Braided Easter Bread
Soft, sweet Easter Bread decorated with dyed eggs, rainbow sprinkles, and brushed with sweet milk glaze. Perfect for Easter brunch!
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole milk, 110-115°F (227g)
- ½ cup granulated sugar, (99g)
- 2¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
- ⅓ cup butter, melted (75g)
- 2 eggs
- 4½ cups bread flour, (540g)
- 1 teaspoon salt
For topping
- 3-4 whole raw eggs, dyed
- 1 egg + 1 teaspoon water, beaten
- sprinkles, optional
For the glaze
- ½ cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1 tablespoon milk
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, add the milk, sugar, and yeast. Cover and let sit for 10 minutes to activate the yeast.
- Once the yeast is bubbly and foamy, add the melted butter and eggs. Mix until well combined. Add the flour and salt. Mix on low speed until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
- Knead on low speed for 8-10 minutes, until smooth and elastic. The dough should be tacky but not sticky, if needed, add 1 tablespoon flour at a time.
- Grease a large bowl with butter. Place the dough in the bowl, cover and let rise for 2 hours, until doubled in size.
- Gently deflate the dough and turn it out onto a clean work surface. Divide the dough into 3 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a rope about 28-inches long.
- Braid the 3 ropes together. Loop the braid into a circle and pinch the ends together to seal.
- Transfer the wreath to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Gently nestle the dyed eggs into the folds of the braided wreath.
- Cover loosely and let rise for 1 hour, until risen, puffy, and doubled in size. Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Brush with egg wash, taking care not to brush the dyed eggs. Top with sprinkles, if using.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown. The bread is done when the internal temperature reads 190°F. If the bread is browning too quickly, cover the top loosely with foil.
- Transfer the bread to a wire rack to cool for 30 minutes. Brush with glaze and serve warm.
Notes
Storage: Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. If you've omitted the dyed eggs from the top of the bread, you can store it covered at room temperature.
Glaze: The milk glaze dries matte (much like the glaze on a sour cream glazed donut). To maintain the bread's beautiful glossy shine, swap the milk glaze for a simple syrup glaze by combining 2 tablespoons granulated sugar + 2 tablespoons hot water + ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract.