Italian Easter Bread
This is traditional Italian Easter bread, often served for breakfast on Easter morning. This is made bright and colourful by colouring the eggs before their inclusion. A rich and sweet bread dough, rather like brioche, is traditionally used.
Prep time 40 minutes/Cook time 25 minutes/Serves 12
Ingredients:
200ml (4/5 cup) milk
50g (1 ¾ oz) caster sugar
1 x 7g sachet fast-action dried yeast
1 tsp fennel seeds
550g (19 ½ oz) strong white bread flour
1 tsp fine sea salt
3 medium eggs
75g (3 oz) melted butter, cooled
Finely-grated zest of 2 lemons
100g (3 ½ oz) mixed peel, chopped
oil, for greasing
1½ tbsp coloured sprinkles
For the tinted eggs
5 medium eggs
assorted gel food colouring
Method:
Begin by preparing the tinted eggs. For each colour, add food colouring to small bowls of water. Immerse the eggs, dousing with a spoon, until they reach your desired colour. Remove from the coloured liquids and set aside to dry on kitchen paper.
Put the milk in a saucepan and heat just to blood temperature (barely warm). Take off the heat and add the sugar, stirring to dissolve, then add the yeast. Set aside for 5 minutes until frothy.
Grind the fennel seeds in a mortar. Tip the flour in a free-standing mixer with a dough hook attached and add the ground fennel and salt. Lightly beat 2 of the eggs and whisk together with the melted butter and lemon zest. Form a well in the centre of the flour and add the yeasty milk plus the egg and butter mixture. Knead slowly for 8-10 minutes, or until you have a soft, smooth, dough. Finally mix through the mixed peel. The dough will be quite soft and sticky.
Carefully transfer the dough to an oiled bowl, cover and set aside to prove in a warm place for 1-2 hours, or until doubled in volume.
Line a large baking tray with baking paper. Transfer the dough to a floured work surface and divide into three equal pieces. Roll each one into a long rope, around 65cm (26 in). Pinch all three strands together at one end, plait, then together then pinch the three strands together at the other end.
Transfer to the prepared baking tray and shape into a wreath, securing the two ends together. Dot the coloured eggs around the ring, opening up the strands to help them nestle into the dough. Beat the remaining egg and brush all over the wreath, avoiding the tinted eggs. Scatter with sprinkles and set aside to rise again in a warm place for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan/355F/gas mark 4).
Bake the bread for 25 minutes, or until the bread is golden. Remove from the oven and leave to cool. Slice into rounds and serve.
