Easter is yet again upon us, how about some Italian Easter bread to go with the festivities?
What you Will Need:
1 teaspoon of instant yeast
3-4 cups of all purpose flour
1 teaspoon of salt
2/3 cup of milk
1/4 cup of granulated sugar
2 beaten eggs
1/2 cup of raisins (optional)
1/3 cup of chopped almonds
1/2 teaspoon of anise extract (not needed unless fruit and nuts are used)
2 tablespoons of melted butter
4-6 dyed hard-boiled eggs (optional)
Glaze:
1 cup of confectioners’ sugar
1 tablespoon of milk
1/8 teaspoon of vanilla extract
colored sprinkles (optional)
In a large bowl, mix the sugar, salt, yeast and 1 cup of the flour. In a separate saucepan, combine the milk and butter, and slowly add heat until it forms a melted, warm liquid. Pour the milk into the dry sugar mix, and beat (approximately 125 strokes) with a wooden spoon. Add the beaten eggs and about 1/2 cup of flour (or more if needed) to make a thick batter. Beat for about 2 minutes. Slowly stir in more flour until the mixture becomes a dough.
Knead out the dough for about 10 minutes, adding additional flower if needed to avoid stickiness. Allow the dough to rise by placing it into a greased bowl, turning grease to the top, and then covering the bowl with plastic wrap or tin foil and keeping it in a draft-free place for about 1 hour (it should double in size). Combine the nuts, fruit and anise, and being preheating an oven to 350ºF.
After pushing the air out of the dough, knead the fruit mixture. Divide the dough in half and roll each piece into a 24-inch “rope”. Then twist the two ropes together, and form it into a circle. Place the ring onto a baking sheet with non-stick spray. Add colored eggs into the twist, and brush the dough with melted butter. After letting it sit again for an additional hour, place into an oven for about 35 minutes. Once the bread is cooled, combine the confectioners’ sugar, milk and vanilla extract until it forms a glaze. Lightly drizzle the glaze over the bread, adding sprinkles if desired.