Planning an Easter egg hunt tomorrow? How about hiding those decorated ovals someplace you’d least expect to find them? That is, unless you’re familiar with the traditional Italian Easter bread called Pastelli di Pasqua (Bread of Easter). Brightly colored hard-boiled eggs are embedded into the braids of this slightly sweet dough, making it one of the more festive Easter heirloom recipes. Not only is the bread fun to look at, but also Pastelli di Pasqua is absolutely delicious when eaten plain or sliced and toasted with a little butter! Greece has it’s own version of the braided loaf called Tsoureki (pronounced too-reki). Both the Greek and Italian varieties are similar in flavor and texture to Jewish Challah bread. Normally, this recipe for Pastelli di Pasqua makes one large braided loaf or round. But in the spirit of Easter time fun, I’ve divided the dough into six braided rings, each one displaying a single colorful egg in the center. This is a great recipe to do with or for the kids in your life. It’s perhaps a new way to play Easter egg “hide and seek” with a recipe that’s centuries old.
| Servings |
- 1 packet Active Dry or Highly Active Dry yeast (1/4 ounce)
- 1 1/4 cups warm milk
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup sugar
- Zest of 1/2 of a lemon (optional)
- 4 to 5 cups flour
- egg wash (1 egg yolk plus 1 teaspoon water beaten)
- Decorative white or multi colored candy sprinkles
Ingredients
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