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Italian Easter bread

Italian Easter Bread

Italian Easter bread is a great centrepiece for your Easter table. It’s perfect for pulling apart and sharing with guests.
5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Proving time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Course Bread, Snack
Cuisine Italian
Servings 2 Loaves
Calories 2074 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 600 g Strong white bread flour
  • 4 eggs
  • 100 g caster sugar
  • 100 g unsalted butter
  • 300 ml whole milk plus a tiny splash extra for egg wash
  • Sprinkles to decorate
  • 100 g Mini eggs

Instructions
 

  • In a small pan, melt the butter in the milk.
  • Mix the yeast, salt and sugar together in a mixing bowl. Add the 3 eggs and whisk to combine.
  • Add the milk/butter and half of the flour. Mix with a dough hook using a stand mixer until slightly combined and then add the rest of the flour. Mix until combined but slightly sticky.
  • Knead on a floured surface until smooth (about 5 mins). Shape into a ball, cover and leave to rest for 10 mins.
  • Divide the dough into 4 pieces and roll each into a sausage about 30cm long. Get two of the sausages and braid them together, wrapping them over and under until you get to the end. Pinch the ends together and bring together to form a wreathe. Pinch the two ends together to join. Place on a lined baking tray. Do the same with the other two sausages off dough.
  • Pre-heat oven to 180° degrees C. Cover the dough with a tea towel and place in a warm place to prove until doubled in size (about 45 mins).
  • Make an egg wash by mixing together the last egg and a splash of milk. Using as pastry brush, brush the egg wash all over the bread dough. Decorate all over the sprinkles. Bake until brown (about 15 mins). Cool on a rack. Add mini eggs to the middle once cool.

Notes

Storage - After baking and once cool, store in either a baking tin, large Tupperware, bread bin or cake stand (like I did). It’ll keep for 2 days as long as it’s covered. 
Re-freshing- If you wish to refresh the bread, pop it in a hot oven for a few mins until warm and crisp. 
Freezing - you can freeze the bread for a couple of months and defrost when needed. I’d recommend refreshing the bread as above once defrosted. 
Aga cooking - all my recipes are tested and baked using an Aga and then adapted for conventional ovens too. If you’re an Aga user, use the roasting oven to bake this bread. You can use the cold plain shelf if you notice it getting too brown. It’s only in for 15 minutes though, so this should not happen. 

Nutrition

Calories: 2074kcalCarbohydrates: 275gProtein: 52gFat: 59gSaturated Fat: 32gTrans Fat: 2gCholesterol: 450mgSodium: 201mgPotassium: 632mgFiber: 7gSugar: 59gVitamin A: 1974IUCalcium: 276mgIron: 4mg
Keyword Easter, Entertaining, Spring
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