Braided Easter Bread

This Braided Easter Bread is easy to make and perfect for Easter supper, ideal for bread puddings and simply just delicious served with butter and jam.

I love making bread, especially for the holidays. With easter coming in about a month, I thought I’d post this great Easter Bread recipe, that I just love. I love everything about baking bread, from the kneading of the dough, to the wonderful smell that fills your house as the bread is baking. This recipe may look like it has a lot of ingredients, but the bread is just delicious and worth all the trouble.

Start off by combining the milk, butter and margarine in a saucepan and place it over medium heat. Heat until the butter and margarine are melted, make sure it does not start boiling. Add one cup of sugar and stir until it dissolves, then set it aside and let it cool until it’s lukewarm.

While you’re waiting for the milk mixture to cool, in a small bowl, dissolve 2 tsp of sugar in the warm water, add the yeast and stir. Let this stand until it’s frothy, about 10 minutes. If it does not become frothy then your yeast is too old. In a large bowl, beat the eggs and slowly add the lukewarm milk mixture, while whisking constantly. This is called tempering the eggs, and it will not cook them. Add the yeast mixture and stir. In another large bowl add the flour, salt, and baking powder. Make a well in the center and pour in the wet mixture. Stir it with a wooden spoon until you get a sticky dough. On a well floured surface start kneading the dough and add more flour as needed. Knead for about 10 minutes. Oil a bowl and place the dough in the bowl and let it rise in a warm place for about 2 hours, until it doubles in size.

After the dough has doubled, punch it down and let it rise again until doubled, this time it will only take about an hour. Cut the dough into about 4 pieces, then cut each of those pieces into thirds. This will make 4 smaller braided breads, but if you want bigger breads, just cut the dough in two then each half into thirds, up to you.

Roll each one of those into ropes about 12 inches long then braid sets of three ropes together, pinching the ends to seal and tucking them under. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and place the loaves, making sure to leave at least 4 inches between the loaves.

Set in a warm place again and let it rise so that they rise a bit more. Brush the loaves with the egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds or poppy seeds.

Bake until golden brown for about 30 minutes.

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Braided Easter Bread

5 from 2 votes

Prep: 45 mins

Cook: 30 mins

Total: 1 hr 15 mins

Author: Joanna Cismaru

Serves: 16

Print Pin Rate

This Braided Easter Bread is easy to make and perfect for Easter supper, ideal for bread puddings and simply just delicious served with butter and jam.

Ingredients

• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup butter unsalted
• 1 cup margarine
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup water lukewarm
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1/2 oz active dry yeast (2 envelopes)
• 5 large eggs
• 6 cups all-purpose flour or as needed
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 egg beaten
• 2 tbsp sesame seeds

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Start off by combining the milk, butter and margarine in a saucepan and place it over medium heat. Heat until the butter and margarine are melted, make sure it does not start boiling. Add one cup of sugar and stir until it dissolves, then set it aside and let it cool until it's lukewarm.
• While you're waiting for the milk mixture to cool, in a small bowl, dissolve 2 tsp of sugar in the warm water, add the yeast and stir. Let this stand until it's frothy, about 10 minutes. If it does not become frothy then your yeast is too old.
• In a large bowl, beat the eggs and slowly add the lukewarm milk mixture, while whisking constantly. This is called tempering the eggs, and it will not cook them. Add the yeast mixture and stir.
• In a large bowl add the flour, salt, and baking powder. Make a well in the center and pour in the wet mixture. Stir it with a wooden spoon until you get a sticky dough. On a well floured surface start kneading the dough and add more flour as needed. Knead for about 10 minutes. Oil a bowl and place the dough in the bowl and let it rise in a warm place for about 2 hours, until it doubles in size.
• After the dough has doubled, punch it down and let it rise again until doubled, this time it will only take about an hour.
• Cut the dough into about 2 pieces, then cut each of those pieces into thirds. Roll each one of those into ropes about 12 inches long then braid sets of three ropes together, pinching the ends to seal and tucking them under. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and place the loaves, making sure to leave at least 4 inches between the loaves.
• Set in a warm place again and let it rise so that it doubles again.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush the loaves with the egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds or poppy seeds. Bake until golden brown for about 30 minutes.

Recipe Notes

This recipe yields 2 braided loaves.

 

Please not that this dough is very soft. If you find that your dough is too wet add some more flour, a little bit at a time, but you shouldn't have to add more than 4 cups.

 

If using active dry yeast, please make sure you activate it first by dissolving it in a bit of warm water. If it does not begin to froth up, do not continue with the recipe.  Subtract the quantity of water used from the buttermilk. If using instant yeast as specified in the recipe, you do not need to activate it first.

 

Always check the expiration date on your yeast and make sure it hasn't expired. All your yeast products whether it’s in a jar or a package should be stamped with a “Best if Used by” date. Always make sure you check this date, even when you purchase the yeast, who knows it could have been on the shelf past its expiry date.

 

To keep your yeast fresh and longer lasting, unopened yeast packages or jars should be stored in a cool or dry place such as your cupboard. However, you can also store your yeast in the fridge or freezer. If you do store it in the freezer and need to use yeast for your baking, make sure you take out the amount you need and let it sit at room temperature for at least half hour before using.

 

Once your yeast package or jar has been opened, you must refrigerate the yeast or freeze it in an airtight container.

 

One thing to remember about your yeast, is that it is a living organism and over time it will lose activity, even if you’ve never opened the jar or package. So if you don’t bake often, buy the smaller yeast packages rather than a big jar of yeast.

 

Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 473kcal (24%)Carbohydrates: 51g (17%)Protein: 9g (18%)Fat: 26g (40%)Saturated Fat: 11g (69%)Cholesterol: 108mg (36%)Sodium: 391mg (17%)Potassium: 169mg (5%)Fiber: 2g (8%)Sugar: 14g (16%)Vitamin A: 997IU (20%)Calcium: 75mg (8%)Iron: 3mg (17%)

Course:Bread

Cuisine:European

Keyword:braided bread, bread recipe, easter bread

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