Italy is replete with hardboiled eggs, a symbol of birth and fertility, come Easter, and this recipe incorporates them into a sweet bread.
Easter bread
The donut-shaped or woven bread should be decorated with (colored) hard-boiled or chocolate eggs. Staunch traditionalists even top each egg with a little cross made from the bread dough.
Sweet Braided Easter Egg Bread Recipe
Ingredients:
1 lb. bread flour
1 cup whole milk
½ cup water
5 oz. butter
2 large eggs
5 oz. brown sugar
1 tsp. dry yeast
To decorate:
6 large eggs
1 beaten egg or a cup of milk
Raisins, to taste
Method:
Sift the flour into a bowl and add the sugar and yeast, followed by warm water and warm milk. Add the eggs and soft butter.
Knead by hand or in a stationary mixer with a dough hook.
Form a smooth ball and let rise for a couple of hours in a glass container covered with plastic wrap.
Meanwhile, soften the dried raisins in lukewarm water and prepare 6 hard-boiled eggs. To do this, gently immerse the eggs in a small pot of boiling water. After 9 minutes of cooking, drain them and immediately put them under running cold water.
Once the dough has risen, ring out the raisins, add them to the dough, and work the dough once more.
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Divide the dough into two pieces and form two loaves about 27″ long.
Braid each piece to make a crown shape. Arrange the eggs equidistant from each other, pressing them into the dough.
Brush the surface with milk or a beaten egg and bake in the oven at 350°F for 40 minutes.
The mini version
You can also make six individually portioned panini by dividing the dough into three parts.
Decorate each with eggs or colored chocolate eggs – finish the sweet version with a powdered sugar glaze after it cools. Colored chocolate eggs won't melt during cooking, but they may crack slightly if the oven temperature is too high.
Browse the photo gallery for some tips for making the sweet braided Easter egg bread.