Individual Italian Easter Bread Rings are baked around an egg, and decorated with icing and sprinkles. Not only are they really easy to make, but make the perfect Italian Easter dessert. Make one large ring if you prefer, but this authentic, traditional Italian Easter bread will elate children and adults alike!
Originally published A .
Before you decide that there’s no way that you can make these lovely, individual Italian Easter bread rings, let me tell you that if you have a bread machine or stand mixer, they are very easy to make! If you don’t have either machine, the only thing is that making the dough will be a bit more time-consuming, but still easy.
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The bread machine (the link takes you to the one I have, but there are many to choose from, starting at about $50) or a stand mixer will make the dough for you, which is the most time-consuming part. Once you have the dough, if you can roll and pinch it, you have all the necessary skills (little ones love to make these-my children helped to make them every Easter).
You may also enjoy Mrs. Rabbit’s Hot Cross Buns! Better than Mary Berry’s!
Not only are Italian Easter bread rings beautiful, but the light, airy texture of brioche-like dough perfectly partners with the sweetness of the icing. They can do double duty by providing a beautiful table decor for your Easter table, too!
Can I Make the Italian Easter Bread Dough the Night Before?
Yes, you can make it and let it rise in the fridge overnight. Here’s what to do once you’ve made the dough: don’t let it rise in the bread machine or bowl. Place it in a large container with a lid, or a sealed bowl, with sufficient space for it to rise and put it in the fridge. In the morning, proceed from the first rise (knead and shape). Try to make it as late in the day as you can as you not want the dough to overproof.
Here’s another Italian Easter bread you can try: pigna di Pasqua!
Take a look at the step by step photos and you’ll see, you can make these lovely Italian Easter bread Rings.
You may also like this recipe for a Colomba di Pasqua (Italian Easter dove bread)
IF YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE AND ENJOY THE BREAD, PLEASE LEAVE A 5 STAR RATING
IN THE RECIPE CARD BELOW ~ THANK YOU! 🙏🏻
Individual Italian Easter Bread Rings
Recipe by Christina Conte (adapted from my doughnut recipe) Makes 6 rings
Full printable recipe below
BREAD MACHINE (FOR STAND MIXER DIRECTIONS, SEE BELOW.)
Heat milk and butter gently, in a small saucepan, just until butter melts.
Remove from heat and place in bread machine pan.
Beat eggs, just to break yolks, then add to milk and butter in pan, then add the dry ingredients: flour, salt and sugar.
Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the yeast.
Set machine for “dough” and press “start.”
This is what the dough should look like after it is finished kneading. It should be very soft and pliable, but not sticky. If it is very wet or very sticky, add a little flour and let it knead again.
Let rise until doubled.
IF USING A STAND MIXER: place lukewarm milk in a jug and sprinkle the yeast on top with a pinch of sugar, and allow to rest for about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, place the rest of the dry ingredients in the mixing bowl and make a well in the center. Melt the butter, (but make sure it’s not hot when you add it to the bowl or it can kill the yeast), and slightly beat the eggs in a separate bowl.
Pour the milk and yeast mixture, melted butter and beaten eggs into the well in the flour. Using the dough hook, start the machine slowly, until a dough begins to form, then increase the speed a little and allow to knead for about 10 minutes. Dough should be smooth, and a bit firm. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise until doubled. If it is cold in your kitchen you can place the bowl, uncovered, in your oven, along with a jug of boiling water alongside it (or just keep it covered with the plastic wrap).
If you do warm your oven at all, please just turn it on for 1 or 2 minutes, then turn it off, as the bread won’t turn out correctly if it rises under overheated conditions). These directions can also be followed if you want to make these by hand.
WHETHER USING THE BREAD MACHINE OR STAND MIXER, CONTINUE HERE…
Put the dough onto a lightly floured mat or counter and knead gently, then cut into 6 equal pieces.
Cut each of the 6 pieces in half and roll out to about 9 inches long. It doesn’t have to look pretty at this point.
Pinch one end together.
Now twist the two ropes together like this. Again, it won’t look very pretty, but it’s okay; pinch the other end together.
Next, join the ends to each other to form a ring, twisting as necessary to keep the ropes from undoing themselves. Place a colored egg into the center of the ring. If you’d like to make ONE large Italian Easter bread ring, do so by using all of the dough to make one large twisted ring. Afterwards, place the 5 eggs nestled evenly into the dough.
