Easter Bread Ring

Name: Easter Bread Ring
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 1 h 5 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Greek, Italian
Ingredients: 1 whole Active Dry Yeast; 3 cups All-Purpose Flour; 0.5 tsp Anise Seed; 2 tbsp Butter; 2 tbsp Butter-Flavor Shortening; 0.5 cup Candied Fruit; 0.33 cup Chopped Pecans; 5 whole Eggs; 0.67 cup Milk; 0.25 cup Powdered Sugar; 3 tbsp Rainbow Sprinkles; 1 tsp Salt; 0.13 tsp Vanilla Extract; 1 tbsp Whole Milk

Breakfast 🍳Dessert 🍰Snack 🍿 Greek 🇬🇷Italian 🇮🇹 Low-Sodium Halal 🕌Kosher ✡️Comfort-Food

Easter Bread Ring is a festive, lightly sweet brioche-style loaf braided into a wreath and baked with dyed eggs nestled in the twists. Notes of anise, candied fruit, and almonds add fragrance and gentle crunch, while a sugar glaze and sprinkles bring holiday sparkle. Serve as a centerpiece for brunch or dessert, perfect with coffee or tea.

Prep30 mins
Cook35 mins
Serves6
DifficultyMedium

1

Dye the 5 eggs with egg dye. In a large mixing bowl, thoroughly mix the white sugar, salt, and yeast with 1 cup of the flour.
2

In a saucepan, combine 2/3 cup milk and the butter, heating slowly until the liquid is warm and the butter is melted. Pour the milk into the dry ingredients and beat 125 strokes with a wooden spoon. Add the eggs and 1/2 cup flour, or enough to form a thick batter. Beat vigorously for 2 minutes. Stir in enough flour until a ball of dough forms and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
3

Turn the dough out onto a floured board and knead for about 10 minutes, adding more flour as needed to prevent sticking. Place the dough in a greased bowl, turn it to grease the top, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and set in a warm, draft-free spot until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
4

Meanwhile, mix together the fruit, nuts, and anise seed.
5

Punch down the dough and place it back on a lightly floured board. Knead in the fruit mixture, keeping the syrupy pieces coated with flour until they are incorporated into the dough. Divide the dough in half.
6

Gently roll each piece into a 24-inch rope—the fruit and nuts will make this a bit challenging. Loosely twist the two ropes together and shape into a ring on a greased baking sheet. Pinch the ends together firmly. Brush the dough with melted shortening. Nudge the twist aside to create a space for each egg, then press the eggs down carefully as far as possible. Cover the bread with wax paper and let it rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
7

Bake the bread in a preheated 350 degree F (175 degrees C) oven for about 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into a twist comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
8

When the bread is cool, drizzle the icing on top between the eggs, then decorate with colored sprinkles. To make the icing, mix together confectioners' sugar, 1 tablespoon whole milk, and vanilla.