Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Easter Bread


An Easter holiday staple at our house -  
Braided Easter Egg Bread

This beautiful and decorative Easter bread adds such a festive look to the buffet table!  
No need to boil the eggs ahead of time, as they bake right into, and along with, the bread!  
Dyeing the {raw} eggs before setting them into the bread makes this an absolute stunner!

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
  • 1/4 cup white sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
  • 2/3 cup milk
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 eggs
  • 5 whole eggs, dyed if desired
  • 2 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions

  1. In a large bowl, combine 1 cup flour, sugar, salt and yeast; stir well. Combine milk and butter in a small saucepan; heat until milk is warm and butter is softened but not melted.
  2. Gradually add the milk and butter to the flour mixture; stirring constantly. Add two eggs and 1/2 cup flour; beat well. Add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes.
  3. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
  4. Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into two equal size rounds; cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Roll each round into a long roll about 36 inches long and 1 1/2 inches thick. Using the two long pieces of dough, form a loosely braided ring, leaving spaces for the five colored eggs. Seal the ends of the ring together and use your fingers to slide the eggs between the braids of dough.
  5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Place loaf on a buttered baking sheet and cover loosely with a damp towel. Place loaf in a warm place and let rise until doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes. Brush risen loaf with melted butter.
  6. Bake in preheated oven for 50 to 55 minutes, or until golden. 


Voila!
.......

This post is linked to:


DIY Day @ ASPTL

18 comments:

  1. Very beautiful braid and looks yummy too!

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  2. I'm going to try this for my Easter breakfast..thanks for the great tutorial...you should link this to Hope Studios she is having a Tutorial Tuesday Linky Party and you could win a beautiful apron! Happy to be following ...;-)
    Janet

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  3. Thanks ladies! If you make it, let me know how it turns out for you! Be sure to pat the eggs dry after you dye them - otherwise the color will bleed a bit into the bread.

    Thanks for the tip, Janet! Glad to have you following! :)

    Judy

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  4. Judy, I never knew you didn't cook the eggs first. Good thing I read the whole post! The bread is fabulous!

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  5. This would make a beautiful Easter addition to any table!

    I love the new pics at the top/header of the blog! Spring is here! Yeah!

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  6. This bread is so beautiful! We used to make this at my place of work back before kiddos, I'd forgotten all about it!

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  7. This Easter bread reminds me of my mom and grandma! Now I know how to make it! Thanks for dropping by my blog and I love your profile. Maybe I will have some luck with Match.com and meet my mate!

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  8. That would so impress my family! I don't know how to bake bread like that but my Aunt Jane makes something similar and we call it paska. It's a family favorite. Thanks for sharing, Theresa

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  9. OMG!!!!!!!!! My greek neighbor from next door JUST brought me some over about a half hour ago!!!! She got it the local bakery on Long Island when she was home this past weekend! I was wondering how they did the egg thing.....Thanks for sharing the recipe!

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  10. Very cute.. I just don't know if I can make bread..

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  11. That bread looks yummy and beautiful!

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  12. That looks beyond marvelous! Truly!

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  13. its sooo colorful and pretty this picture puts me in the spring/easter mood today yay


    xox


    Ginger


    http://gingerroxy.blogspot.com

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  14. Wow! That is so cool! I'm fascinated how you cooked the eggs in there! Very pretty.

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  15. My mom used to make this when I was young. Brings back so many wonderful memories.

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  16. oh, that is very beautiful, so bright and Eastery...is that a word ???..LOL
    I'd like to try that...looks good...
    blessings,
    glenda@serendipitycottage

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  17. THanks for stopping by my blog this morning. I'll have some applique projects that will be great for beginners coming up in the next few weeks, so it would be the perfect time to familiarize yourself with you mom's old machine and give it a try.

    Polly @ Helping Little Hands

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Thanks so much for your comment! I love hearing from you!