Place the ring on a silicone sheet or parchment lined baking tray and continue with the rest of the dough and eggs.
Once you have made all six, place them in a slightly warm oven to rise for about an hour.
After they have risen, remove the tray from the oven and turn it on to 350°F (175°C).
When the oven is at the correct temperature, bake the rings for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown, turning the tray midway through baking, if necessary, for even browning.
Remove from the oven and place the Italian Easter bread rings on a cooling rack.
When the bread rings are cool, mix together confectioner’s sugar, vanilla and milk to make a slightly runny glaze. Glaze rings, adjusting with more sugar or milk for correct consistency.
See the photo below: the drip in the forefront ran too quickly, so I made the icing thicker, and you can see it looks much better as it pours onto the ring.
The glaze should slowly drip down the side of the ring.
Immediately add colored sprinkles, if desired, and allow glaze to harden/dry before serving.
See? They’re not difficult to make at all!
NOTE: due to the fact that these are made from brioche dough, iced and have an egg in the middle, I don’t advise making these too far in advance. In fact, I usually have the dough ready and shape and bake them on Easter morning because I love them fresh. If you do make them in advance, try to make them the night before, but if keeping them out for longer than a few hours, or if it’s really warm, they should be refrigerated because of the egg.
Happy Easter!!
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Individual Italian Easter Bread Rings...Easy Step by Step Directions
A traditional, authentic Italian Easter lightly sweet treat that the family will love. Great for children to help make.
Ingredients
- 2 eggs (6 more, colored, but still raw; DO NOT USE HARDBOILED EGGS)
- 2 Tbsp (28 g) butter
- 2/3 cup (158 ml) milk
- 3 to 3 1/2 cups (454 g) good quality all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup (55 g) sugar
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 1/2 tsp bread machine dry yeast
For glaze:
- 3/4 cup (75 g) confectioner’s sugar
- about 2 Tbsp milk
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
Instructions
BREAD MACHINE DIRECTIONS (FOR STAND MIXER DIRECTIONS, SEE BELOW.)
- Heat milk and butter gently, in a small saucepan, just until butter melts.
- Remove from heat and place in bread machine pan.
- Beat 2 uncolored eggs, just to break up the yolks, then add to milk and butter in pan. Next, add the dry ingredients: flour, salt and sugar.
- Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the yeast. Set machine for "dough" and press "start."
- The dough will be very soft and pliable, but not sticky. If it is very wet or very sticky, add a little flour and let it knead again. Let rise until doubled.
IF USING A STAND MIXER:
- Place lukewarm milk in a jug and sprinkle the yeast on top with a pinch of sugar, and allow to rest for about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, place the rest of the dry ingredients in the mixing bowl and make a well in the center. Melt the butter, (but make sure it's not hot when you add it to the bowl or it can kill the yeast), and slightly beat the eggs in a separate bowl.
- Pour the milk and yeast mixture, melted butter and beaten eggs into the well in the flour. Using the dough hook, start the machine slowly, until a dough begins to form, then increase the speed a little and allow to knead for about 10 minutes. Dough should be smooth, and a bit firm.
- Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise until doubled. If it is cold in your kitchen you can place the bowl, uncovered, in your oven, along with a jug of boiling water alongside it (or just keep it covered with the plastic wrap). If you do warm your oven at all, please just turn it on for 1 or 2 minutes, then turn it off, as the bread won't turn out correctly if it rises under overheated conditions). These directions can also be followed if you want to make these by hand.
WHETHER USING THE BREAD MACHINE OR STAND MIXER, CONTINUE HERE...
- Put the dough onto a lightly floured mat or counter and knead gently, then cut into 6 equal pieces.
- Cut each of the 6 pieces in half and roll out to about 9 inches long. It doesn't have to look pretty at this point. Pinch one end together.
- Now twist the two ropes together like this. Again, it won't look very pretty, but it's okay; pinch the other end together.
- Next, join the ends to each other to form a ring, twisting as necessary to keep the ropes from undoing themselves. Place a colored egg into the center of the ring.
- (If you'd like to make ONE large Italian Easter bread ring, do so by using all of the dough to make one large twisted ring. Afterwards, place the 5 eggs nestled evenly into the dough.)
- Place the ring on a silicone sheet or parchment lined baking tray and continue with the rest of the dough and eggs.
