Filomena's Italian Easter Bread
Serves: 4
Imelda VonRueden
1 January 1970
Based on User reviews:
60
Spice
43
Sweetness
36
Sourness
39
mins
Prep time (avg)
5.4
Difficulty
Ingredients:
1.25 cups
Sugar (confectioner's)1 cup
Olive OilDirections:
1
In a very large bowl, whisk together eggs and sugar until combined
2
Whisk in lemon zest and juice
3
In a medium size bowl, combine olive oil and milk
4
Crumble in yeast and whisk until incorporated
5
Pour yeast mixture into egg mixture and whisk to combine
6
Whisk in flour one cup at a time until you've added 6 cups, waiting for each cup of flour to be incorporated before adding more
7
The texture of the dough should be soft but not sticky
8
If the dough is sticky, continue adding more flour a little at a time
9
Turn dough out onto floured board and knead until smooth, approximately 5 minutes — continue to lightly dust board with flour while kneading to avoid sticking
10
Lightly coat the inside of a large, clean bowl with oil
11
Shape dough into round, and place in bowl
12
Rub additional oil on top of dough, and cover with plastic wrap
13
Cover bowl with a dish towel, and let dough rise in a warm, draft-free place until it's doubled in size; approximately 1 1/2 hours
14
Shape dough into twists, rounds, and doves, embedding hard-boiled eggs, as desired, for decoration
15
(See our hands-on demo for shaping the dough
16
) Without crowding, place shaped breads on baking sheets that have been lined with parchment paper and dusted with flour
17
Cover with dish towels and let rise for approximately 1 1/2 hours
18
To test if dough has risen enough at this point, drop a small piece into a bowl of warm water
19
If it floats, it's ready for baking
20
If it sinks, the dough needs to rise more
21
Preheat oven to 275°F
22
Brush egg wash onto some of the breads
23
Leave others plain, as these can be brushed with glaze after baking
24
Bake breads in bottom third of oven until golden, approximately 15 to 25 minutes depending on size
25
Check the breads midway through baking to make sure the bottoms aren't getting too dark
26
If this happens, switch breads to a higher rack in oven
27
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine lemon juice and sugar to make glaze
28
When breads come out of oven and are still hot, brush those that haven't been egg-washed with glaze, and sprinkle on nonpareils, if desired
29
In a very large bowl, whisk together eggs and sugar until combined
30
Whisk in lemon zest and juice
31
In a medium size bowl, combine olive oil and milk
32
Crumble in yeast and whisk until incorporated
33
Pour yeast mixture into egg mixture and whisk to combine
34
Whisk in flour one cup at a time until you've added 6 cups, waiting for each cup of flour to be incorporated before adding more
35
The texture of the dough should be soft but not sticky
36
If the dough is sticky, continue adding more flour a little at a time
37
Turn dough out onto floured board and knead until smooth, approximately 5 minutes — continue to lightly dust board with flour while kneading to avoid sticking
38
Lightly coat the inside of a large, clean bowl with oil
39
Shape dough into round, and place in bowl
40
Rub additional oil on top of dough, and cover with plastic wrap
41
Cover bowl with a dish towel, and let dough rise in a warm, draft-free place until it's doubled in size; approximately 1 1/2 hours
42
Shape dough into twists, rounds, and doves, embedding hard-boiled eggs, as desired, for decoration
43
(See our hands-on demo for shaping the dough
44
) Without crowding, place shaped breads on baking sheets that have been lined with parchment paper and dusted with flour
45
Cover with dish towels and let rise for approximately 1 1/2 hours
46
To test if dough has risen enough at this point, drop a small piece into a bowl of warm water
47
If it floats, it's ready for baking
48
If it sinks, the dough needs to rise more
49
Preheat oven to 275°F
50
Brush egg wash onto some of the breads
51
Leave others plain, as these can be brushed with glaze after baking
52
Bake breads in bottom third of oven until golden, approximately 15 to 25 minutes depending on size
53
Check the breads midway through baking to make sure the bottoms aren't getting too dark
54
If this happens, switch breads to a higher rack in oven
55
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine lemon juice and sugar to make glaze
56
When breads come out of oven and are still hot, brush those that haven't been egg-washed with glaze, and sprinkle on nonpareils, if desired