Italian Easter Sweet Bread Recipe

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Recipe courtesy of Laura Vitale of "Laura in the Kitchen" on YouTube

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  • 2

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup of Unsalted Butter, at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup of Milk
  • 1 Envelope of Yeast (2 1/2 tsp)
  • 1/2 cup of Warm Water, about 110 degrees
  • 3 Eggs, at room temperature
  • 2/3 cup of Sugar
  • 1 tsp of Vanilla Extract
  • 1 Tbsp of Orange Zest
  • 4 1/2 to 5 cups of All Purpose Flour
  • 1 tsp of Salt
  • 6 Hard Boiled Eggs (optional)
  • Multi-Colored Sprinkles
  • 1 Egg, beaten with a little bit of water to make an egg wash

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1) In a small saucepan, heat the milk and butter together just until the butter melts, set aside to cool.

2) Add 1 Tbsp of the sugar to the warm water and stir to mix, then sprinkle the yeast over top of the warm sugar and water and set aside for about 5 minutes.

3) In the bowl of a standing mixer with a hand held whisk, mix together the eggs and sugar until combined, add the butter and milk mixture, the yeast and water mixture, the vanilla and orange zest, mix everything together so you have all the wet ingredients well combined.

4) Switch the attachment to a dough hook and add in 4/12 cups of the flour and the salt, mix until a soft dough forms. Gradually add a little more flour (1/4 to ½ cup ) to make a nice smooth but slightly sticky dough.

6) Lightly grease a large bowl with some vegetable oil, place the ball of dough in the oiled bowl and brush a tiny bit of oil over the top as well. Cover with plastic wrap and place it in a warm spot and let it rise for about 1-1/2 hours or until it has doubled in volume.

10) Lift the braid onto the prepared baking sheet and pinch the ends to seal so now you have a circle. Place 3 eggs in each circle lengthwise, tucking them between the ropes.

12) Cover with plastic wrap and place them somewhere warm for 45 minutes or until doubled in size.

13) Brush the tops with the egg wash and sprinkle over some sprinkles, bake them at 350 degress for 30 minutes or until golden, making sure to rotate the baking sheets half way though for even baking.

14) Let them cool completely and then slice and serve.

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