- Once you have made all six, place them in a slightly warm oven to rise for about an hour.
- After they have risen, remove from the oven and turn the heat to 350°F (175°C).
- When oven is at the correct temperature, bake the rings for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown, turning the tray midway through baking if necessary for even browning.
- Remove from tray and place the Italian Easter bread rings on a cooling rack.
- When rings are cool, mix together confectioner's sugar, vanilla and milk to make a slightly runny glaze. Glaze rings, adjusting with more sugar or milk for correct consistency.
- See the photo below: the drip in the forefront ran too quickly, so I made the icing thicker, and you can see it looks much better as it pours onto the ring. The glaze should slowly drip down the side of the ring.
- Sprinkle with colored sprinkles if desired, and allow glaze to harden/dry before serving.
Notes
You can use 5 eggs and make one large braid if you don't want individual Easter bread rings.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 391Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 75mgSodium: 462mgCarbohydrates: 72gFiber: 2gSugar: 22gProtein: 10g
Nutrition info is only estimated.
Sweet Crispy Easter Pasta Nests
Casatiello (Neapolitan Easter Bread)
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Am I missing something? this recipe only uses 2 tablespoons if butter?
Missing nothing, Maria. This has been made by hundreds (if not thousands) of people around the world with great results. It’s a solid recipe. Give it a try! :) (PS I don’t post recipes willy-nilly like some sites, mine are all either passed down from family or ones I love.)
Hello.
These are so beautiful and lured me in to a long, stressy day of bread making. I was very pleased with how my dough turned out! I added some orange & lemon zest. I was disappointed with my glaze as the vanilla made it beige so not as pretty as your bright white! Still tasted good. Bad part was I had to make them Friday because we were traveling Saturday and taking them along. So we kept them cool (and the glaze sweated :-/ )
We did have one issue, the eggs weren’t totally solid! :-o
So that was a bummer. They were in the oven for 20 minutes… so I thought they’d be fine.
And I’m sad as the family has hardly eaten any of them. And I overheard them talking about them being dry. I think they were expecting them to be more like donuts? sweeter? not simply bread…. idk. But it hurt my feelings a little as I thought they were so beautiful and I worked hard (doubled the recipe) trying to make something special.
Oh well, lesson learned. I still think they’re so pretty!
Thanks for the recipe!
Happy Easter/Spring
Awww, that is sad, Heather! I’m sorry about that; it’s not nice to feel unappreciated. I can definitely say that if you made them on Friday and ate them on Sunday, they’d definitely be dry, though, especially keeping them in the fridge. These really are best eaten the same day, at latest the next. Maybe let your family know in a kind way that your feelings were hurt? Happy Easter to you, too and take heart, you did your best.
Thanks for your thoughts, kind words & advice. It’s fine, these things happen.
BUT:
Do you have any thoughts on why my eggs weren’t quite done? They were in for 20 minutes and the bread itself wouldn’t have withstood any longer baking.
Also my glaze not being bright white after adding vanilla – I did add extra powdered sugar to firm it up, but that only lightened it slightly.
And again, they were still so beautiful & I thought tasty.
Were your eggs are room temperature? I would assume so given the rise time, but maybe they still weren’t at room temperature when you put them in. Is your oven calibrated to the correct temperature? I would check.
Regarding the glaze, I don’t know if your vanilla is a darker color than what I use, but the photos you see are made with ½ tsp of vanilla in the glaze. The only other option is not to use vanilla. You can use water and lemon juice to make the same glaze. Hope this helps.
Thanks!
Hello,
I’m going to make and bake today, and then serve tomorrow morning. I know I should keep the wreaths in the fridge overnight because of the eggs, but are there any tips to keeping the bread nice and fresh overnight, and should I reheat in the morning? If I should reheat (which is likely) what temperature and time would be best? I’ve used your recipes before and always enjoyed them, thank you so much!
– A 14 Yr. Old Baker
Hi Gemm, happy to hear you like my recipes and good for you that you’re into baking!
Regarding the Easter bread rings, if you can shape the wreaths and keep them in the fridge overnight and bake in the morning, that will give you the freshest tasting (and safest) results. I don’t know about heating it up with the eggs, that’s not the best idea. You also won’t be able to glaze and decorate them if you plan to warm it up as the glaze will melt. If not, keep them in the fridge overnight, but be sure to bring them to room temperature before serving. Happy Easter!