

1.3 Glaze:

2 Beautiful Braided Easter Bread

2.1 Ingredients

2.2 Instructions

Topping:

3 Colored Eggs (they will cook while baking)

Easter Bread Ingredients:

4 Cups Organic Unbleached Flour

(or whatever you have)

1/2 Teaspoon Himalayan Salt

(or whatever kind of salt you use)

3/4 cup lukewarm Milk

3/4 oz Yeast

1/4 Cup Grass Fed Butter

1 Teaspoons Organic Allspice

2 Teaspoons Organic Cinnamon

3 Tablespoons Organic Sugar

2 Free Range Eggs

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Glaze:

1 Teaspoon Honey

1 Teaspoon Water

1 Egg Yoke

A closeup of a braided Easter Bread with red dyed Easter Eggs ready to go into the oven by RosevineCottageGirls.com

Easter Bread Icing

1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 Tablespoon milk

Stir flour, allspice, salt and cinnamon into a large bowl.
In a small bowl mix the yeast with milk.
In a bowl cream the butter with sugar then beat in eggs.
Add the butter mixture to the flour with the yeast mixture and slowly mix to a dough.
Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic.
Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover it with an oiled plastic wrap and leave in a warm place for 2 hours.
Knock back the dough and knead for 2-3 minutes.
Return to the bowl, re-cover, and leave to rise again in a warm place for another 1 hour.
Knock back and turn onto a lightly floured surface.
Divide the dough into three equal parts and roll into a 15-20 inch long rope.
Braid them together from the center to the end.
Place on the prepared baking sheet and push raw colored eggs into the loaf carefully.
Cover and let rise for an hour. Preheat oven to 375. Mix glaze and brush onto loaf.
Bake for 30 – 40 minutes (you can bake for another 10 if needed).
It should sound hollow and be golden.
Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
For a sweeter bread ice with 1 cup of confectioners sugar and 2 Tbsp of milk stir until it is well mixed and no longer lumpy. Drizzle over the bread.
Let set on the wire rack to cool and for the icing to set.

This bread is only lightly sweet. You can use this icing glaze after baking to make it a bit sweeter making a simple glaze from 1 cup of confectioners’ sugar mix it with 2 tablespoons milk. Glaze the bread after you remove it from the oven and let cool and the glaze set on the wire rack.

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Yield: 1 Loaf of Bread

Beautiful Braided Easter Bread

Ingredients

Topping:
3 Colored Raw Eggs
Easter Bread Ingredients:
4 Cups Organic Flour
1/2 Teaspoon Himalayan Salt
3/4 Cups Lukewarm Milk
3/4 OZ Yeast
1/4 Cup Grass Fed Butter
1 Teaspoons Organic Allspice
2 Teaspoons Organic Cinnamon
3 Tablespoons Organic Sugar
2 Free Range Eggs
Glaze:
1 Teaspoon Honey
1 Teaspoon Water
1 Egg Yoke
Icing:
1 cup confectioners sugar
1 Tbsp milk

Instructions

Stir flour, allspice, salt and cinnamon into a large bowl.

In a bowl mix the yeast with milk.

In a bowl cream the butter with sugar then beat in eggs.

Add the butter mixture to the flour with the yeast mixture and slowly mix to a dough.

Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic.

Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover it with an oiled plastic wrap and leave in a warm place for 2 hours.

Knock back the dough and knead for 2-3 minutes. Return to the bowl, re-cover and leave to rise again in a warm place for another 1 hour.

Knock back and turn onto a lightly floured surface.

Divide the dough into three equal parts and roll into a 15-20 inch long rope. Braid them together from the center to the end.

Place on the prepared baking sheet and push carefully raw colored eggs into the loaf.

Cover and let rise for an hour.

Preheat oven to 375.

Mix glaze and brush onto loaf.

Bake for 30 - 40 minutes (you can bake for another 10 if needed). It should sound hollow when tapped on the bottom and be golden.

This is a lightly sweet bread, for a sweeter loaf in a small bowl mix 1 cup of confectioners sugar and 1 Tablespoon of milk. Stir until well combined and not lumpy. Drizzle the icing over the top of the bread.

Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

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Beautiful Braided Easter Bread