Festive Easter Sweet Bread is a soft, braided bread made with milk, butter, sugar, yeast & eggs for a soft, feathery bread with hints of citrus. The colorful eggs on top make it the perfect Pane Di Pasqua for your holiday table!
This Italian bread is a symbol of Easter celebration! It’s soft, fluffy, with hints of orange and lemon zest and a pop of sweetness from the glaze. This traditional Easter bread recipe is braided with dyed eggs and colorful sprinkles that are meant to symbolize new life. It makes a beautiful addition to your Easter celebration.
A Delightful Recipe for Your Holiday Celebration
Sweet Easter Bread, or Pane di Pasqua, is a wonderful treat that brings joy to the festive table. This bread not only offers a perfect blend of flavors but also allows for creative decoration with colorful dyed eggs. The process is simple and enjoyable, making it an ideal activity for families to share during the Easter season.
With a rich base of milk, butter, and bright orange and lemon flavors, this sweet bread stands out in any holiday spread. Adding sprinkles on top of a smooth glaze gives it a cheerful finish too! Who can resist the vibrant colors of the dyed eggs resting on top of this stunning centerpiece?!
Helpful Recipe Notes
Here are a few things I’d like you to know before you start making this bread:
Start to finish it takes just under 3 hours. Sounds like a long time, but don’t worry, this isn’t all active time as a good chunk of it is spent waiting for the dough to rise or baking.
You will need 6 eggs total. 3 eggs are colored and sit atop the bread. They go in the oven raw and come out hard boiled! Did you know you can hard boil eggs in the oven?! You can! 2 eggs are mixed into the dough of the bread and the final egg is used for the egg wash that you’ll brush on top of the bread dough before it bakes, to give it a lovely shiny look.
Dying the eggs takes just a few minutes! There are only 3 of them and if you use traditional food dye, this step goes quite fast. If you opt for natural food dye, know that your colors will be much more muted, but still festive!
Ingredients for Italian Easter Bread (Pane di Pasqua)
For the Egg Dying:
Eggs: You need 3-4 white eggs, uncooked, to top the bread with a festive flair.
Food coloring: Use 3-4 different colors of liquid or gel food coloring to dye the eggs.
Water: Add ⅔ cup of water to each bowl for dying the eggs.
White vinegar: 1 ½ teaspoon of white vinegar for each color will help dye the eggs.
For the Bread:
Milk: You need ½ cup (4fl.oz, ml) of milk for this sweet bread recipe.
Butter: Adding ¼ cup (2oz, 57g) of unsalted butter, softened, adds a rich taste to the bread.
Sugar: Sweeten the bread with ¼ cup (1.7oz, 50g) of granulated sugar.
Yeast: Use 1 packet (2 ¼ teaspoons) of active dry yeast.
Eggs: For the dough and egg wash, you need 3 eggs, divided.
Vanilla extract: Enhance the flavor by adding 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract.
Orange zest: For a wonderful citrus taste use 1 teaspoon of orange zest in the dough.
Lemon zest: Add ½ teaspoon of lemon zest for more amazing flavor.
Salt: Balance the flavors with ¼ teaspoon of salt.
Flour: You need 2 ½ cups (13oz, 375g) of all purpose flour (plus an extra tablespoon for turning out the dough).
Water: Add 1 tablespoon of water along with an egg for the egg wash.
For the Glaze:
Milk: Using 3-4 TBSP of milk makes a smooth glaze consistency.
Powder sugar: Add 1 cup (4.6oz, 130g) of powdered sugar for a sweet glaze.
Sprinkles: Top the bread and glaze with colored sprinkles for garnish.
Tips for Making Sweet Easter Bread
You can see the full directions below, but here are a few tips for success when making sweet bread.
- Make sure you knead the dough long enough. Between mixing and kneading, the electric mixer will be on about 10 minutes, maybe a tad longer. This is good! This allows the gluten to form and helps the bread to have a lovely soft texture.
- Let the dough rise someplace warm. I love my heated baking mats for this exact purpose! I just place the bowl of bough on the warm mat and cover it with a clean towel. You can also raise the bread in a warm (not hot!!) oven, or in any warm place in your house.
- Don’t stress out over the braid. Mine is not perfect! And the finished result is still lovely. Just do your best, the rise process magically erases many imperfections. As does the glaze, ha!
- Don’t skip the finishing touches! The simple glaze, dotted with colorful sprinkles just adds to the festiveness of the sweet bread. You can adjust as needed, but I encourage you to take the time to make it fun!
