Easter Egg Bread
Celebrate Easter with this gorgeous Easter egg bread! Soft, moist, and golden, with a buttery-sweet taste and a pastel-colored egg baked right inside!
Easter is upon us! Do you have big plans? Lots of family coming over for a big Spring feast?
Here at my house Easter is pretty low-key, and will probably be even more so this year because of all the travel I’ve been doing lately. But one thing is for sure, there will be baskets of candy, and there will be colorful eggs. And of course, a few of them will be tucked into these cute little braided Easter egg bread loaves.
It was so much fun to make these little beauties! The dough comes together easily and is really nice to work with. I based it off of the traditional Italian Easter bread, also known as Pane di Pasqua.
They bake up light, soft, and butter-y, with a little hint of aromatic vanilla and orange blossom, which to me is just so perfect for Spring. I love the subtle flavor and it really brings out the natural sweetness of the bread.
The presentation would not be complete without the bunny butter! Growing up, we always had a butter sculpture on our Easter table every year, and I love that I can pass that tradition down to my kids too.
I grew up just down the road from the Keller’s Creamery, where Keller’s Creamery Butter is made. We had their butter on our dinner table every night. In fact, Keller’s has been a staple of Philadelphia households since 1906. It’s the butter I grew up with, and it’s the butter I now like to buy for my own family to enjoy.
The dough for this bread is enriched with eggs and unsalted butter, and when you tear off a soft bite, it’s even better slathered with a little more from the Keller’s bunny sculpture.
I bought my bunny butter at Weis, but you can also find it at Acme, ShopRite, or Stop & Shop! Be sure to grab yours on your next grocery store run, and enjoy this delicious Easter egg bread tradition this weekend!
A Philadelphia family tradition, Keller’s delivers a variety of butter options perfect for melting into a sauce, stirring into a batter or spreading on your toast, including:
- Keller’s Spreadable Butter with Canola Oil – lightly salted, perfectly spreadable and ideal for a variety of foods
- Keller’s Salted – the perfect choice for everyday cooking and table use
- Keller’s Unsalted – great for baking, preparing seafood or any other recipe where controlling salt is desirable
- Keller’s Whipped – light, fluffy and best used as a spread
- Keller’s Sculptures – Bunnies, turkeys and Christmas trees add the perfect seasonal look and flavor to any tablescape
To learn more about Keller’s Philadelphia heritage and find chef-inspired recipes for your next holiday and special occasion, visit www.kellerscreamery.com.
More great Easter recipes on my “Holiday” Pinterest board!
Easter Egg Bread
Ingredients
For the Easter Egg Bread
- 3/4 cup (183 g) warm milk
- 1/4 ounce (7.09 g) active dry yeast, (1 packet)
- 1/2 cup (113.5 g) unsalted butter,, softened
- 1/3 cup (66.67 g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs,, beaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon orange blossom water, (zest of half an orange can be substituted)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 1/4 cups (531.25 g) all-purpose flour, (you may need as much as to 4 1/2 cups)
- 4 dyed eggs, recipe follows
- egg wash, (one large egg beaten with 1 tablespoon milk)
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
For the dyed eggs
- 1 1/3 cup (333.33 g) boiling water
- 4 teaspoons distilled white vinegar
- 1 drop each of Rose Pink, Violet, Royal Blue, and Grass Green gel paste food coloring
- 4 large eggs, uncooked
Instructions
To make the Easter Egg Bread:
- Place the warm milk in a large mixing bowl, and stir in the yeast. Allow it to prove until foamy (about 10 minutes).
- Stir in the softened butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla, orange blossom water, and salt.
- Stir in the flour, a half cup at a time, until the dough forms a ball and pulls away cleanly from the sides of the bowl.
- Knead the dough until smooth and elastic (5 to 10 minutes).
- Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and allow it to prove until doubled in size (about 1 hour).
- Punch down the dough and divide it into 4 equal balls.
- Divide each ball in half and roll each half into a rope about 10 inches long.
- Pinch 2 ropes together at one end, and twist them together. Pinch the other end together and bring the twist around into a circle shape.
- Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and nestle a dyed egg in the center.
- Repeat with the remaining dough balls and eggs.
- Cover loosely with plastic wrap and allow to rise for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, and lightly brush the loaves with egg wash, taking care to avoid the eggs.
- Sprinkle with sesame seeds for garnish, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown and puffed.
To make the dyed eggs:
- Divide the boiling water equally between 4 small bowls.
- Place 1 teaspoon of vinegar in each bowl.
- Place 1 drop of gel paste food coloring in each bowl, and stir to dissolve.
- Place 1 uncooked egg in each bowl, turning to coat evenly with dye.
- Allow the eggs to sit in the dye until desired color is reached, then remove and drain on a wire rack.
I presume the eggs turn out the equivalent of hard boiled. Is that right?
Yes, exactly!
Can I make the dough early morning up to dividing dough into to 4 balls then refrigerate for a couple of hours without ruining the dough. I thought the grandkids would enjoy making the ropes & twisting them together but I’d like to be prepared prior to their arrival. Don’t know a lot about making bread but they look great.
Thank you!
Yes absolutely! The dough will keep in the fridge for up to 48 hours, or in the freezer for up to 2 weeks. Good luck and enjoy!
These are beautiful .  I noticed the dye on the eggs doesn’t run .   Do they always come out beautiful for you ?
I haven’t had the dye run at all… I use the Paas kits that you can find at the grocery store.
How far in advance can you make these, that the egg won’t spoil?
I would say around 3 days or so?
I need 8..can I double?
Please say yes:)
I followed the recipe exactly as written and ended up with 8, they’re baking as I type.
Hope you enjoy!
Yes! Absolutely, it should work beautifully. Thanks for reading!
You state, divide the dough into 8 equal balls and then cut them in half and braid, that would make 8 loaves, not 4.
Thank you for the heads up! I’ve made the correction.
These are so gorgeous Allie – truly a work of art! Pinning and drooling – happy Easter!
So happy you like them Tricia- thank you!
They look great! Love the fact that they are a small batch bake – I can bake and not have left-overs – thank you! 🙂
I love recipes like that too Sandra! Thank you so much for the sweet comment 🙂
What a beautiful Easter recipe!! I love the shaped butter, so perfect! And I am glad you are sharing this family favorite with us.
Thank you so much Zainab!