Easter Bread

This Easter Bread is easier to make than it looks and it’s the perfect addition to Easter supper! This tasty loaf is ideal for bread puddings and simply delicious served with butter and jam.

I love making bread, especially for the holidays. With easter coming up, I wanted to share this great braided Easter Bread recipe! I love everything about baking bread, from kneading the dough, to the wonderful aromas that waft through the house as the bread is baking.

The texture is super soft on the inside with that gorgeous glossy finish from the egg wash on the outside; making it ideal to use for bread puddings. This Easter bread is strikingly impressive and while it may look like there is an extensive list of ingredients and steps, this bread is worth the endeavour.

What is Easter bread?

A slightly sweetened bread traditionally served on Easter Sunday. In many European countries, there are numerous traditions encompassing the use of bread during the Easter holiday. It is widely known that bread is significant for religious purposes.

Where did the name come from?

The word “Easter” comes from “Eostre,” the name of the Anglo-Saxon goddess of light and spring. Each year, individuals would make special dishes to honor her in hopes that the year would be filled with fertility and prosperity.

Bread played a special role and some say that celebrating with it dates back to ancient times.

Ingredients

Keep scrolling down to the printable recipe card for a list of FULL ingredient amounts and instructions or click the “Jump to Recipe” card at the top of the page!

• Milk – I used 2% Lactose Free, but any milk will do. It needs to be at around 110 F degrees, I usually just pop it in the microwave for 1 minute.
• Butter –  I always use unsalted butter, especially in breads, because we already add salt, so this way I can control how much salt is added to my bread. Did you know that small quantities of butter is added to breads because it results in a higher rise and a crisper crust!
• Sugar – Granulated. Sugar is important when making bread, it’s what makes it soft and tender by absorbing some of the water and slowing down the formation of gluten strands. Sugar is what feeds the yeast.
• Water – Lukewarm.
• Yeast – I used active dry yeast today. You can use instant yeast as well, the difference really is that active dry yeast needs to be activated first, whereas with instant yeast it’s not necessary.
• Eggs – Large.
• Flour – I used all-purpose flour
• Salt – Believe me, salt makes all the difference, so don’t skip this!
• Sesame Seeds – For the top! You can also substitute with poppy seeds.

How to make Easter bread

Making the Dough:

1. Prep the yeast: Add the yeast, 1/2 cup of water, and 2 tsp of the sugar to the bowl of your mixer, stir and let it sit for 5 minutes until the yeast starts to activate and foam.
2. Make the dough: Add the remaining sugar, milk, melted butter, eggs, salt and 6 cups of the flour. Use the dough hook to mix on low speed, until the dough basically comes clean from the side of the bowl. Add the remaining flour as needed. I used the full 6 1/2 cups of flour. The dough should be sticky but it should come clean from the side of the bowl. Make sure to mix for about 5 to 7 minutes.
3. First Rise: Spray a large bowl with cooking spray, place the dough in the bowl and spray the dough itself with a bit of cooking spray. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise in a warm, draft-free environment until doubled in size, about 40 minutes to an hour. Once doubled in size, punch it down to release some of the air out.

Assemble and Bake:

1. Shape into loaves: Divide the dough in half. I prefer to braid these loaves, but you can also just roll out each piece of dough into a loaf and place it into greased loaf pans. I prefer to do a 3 strand braid. To do so cut each half into 3 pieces, and roll each piece into long strips about a foot long. Braid and repeat with remaining dough.
2. Preheat oven: Preheat the oven to 350 F°.
3. Second rise: You can either place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, or if you have 12-inch loaf pans, grease them well with cooking spray and place the loaves in them. Let them rise a second time until doubled in size in a warm, draft-free environment. Should take about 30 minutes.
4. Bake: Brush the loaves with the egg wash all over. Sprinkle with sesame seeds or poppy seeds. Bake the bread for 30 minutes or until golden brown. If using loaf pans, let them cool for 10 minutes in the pans before transferring them to a cooling rack to finish cooling.

Tips on making the perfect bread

• Consistency is Key – This dough is very soft. If you find that your dough is too wet add some more flour! Just a little bit at a time until you get the correct consistency

It’s all in the yeast

• Activate Your Yeast if Necessary! – If using active dry yeast, make sure you activate it first by dissolving it in a bit of warm water – no need if you are using instant yeast. If it does not begin to froth up, do not continue with the recipe.
• Use Fresh Yeast – 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.
• Storing Yeast – 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.
• Keep Refrigerated After Opening! – Once your yeast package or jar has been opened, you must refrigerate the yeast or freeze it in an airtight container. 

Note: One thing to remember about 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! If you don’t bake often, buy a smaller yeast package rather than a big jar.

Best place for your dough to rise

Dough thrives in a warm, draft-free environment. If your oven has a “proof” function, then use it. The “proof” function preheats the oven to 100 F degrees, causing a warm, but not hot environment for your dough to rise nicely.

If your oven doesn’t have this “proof” function, I would still use the oven. What I usually do is preheat the oven to 200F degrees, or whatever the lowest setting is for it. Once it reaches that temperature, turn off the oven, then place the dough in there to rise. This will speed up the proofing process tremendously.

How to serve

If you like jam with your bread, this is for you. Easter bread is glorious with a jam or fresh lemon curd, the soft texture of the bread is like nothing else. You could even toss some butter and a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar to make a homemade cinnamon roll! Easter bread is also the perfect bread to use for bread pudding, just swap out the brioche! Even if you are serving it as is at dinner, it is sure to be a hit.

Storing fresh bread

It’s best to store your homemade bread at room temperature in a cool dry place for up to 2-3 days. Heat and humidity can cause your bread to mold and storing it in the refrigerator can turn it stale quickly.

To keep your Easter bread soft, store in an plastic bag or bread box.

Did you like this bread recipe? Try these!

• No Knead Dutch Oven Crusty Bread
• Raisin Bread
• Hawaiian Sweet Rolls
• Sunflower Bread
• Pasca – Romanian Easter Bread
• Skillet Irish Soda Bread
• Brioche Bread
• Portuguese Sweet Bread Rolls
• Parker House Rolls
• Watermelon Look Alike Raisin Bread
• Challah
• Texas Roadhouse Rolls