Easter Bread

Published: Feb 25, 2024

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Easter Bread recipe with a colorful egg in the middle! Look at how cute these bread rings are! This is a classic Easter recipe you must try if you haven’t already.

Easter Bread

Before you decide that there’s no way you can make this beautiful Easter Bread, let me first tell you that if you have a Kitchen-Aid stand mixer, this bread is very easy to make!

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Ingredients:

Whole milk
Butter
All-purpose flour
Sugar
Rapid rise instant yeast (1 package) – It’s important to use an “instant yeast mixture” because it saves time.
Lemon zest
Orange zest
Eggs
Vanilla extract
Egg wash (egg and milk)

Decorations

Colorful sprinkles
Dyed Easter eggs (uncooked)

Instructions:

In a large mixing bowl combine two cups of flour with the sugar, yeast, salt if using, and lemon and orange zest. Mix together with a spoon and set aside.

Place butter and milk in a microwave-safe bowl or measuring cup. Warm the milk and butter mixture in the microwave while stirring. Heat it for 1 minute, then stir, and continue heating it in 10 second-intervals until warm (not boiling hot).

Add the eggs, vanilla, and warmed milk to the bowl of a stand mixer with the dry ingredients. Use the dough hook of a stand mixer to mix the ingredients (about a minute).

Recipe Tip

The mixture should be like the consistency of a cake batter.

Slowly add the remaining flour to the mixer and continue mixing with the dough hook attachment until it is smooth. The dough should not stick to the bottom of the bowl, if this is happening add a tablespoon of flour and continue mixing. Continue kneading with the dough hook for about 8 minutes.

Place dough on a lightly floured surface or a silpat mat and knead by hand a few times to bring it together into a ball. Try to use as little flour as possible to prevent the dough from sticking. Place the dough into a clean bowl and cover with plastic wrap for 15 minutes to rest.

Using a silpat mat allows you to knead the dough without adding too much extra flour. This prevents the mistake of over-adding flour, which leads to a more crumbly bread, instead of a soft bread.

Remove the dough from the bowl and punch down the dough to remove any air. Divide into 8 equal pieces. Roll the dough into ropes about 11″ long rope.

Pinch two ropes together at the top and then braid the two pieces together. Form the braid into a ring and pinch the ends together. Place the braided rings on a parchment-lined baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap.

Let the Dough Rise

Let the dough rings rise in a warm place for about thirty minutes to an hour or until the ring doubles in size. Preheat oven to 375F while the dough is rising.

Once the dough has finished rising, use a pastry brush to brush the surface of the dough with an egg wash. Nestle an uncooked decorated easter egg into the middle of the dough forms, and add colorful sprinkles.

How to Make the Egg Wash

Make an egg wash glaze by combining a large egg and milk in a small bowl. Use a fork to beat the egg and milk together.

Braided dough with sprinkles and an Easter egg

Bake for 20 minutes rotating the baking sheet halfway through to achieve even baking and golden brown color. Let the bread cool on a wire rack. An Easter Bread loaf is best served warm!

Storage

Once fully cooled, you can store it at room temperature in an airtight container for three days, or in the fridge for 5 days. If storing at room temperature I would remove the eggs and store them in the fridge. The bread can also be stored in a zip-top bag in the freezer for up to three months, but the eggs need to be removed before putting them in the freezer.