Easter Bread Recipe

This Easter Bread is a traditional, slightly sweet, and rich bread, which is made with an eggy dough and decorated with a beautiful braid and optional dyed eggs. It’s the perfect centerpiece for an Easter celebration, ready after a few hours of rising time.

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Easter Bread Recipe Ingredients

For the Dough:

1/4 cup warm water (about 110°F)
1 Tbsp. active dry yeast
3/4 cup warm milk (about 110°F)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
6 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
3 large eggs, at room temperature, divided
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for the surface
2 1/2 tsp. salt
Nonstick cooking spray

For the Glaze & Decoration:

4 dyed uncooked eggs, at room temperature (optional)
1 cup powdered sugar
2 Tbsp. whole milk, plus more as needed
Rainbow sprinkles, for topping (optional)

How To Make Easter Bread

Activate the Yeast and Make Dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer, stir together the warm water and yeast and let the mixture stand for about 5 minutes until it is foamy. Add the warm milk, sugar, melted butter, and 2 of the beaten eggs. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix with a spatula until a shaggy dough forms.
Knead and First Rise: Using the dough hook attachment, knead the dough on medium speed for about 5 minutes, until it is smooth, elastic, and tacky. Transfer the dough to a large, lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let it rise in a warm place for 1 to 1.5 hours, until doubled in size.
Shape the Braid: Turn the risen dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide it into 3 equal portions. Roll each portion into a long, 18- to 20-inch rope. Braid the three ropes together, pinching the ends to seal and tucking them underneath.
Assemble and Second Rise: Transfer the braid to a parchment-lined baking sheet. If you are using them, gently tuck the dyed, uncooked eggs into the gaps in the braid, spacing them evenly. Cover the loaf loosely with plastic wrap and let it rise at room temperature for 30 to 45 minutes, until puffed.
Bake the Bread: During the last 30 minutes of rising, preheat the oven to 350°F. In a small bowl, beat the remaining egg to create an egg wash. Uncover the loaf, brush it lightly with the egg wash, and bake for 28 to 32 minutes, until the bread is deep golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped.
Cool and Glaze: Slide the loaf onto a wire rack to cool completely, for about 1.5 hours. In a medium bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and milk until smooth to create a glaze. Drizzle the glaze over the cooled loaf and decorate with sprinkles, if you like.

Recipe Tips

How to get a good rise? The most important secret is the temperature of your liquids. Your water and milk must be warm (like a baby’s bath, around 110°F) but not hot, as hot liquid will kill the yeast and your bread will not rise.
How to create a beautiful braid? For an even, beautiful braid, make sure you divide your dough into three equal pieces. Roll each rope out to the same length and thickness before you begin braiding.
Can I make the dough ahead of time? Yes. You can let the dough perform its first rise slowly overnight in the refrigerator. This cold fermentation can even develop a more complex flavor. Just let it sit at room temperature for about an hour before you shape it.
How do I prevent the top from over-browning? This is a large, rich bread that needs a long bake. The recipe notes that if the top of the bread is getting too dark after about 30 minutes, you can loosely tent it with a piece of aluminum foil for the remainder of the baking time.

What To Serve With Easter Bread

Paska is a traditional Easter bread that is a centerpiece of the celebration table. It is wonderful on its own, but also delicious served with:

A generous smear of good quality salted butter.
A side of ham, cheese, and other Easter dishes.
It is also often taken to church to be blessed as part of the Easter tradition.

How To Store Easter Bread

Room Temperature: Store the completely cooled loaf in an airtight container or a large zip-top bag at room temperature. It will stay fresh for up to 3-4 days. It is also delicious when toasted.
Freeze: This bread freezes beautifully. Let the loaf cool completely, then wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and a layer of foil. It will keep for up to 3 months.

Easter Bread Nutrition Facts

Serving: 1 slice
Calories: 280 kcal
Carbohydrates: 45g
Protein: 8g
Fat: 8g
Saturated Fat: 4g
Sugar: 6g

Nutrition information is estimated and may vary based on ingredients and cooking methods used.

FAQs

What is Easter Bread?

Easter Bread (often called Paska in Eastern European cultures) is a traditional, enriched, slightly sweet yeast bread. It is a staple for Easter celebrations, and the decorative braid and dyed eggs are symbolic of the holiday.

Why didn’t my dough rise?

This is the most common issue with yeast breads. It’s almost always because your yeast was old or expired, or the milk/water was either too hot (which kills the yeast) or too cold (which doesn’t activate it).

Are the dyed eggs edible after baking?

Yes! The uncooked eggs tucked into the braid will hard-boil perfectly as the bread bakes. They are completely safe and delicious to eat.

Try More Recipes:

Recipe by Marry ThompsonCourse: BreakfastCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

minutes

Calories

280

kcal

A traditional, slightly sweet, and rich Eastern European Easter bread, featuring a soft and fluffy crumb with a beautiful, decorative braided top and festive dyed eggs baked right in.

Ingredients

Dough: 1 Tbsp. active dry yeast, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/4 cup warm water & 3/4 cup warm milk, 6 Tbsp. melted butter, 3 large eggs (divided), 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 1/2 tsp. salt.
Decoration: 4 dyed uncooked eggs (optional), 1 cup powdered sugar, 2 Tbsp. milk, rainbow sprinkles.

Directions

Activate the yeast in warm water. In a stand mixer, combine the yeast mixture, warm milk, sugar, butter, and 2 of the eggs.
Gradually add the flour and salt and knead with a dough hook for about 5 minutes until smooth.
Let the dough rise in a covered, oiled bowl for 1 to 1.5 hours until doubled.
Divide the dough in half. Shape one half into a ball and place it in a 9-inch cake pan.
Divide the other half into three ropes and braid them. Arrange the braid in a circle on top of the dough ball. Tuck in the optional dyed eggs.
Let the loaf rise again, covered, for another 30-45 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Brush the loaf with the remaining beaten egg and bake for 45-50 minutes until golden brown.
Cool completely, then drizzle with a simple powdered sugar glaze and top with sprinkles.

Notes

The most important tip for this recipe is to allow the dough to complete both of its rises fully; this is the secret to a light and fluffy bread.
For the best results, use a stand mixer with a dough hook to properly develop the gluten in the dough.
Be sure that the water and milk for the yeast are lukewarm, not hot, to ensure the yeast activates properly without being killed.
Don’t slice into the bread until it is completely cool; this allows the interior crumb to set up properly.