by Sweet Italian Easter Bread is a traditional brioche-like bread made during the Easter holiday. This sweetened bread is slightly dense in texture with a citrusy, sweet taste. Although sometimes decorated with brightly coloured eggs, I prefer mine topped with festive sprinkles and some sugar granules.
This old-fashioned type of Easter bread is called Pan di Pasqua. Similar to Christmas panettone. It’s a soft, yeast-leavened sweet bread made with ingredients you most likely have on hand.
It can be flavoured with orange or lemon zest and extracts of your choice. Or even paired with some aromatic anise seeds and Sambuca.
You can enrich the dough with candied fruit or top the sweet bread with whole almonds instead of sprinkles.
Mixing the dough is such an easy process. After the initial rise, the dough is cut into three equal portions and gently rolled into long ropes. The ropes are then braided and shaped into an Easter wreath before the second rise.
The final result is a delicious, festive sweet bread for family and friends to enjoy during Easter celebrations.
Let’s get baking!
Ingredients for Traditional Italian Easter Bread
Few ingredients go into making sweet bread. You’ll find it ideal for breakfast, snacks or holiday celebrations. You’ll need the following:
- All-purpose flour: The first two cups are sifted for a lighter and airier dough.
- Granulated sugar
- Butter at room temperature.
- Yeast: I use quick-rise instant yeast.
- Salt
- Eggs: Room temperature large eggs.
- Milk: Whole-fat milk, otherwise known as 3% milk.
- Lemon and orange zest for an aromatic citrus scent.
- Vanilla extract
- Sprinkles and sugar granules: Or simply dust with powdered sugar before serving.
How To Make Italian Easter Bread (step-by-step)
- 1- In the bowl of a stand mixer, add in the flour, sugar, salt, yeast and zests.
- 2- Stir the dry ingredients together. Set aside.
- 3- In a small stock pot, pour in the milk and add the butter.
- 4- Heat the milk and butter and stir or whisk until the butter has melted. (heat to about 110 degrees F.)
- 5- Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the milk and butter mixture.
- 6- Use the stand mixer with the paddle attachment to incorporate the wet and dry ingredients.
7- Mix in the eggs and vanilla extract until incorporated.
8- Switch to the dough hook and knead for 8 to 10 minutes.
- 9- Dust your hands with flour and transfer the dough onto a lightly dusted work surface. Knead for one minute as the dough comes together in one cohesive round ball, and then transfer the dough to a greased bowl.
- 10- Cover with cling wrap and allow to double in size for one and a half hours.
- 11- Transfer the dough to a lightly floured cutting board.
- 12- Cut into three equal portions.
Braiding Italian Sweet Bread
- 13- One at a time, roll each dough ball into 27 to 28 inches long, line them side by side on a parchment-lined baking sheet and pinch the top three ends together.
- 14- Braid the three strands of dough and pinch to seal the end.
- 15- Gently bring the two ends together to form a wreath and pinch to seal, then cover loosely with cling wrap and set in a warm place till doubled in size, about one hour and a half.
- 16- Once doubled in size, gently brush the dough with an egg wash.
- 17- Immediately sprinkle the top of the easter bread with rainbow sprinkles and sugar granules if using.
- 18- Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for approximately 25 to 30 minutes or until deep golden brown, then transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Slice, serve and enjoy!
How To Serve Sweet Bread
This sweet bread is soft and fluffy with a brioche-like texture making it perfect for breakfast or brunch.
You can serve it as is, slightly warm or completely cooled. I enjoy mine alongside a morning cup of coffee and sometimes dipped in a steaming cup of afternoon tea.
Whichever way you serve it, it’s sure to get rave reviews.
How To Store Sweet Easter Bread
Store the sweet bread in an airtight container. When properly stored, it will last 4 to 5 days.
Can Italian Easter Bread Be Frozen?
Yes, you can freeze the bread for up to 2 months. First, wrap the bread in foil and place it in a freezer bag to lock in freshness.
You can also section any leftovers for wrapping and freezing in smaller portions. This way, you can grab and go as needed.
This step-by-step recipe method was tweaked and updated on April 2, 2026, for the best results in your own kitchen.
Sweet Italian Easter Bread
Equipment
- 1 Stand mixer and bowl with both hook and paddle attachment
- 1 Large baking sheet
- 1 Small pot for heating milk and butter
Ingredients
- 5 cups flour (625 grams)
- 1 cup sugar (200 grams)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 8 grams instant dry yeast
- lemon zest (from 1 medium lemon)
- orange zest (from 1 large orange)
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup butter
- 4 large eggs (room temperature)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- rainbow sprinkles (optional)
- sugar granules (optional)
Egg Wash
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon milk
Instructions
- Place the flour, sugar, salt, yeast and lemon and orange zest in the bowl of a stand mixer.
- Stir together the dry ingredients and set aside.
- Heat the milk and butter in a small sauce pot while stirring until the butter melts. (to about 110 degrees F.)
- Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture and pour in the milk and butter mixture.
- Using the paddle attachment of your electric mixer, mix the wet and dry ingredients until combined.
- Mix in the eggs and vanilla extract for 2 minutes.
- Switch to the dough hook and knead the dough for approximately 8 to 10 minutes.
- Dust your hands with flour and transfer the dough onto a lightly dusted work surface.
- Knead the dough by hand for one minute as the dough comes together in one cohesive round ball, and then transfer the dough to a greased bowl.
- Cover with cling wrap and allow to double in size for one and a half hours.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly floured cutting board and divide into three equal portions.
- One at a time, roll each dough ball approximately 27 to 28 inches long. And line them side by side on a parchment-lined baking sheet and pinch the top three ends together.
- Braid the three strands of dough and pinch to seal the end.
- Gently bring the two ends together to form a wreath and pinch to seal, then cover loosely with cling wrap and set in a warm place till doubled in size, about one hour and a half.
- Once doubled in size, prepare the egg wash by beating an egg with a tablespoon of milk and gently brushing the dough with the egg wash.
- Immediately sprinkle the top of the easter bread with rainbow sprinkles and sugar granules if using.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for approximately 25 to 30 minutes or until deep golden brown, then transfer to a wire rack to cool.
- Serve the sweet bread while slightly warm. Or, cool it completely and enjoy it with your favourite hot beverage.
lovely recipe. can it switch to grams? do you ever post in grams measurements? thank you
Hi Lynne, I’ve always baked using the cup measurements but I’ll look to see if my recipe cards can do an automatic conversion.
if baking this bread in two braided loaves instead of a circle loaf, is the cooking time and temperature the same?
Apologies for late reply Maria. Two breaded loaves will be smaller than one whole so yes you will need to adjust the time.
used your recipe to a tea…it seemed horribly dry!?? added avacado oil to the 3 balls of dough then rolled to braid. proofing in the oven. hoping it’s ok. seems to be some moisture missing.
Chele, it’s a dough that really needs the time to proof well. When using your oven for proofing, be sure to place a tray with hot water at the bottom. The rising steam will proof the dough quite beautifully. That’s all that is needed.
Quick question – I am hoping to make this to have for Easter morning/brunch. Can I proof the dough the day before and bake morning of? Or am I better making it the day before and popping it in the over to warm through on the Easter morning?
Natalie, you can make it the day before serving and reheat it the following day if you want it warm. Store it in an airtight container. Note that I just recently updated the recipe to reflect some tweaks made for the best results.