Italian Easter Sweet Bread Recipe
Ingredients
For the Egg Dying:
- 3-4 white eggs uncooked
- 3-4 different colors of liquid or gel food coloring
- ⅔ cup water for each egg
- 1 ½ tsp white vinegar for each color
For the Bread:
- ½ cup milk 4fl.oz, ml
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, softened 2oz, 57g
- ¼ cup granulated sugar 1.7oz, 50g
- 2¼ tsp active dry yeast
- 3 eggs divided
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp orange zest
- ½ tsp lemon zest
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 ½ cups all purpose flour 13oz, 375g
- 1 TBSP water
For the Glaze:
- 3-4 TBSP milk
- 1 cup powdered sugar 4.6oz, 130g
- colored sprinkles for garnish
Instructions
- Dye the eggs: Pour ½ – ¾ cup of water into each cup or bowl and add 1 ½ teaspoons of white vinegar into each bowl. Generously add some liquid food coloring to each bowl and stir. Add 1 uncooked egg to each bowl and allow them to soak until the colors are bright. Once they are the desired color, remove them from the bowl and set them aside to dry.
- Bread dough: In a microwave-safe mixing bowl, heat the milk with the butter for 1 minute on high. The milk will be steaming and should be between 100°- 110°F.
- Add the sugar and yeast, stir to combine. Let stand for 5 minutes, the yeast will be frothy and have a lovely earthy smell to it.
- Once the yeast has bloomed, add the mixture to the bowl of your stand mixer. Add 2 eggs, vanilla extract, orange zest, lemon zest and salt. Use the dough hook to stir together on medium speed.
- Add one cup of flour and beat on medium speed for a couple of minutes. Continue adding the flour slowly until a soft dough starts to come together. Be patient as this may take 5-6 minutes. The dough should clean the sides of the bowl and stick to the bottom in a small circle about the size of a quarter. Set a timer and knead 3 more minutes.
- Rest & rise: Spray a large bowl with cooking spray and place the dough into the bowl. Cover it and place in a warm spot to rise for 1 hour.
- Prepare a baking sheet or pizza tray by lining it with parchment paper. Once risen, punch down the dough and turn it out on a floured surface.
- Divide the dough into 3 portions, roll each portion into a 2 foot rope. Pinch three ends of the dough ropes together and braid the dough. Pinch the bottom together to hold the braid. Bring the pinched ends of the braid together creating a circular loaf on the prepared cookie sheet. Pinch together the ends and tuck them under.
- Nestle the colored eggs in between the ropes of the dough. Cover with a towel and let rise for an additional 30 minutes.
- Bake: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Beat the 1 remaining egg with a tablespoon of water, brush the risen bread with the egg wash.
- Place the bread pan in the preheated oven and bake for 25-30 minutes. The outside of the bread will be a beautiful golden brown color. Transfer to a cooling rack to fully cool.
- Glaze: In a small mixing bowl, combine the powdered sugar with 2 tablespoons of milk and whisk together. If needed, add more milk 1 tablespoon at a time until you reach a pourable consistency.
- Drizzle the glaze over the top of the bread, avoiding the eggs. Before the glaze has time to dry, add some brightly colored sprinkles to the top. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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How long is this Easter Egg Bread good for?
Store leftover bread, covered, at room temperature, and it will last up to 3 days.
For longer storage pop it in the freezer by wrapping it in plastic wrap then wrapping tightly in tin foil. Freeze for up to 3 months and thaw on the counter when you are ready to serve.
What do you do with the eggs on top of the bread?
You can eat the eggs when you are done with this recipe, they make a wonderful egg salad as they are completely hard boiled once baked.
Do you have to dye eggs?
No, you don’t have to but it really adds a festive touch to the bread.
How do I ensure the yeast activates for this bread recipe?
You want the temperature of the milk to be around 100-105°F. If the water is too cool, the yeast won’t bloom. Too hot and you run the risk of killing the yeast before you even get started.
What makes Pane di Pasqua significant during Easter?
Pane di Pasqua is a traditional Italian sweet bread enjoyed during Easter. It symbolizes resurrection and renewal, aligning with the themes of the holiday. Families often bake this bread together as part of their celebrations, making it a cherished ritual.
In the Catholic tradition, eggs represent new life and resurrection. They are often used in Easter celebrations as a symbol of Christ’s resurrection. Decorating and placing eggs on Pane di Pasqua adds to its festive nature, reinforcing the themes of rebirth and hope during the Easter season.
Complete your Easter feast with more of our favorite recipes:
- Make these dyed deviled eggs for a twist on a classic appetizer! Not only are they delicious, but colorful and festive too!
- For a fun element to add to your Easter spread, give these chicken salad crescents a try. Everyone will love the cute carrot appearance.
- Give this holiday ham recipe a try, it is so simple and comes together quickly. The use of the crockpot makes this a great recipe for your busy celebration.
- Feeling creative? Get your family in on the fun and make a batch of these Easter chocolate covered strawberries to share with guests.
- Add a pop of color to your dessert table with these sprinkle cookies! They are buttery, sweet treats that everyone will enjoy this Easter season.
Easter Sweet Bread has a fluffy texture, hints of citrus, and topped with a sweet glaze and sprinkles. This Italian bread makes an incredible addition to your holiday table; grab a piece as it will go fast!
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