Italian Easter Bread (Pane di Pasqua)

Learn how to make traditional Italian Easter Bread, featuring soft bread nests braided around a vibrant coloured Easter egg. This classic Italian Easter sweet bread is not only delicious, it makes a beautiful and symbolic centerpiece at any Easter gathering.

Easter traditions are often intertwined with recipes heralding the arrival of Spring. They center around a promise of rebirth or renewal – that’s why you’ll often find brightly coloured eggs or roasted lamb on many March or April Easter tables.

Italian Easter Bread

Picture this: it’s Easter morning in Italy, and there are Italian Easter Buns or Pane di Pasqua on the breakfast table. The rich bread has a soft, fluffy, sweet texture and flavour like brioche or Jewish challah. You tear off a piece and butter it generously. In your mouth, the sweet dough makes you salivate and immediately crave another bite.

However delicious they are, these rich mini loaves are more than just a breakfast option. The unique circular shape of the three braided dough ropes (of the holy trinity) resembles the crown of thorns. In the center, the brightly coloured hard boiled eggs serve as a symbol of new life and a new beginning.

In some recipes, the sweet brioche dough may contain nuts, dried or candied fruit, anise, lemon or orange zest. My Italian Easter Bread recipe is the sweet version, with no other ingredients in the dough.

The religious symbolism is strong, making these seasonal treats a favourite in Italy and around the world. These irresistible egg nests are also served for breakfast or brunch in Greece, Russia and the Czech Republic (amongst others) on Easter morning.

Other savoury stuffed Italian Easter Breads, referred to as Casatiello, contain ham, cheese, and chopped hard boiled eggs. As always, the varieties are largely regional and recipes varied throughout Italy.

Ingredients for Italian Easter Bread

There are no surprise ingredients in this easy bread recipe. It’s a rich brioche style bread containing eggs, sugar, and butter. Once you have that basic dough ready to go, you can style your Pane di Pasqua as you like.

• Milk
• Sugar
• Active Dry Yeast
• Salt
• Butter
• Eggs
• Decorative Toppings

Let’s start with the yeast. This recipe requires active dry yeast (not instant or rapid rise yeast) as it is the most common yeast used in bread baking. It has small granules and requires warm water or milk and sugar to become active (bloom).

When it is activated in warm milk and sugar, it creates froth or bubbles so you know if it is active or not. If there are no bubbles after 5-6 minutes, discard it and start over with new yeast.

During blooming, the milk must be warm enough to activate the yeast but not too hot or it will kill the living yeast cells. The ideal temperature for proofing active dry yeast is between 105° and 110°F. 

Use room temperature unsalted butter and add salt or salted butter, omitting the measurement of salt.

The two eggs that go into the dough should also be room temperature, while the 8 eggs that form the center of each roll, should be cooked and coloured according to your preferred method. I highly recommend cooking them to soft stage, as they will cook more during the baking stage. Take extra care while colouring soft boiled eggs for obvious reasons!

The final egg wash before baking helps them achieve a nice golden brown colour as they bake. Lastly, you can decorate the buns with brightly coloured sprinkles, sesame or poppy seeds, coarse sugar, or a light glaze, or leave them plain.

How to Make Italian Easter Bread

If you love to bake bread, this is the perfect recipe for you. If this is your first time, I know you can do it if you follow these easy steps. Though this recipe may seem long, it is quite easy to divide, roll, and shape the dough into braided circles. Before long, you’ll be an expert just like any Italian Nonna!

Make the Dough

To mix the dough, stir the warm milk (between 105° and 110°F), granulated sugar together in a large stand mixer bowl. Sprinkle the yeast on the surface and set aside for 5 minutes to allow the yeast time to bloom. If it does not get active and bubbly, start recipe over with new yeast.

To the active yeast mixture, add the room temperature butter, salt, and slightly beaten eggs then mix with the paddle attachment until combined. Continue with the machine running on low speed, gradually adding flour a cup at a time until just combined.

Next, place the dough hook attachment on the mixer (or use with your hands) and knead for 7 minutes, until the dough becomes smooth and stretchy. If adding any ingredients to the dough (dried fruit etc.) knead them in at the end of this stage.

Form the dough into a ball with your hands, and place it in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap or beeswax paper and allow the dough to rise until it doubles, about 45 minutes to an hour. The first rise will take 45 minutes to an hour depending on the temperature in your kitchen.

Pro tip: To help your dough rise quicker, preheat the oven to 170° for 5 minutes, then turn it off. Proof dough in the warm oven until it has doubled in size.

How to Shape and Decorate Italian Easter Bread

Remove dough from bowl and divide it into 8 equal portions.  Roll each portion into a ball and place on parchment lined baking sheet or counter. Cover the dough balls with a tea towel as you work to prevent the dough from drying out.

Now for the fun part (don’t worry if you don’t get it the first time)! To shape the bread, take one ball and divide it into three smaller equal portions. Roll each portion into a 12 inch rope. Braid or twist the ropes together then press the ends together to form a circle. Repeat with remaining 7 dough balls.

Spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray (or line it with parchment paper) and arrange the rolls on the baking sheet, making sure to space well so they will have room to rise.

Use a pastry brush to apply egg wash to each roll, then add sprinkles, coarse sugar, sesame or poppy seeds. Preheat oven to 350 F.

Place hard boiled colored eggs in the middle of each roll (you may have to stretch the dough a bit so it goes in) and allow to rise a second time, about 30 minutes. You may need to adjust the egg so that it stands up straight during baking. This helps keep rolls round as they bake.

Bake the Easter Bread in a 350 F oven for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown.

Pane di Pasqua Shaping Tips

1.  After the dough has been braided, carefully join the ends and form a circle, tucking the ends under.
2.  As it rises, then ends may try to separate, just gently pinch them back together.
3. You may need to adjust the egg so that it stands up straight during rising/baking. This helps keep the bread round.
4. Keep an eye on the rolls as they bake. If they start to separate, gently press them back together.

Store Italian Easter Bread in the refrigerator and consume within three days. Buona Pasqua!

Hi! I’m Bernice Hill and I am the sole recipe developer, photographer, and writer at Dish ‘n’ the Kitchen. It is my pleasure to share easy to follow recipes that are delicious, nutritious, and approachable for the whole family.

If you make this Italian Easter Bread recipe, I’d love to hear about it in the comments section or in a recipe rating. Be sure to follow me on Facebook and Pinterest for my latest recipes. Also, if you do make this recipe, please share your photos and tag me on Instagram. I hope you like this recipe!