I am SO excited to be writing this post right now for a couple reasons: One, I think I am actually going to publish this post for people to see instead of tucking it away in my drafts like all my other entries. And two, it is about one of my all time favorite family recipe's: Italian Easter Bread! I cannot even begin to explain to you how many memories this bread brings back for me! The smell alone is enough to make me feel nostalgic! It really doesn't feel like Easter until this bread is made, and once it is, it doesn't last for long!

The reason this bread is so absolutely amazing and delicious is because it has a very unique flavor! Now, not all Italian Easter Bread has it, but the real deal does! And the secret is.......... Anise! This sweet licorice tasting spice really is what makes this bread special! 

Aside from the flavor, the texture of this bread is reason enough to want to make it over and over again, this bread is quite dense and moist, but still has tiny pockets of air that make the bread soft on the inside, and the egg wash gives the outside of the bread just the right amount of crust it needs when you bite into it.

I will not lie to you though, this is not just a bread that you can dump all of your ingredients into one bowl mix it and throw it into the oven, it takes some time and planning all your steps, but the end result is SO worth it, and with this recipe yielding two loaves, all your hard work will reward you in the end!

Now enough rambling and lets get to the fun part, making it!

The first thing you will want to do is gather and measure out ALL of your ingredients. I can not tell you how much easier this will make your life, and with some careful planning you wont be running around trying to find your ingredients for the next step!

I separate this recipe into 4 major steps:

1. Yeast Mixture

2. Milk Mixture

3. Dry Mixture

4. Perfecting the texture

The very first thing you will need to do is make your yeast mixture, as this needs to sit for 10 minutes to proof. To do this you will combine your Yeast, 1 tsp. of Sugar and 1/4 cup lukewarm water. Mix well and let it sit for about 10 minutes while you make your way through the other steps. (you will see it bubble up and thats how you know your yeast is active)

The next step is the milk mixture, this will be heated over low heat, but be careful not to take your eyes off of it for too long, or it will boil over and you are left with a huge mess! All you are really trying to do is bring it to a high enough heat to melt your butter, and warm your milk through before combining it with your yeast mixture. To make this mixture you will combine your Milk (1 cup), Butter (1/4 cup), and Nutmeg (1 tsp.) in a saucepan and place it over low heat until the butter melts and the mixture is thoroughly warmed. 

While this mixture is heating, throw together in a separate bowl 2 cups of flour, 1 1/2 cups of sugar and 1 tsp. of salt. 

(you may also want to set up a stand mixer (if you have one) with a whisk attachment at this point.)

Once that mixture is heated, the fun begins! Go ahead and throw your yeast mixture into your stand mixer (or into a bowl and hand whisk) and add in your heated milk mixture. You want to whisk this until combined and then add 3 eggs and 1 tbsp of pure anise flavoring/extract. 

Once that is combined, I switch my attachment from a whisk to a dough hook and slowly start adding in my dry mixture. (be sure to scrape the bottom and sides every once in a while). 

I know what you are thinking at this point in the recipe.... "there is no way this is my dough, it is SO wet" and you are right, we need to add more flour to this dough. You need to be careful though, add too little and you will have a sticky mess of dough that will never do what you want, but add too much and your dough will be tough, dry, and no where near as elastic as you need it. I suggest starting out with 4 cups of flour, and ad from there. I ended up adding around 5 1/4 cups of flour, but it all depends on how your dough looks. It should gather on the dough hook, but not be so sticky that you can pull it off in one ball. 

Once you have the right consistency, go ahead and turn it out into a greased bowl and leave it to rise for at least an hour (I actually let mine rise overnight). I spray the bowl, and a piece of wax paper to lay on top of the bowl, then I finish by covering with a kitchen towel. Go ahead and place this in a warm spot in your kitchen (in the oven with the light on is a good spot) and then go watch Friends on Netflix. 

Once you have allowed your dough to rise, punch it down and separate it into 6 equal balls of dough. (This recipe makes 2 loaves, and each loaf needs 3 balls to be able to braid the bread.) 

Working with one ball at a time, roll it into long snakes (about 15 inches in length). Take your three 'snakes' of dough and pinch the ends of them together, then starting with one of the outside pieces, cross it over the middle and continue to follow that pattern until you have braided all your dough. Then bring the two ends of your braid together, and pinch them to make a circle. Place it into a greased 8 in round cake pan, and repeat for the other loaf. 

Now we need to make an egg-wash to brush over the top of our breads. Take one egg and about a tablespoon of water and beat them together. Brush the egg wash over the top of the loaf and sprinkle with sprinkles. Let this rise for another hour and then bake at 350 for 40-60 minutes. 

(I also place colored uncooked eggs in my bread, to do this color your uncooked eggs as you would normally and then carefully place them onto your bread before coating with egg-wash)

Your bread is ready when it is golden brown in color and you can start to see it crack slightly at the braids. 

To serve your bread, cut it into slices and enjoy! 

For a printable recipe click here!

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