Simple Easter Bread
It doesn't have to be Easter to make this soft and sweet egg bread. If you skip the glaze and sprinkles and use an egg wash before baking, you can toast it. Have all your ingredients at room temperature and ALWAYS AERATE (not sift) YOUR FLOUR BEFORE MEASURING.
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours, 15 minutes
Makes: One loaf
Ingredients:
- 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour (or bread flour)
- 2 teaspoons instant or RapidRiise yeast (one packet/7 grams)
- 1/3 cup sugar (use 1/2 cup for sweeter bread)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup milk (I use 1% or 2% low fat milk) warmed to 120-130° F
- 1/4 cup softened butter at room temperature
- 1 egg + 1 egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 heaping cup golden raisins
- additional 1/2 cup flour
- 1 cup powdered sugar + about 2 Tablespoons milk
- Sprinkles of your choice
Glaze:
Instructions:
- Combine the flour, yeast, sugar and salt in a large mixing bowl.
- Add warm milk, butter, egg + yolk, and vanilla.
- With electric mixer, beat on high for two minutes.
- Reduce speed, add raisins and about 1/2 cup more flour until the dough forms a mass.
- Knead on a floured surface for 100 turns (about 3 minutes).
- Cover dough with plastic and let it rest 10 minutes.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Divide dough into two and roll each piece into a 24-inch long rope. Twist the ropes together (see photo in my blog) and transfer to your baking sheet. Shape the braid into a circle, pinching & tucking the ends together.
- Cover with a towel and let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size – about 1 - 1 1/4 hours.
- When loaf has doubled in size bake in a preheated oven at 350° F for 25 minutes. (I lay a piece of foil on the top for the last 10 minutes to prevent over-browning)
- Let cool for 10 minutes and add glaze, followed immediately with sprinkles.
For How-To Photos in my blog click here.
Problems with this recipe? Click here.
This is the first time ever making a twisted, shaped bread. It was so good it didn’t make it to Easter!!!
I have been making this Easter bread since COVID started. Works every time and it’s delicious. Thanks
Wow! This was simple and tastes awesome. I always have trouble with a “knead dough” recipe. I did have to add more flour so it did not stick , not really knowing what I was doing, but it Worked! Was worried was going to be bland but was delicious. Used the less sugar recipe and did scoop flour per your instructions. Had fumble fingers trying to branding.. lol..but end result ok.
Would you recommend a pan size please?
My baking sheet measures 12 x 16 inches.
I forwarded my pics today of my Brioche bread I made and I got an error “mail undeliverable” .
I used the link you provided but my e-mail & pics were returned.
Help!
Thank you for letting me know. We are working on getting it fixed so please check back later.
I enjoyed making this recipe, my only mistake was it needed to be baked for 5 more minutes, As my oven takes longer. Otherwise it’s very nice.
Dear Jenny,
Testing some new sweets recipes for Easter and have found YOUR beautiful Easter Ring Loaf is a KEEPER! Baked and tasted yesterday….so delicious and almost addictive! PERFECT subtly sweet flavor, crumb and moisture level…still enjoying today….needless to say will need more for the holiday.
Will be baking your Easter Bread & Braided Cinnamon loaves again next week…and now, onto a first-time bake of your poppyseed bread. Ordered 1LB of seeds (just received) for this loaf…I am sure this one will be a winner too. Watched your funny poppyseed roll “missing ?$?$ch..ze..kccc$$$” video yesterday to “get ready” and will let you know how it turns out.
My sweet Busia used to make Makowiec poppy bread but never liked it as a kid, but now – in my older years am loving Polish food/sweets – especially YOUR recipes.
BEST WISHES to you and your family. Sincerely, – Paula
A little disappointed there is no video.
Jenny, love all your recipes. Can this recipe be made in a loaf pan? Made your white bread a d it came out perfect. Thank you so much
hi jenny, is this dough like zopf brot that the germans make. is this the same type of recipe kinda? can i just use this dough and braid it into a braided egg bread like they have around easter time. thanks for the help. love your stuff and you. you are very generous and kind. thank you so much.
Hi Jenny! After many tries at bread, I saw your Youtube video and had success the first time! Is this recipe like Pandoro (Verona Christmas Cake)? Do you know any tricks to bypass the complicated recipe for that bread?
I. Thinkyour recipes are grest. Lemen brownies awesome.
I. Thinkyour recipes are grest. Lemen brownies awesome.
Taste was phenomenal but the bread did not brown like your picture. Maybe there should be an egg wash step I missed?
There is no egg wash on mine. Assuming you did not make any changes, it’s possible your oven was not hot enough.
Hi Jenny cou;d I put raisins and cranberries in the dough
Thank you
Connee
hey jenny can you use “rapid rise” yeast with this recipe? If so would you have to change anything? Thanks Love your site!!!!
Yes, you can. They are the same thing and I have adjusted the recipe.
Hi jenny! I love your recipes and have made quite a few all with good luck. I was wondering could if I could use the “quick rise yeast”? I use it on my other Easter breads but since yours will be my first I was not sure if I could. Thank you and keep the recipes coming!!!!
This seems pretty simple. I’m wondering, could I use this recipe for a deeper bread (like in a bread pan or something)? Or would that be a complete mess with the cook time? Alternately, what about cupcake size? Would I need to fill them just halfway?
HiJenny enjoy and have made many of your recpeswith a huge success. I have made this Easter bread last year. My husband is Polish, as you can see.I am Greek. Our Greek Easter Bread called Kouloura.is pretty much like this recipe. With the Greek version which I make, I added a spice called Mahlep, and omit the vanilla and raisons..Tastes exactly like the Greek version.. I also cover bread with sesame seeds. Some put a red hard boiled egg nestled on top for Easter. I just love this recipe… As always, you rock..Linda
My husband is greek and I would like to add mahlap to this recipe. Can you please tell me how much you added?
Hi Jenny,
Could I use the same recipe to make small buns instead? Thanks a lot for this wonderful website of yours!
YES KIM YOU CAN ALSO MAKE INDIVIDUAL BREADS, JUST WATCH THAT YOU DON’T OVERCOOK THEM. I MADE INDIVIDUAL BREAD KNOTS WITH A HARD BOILED EASTER EGG IN EACH ONE.
I have a sneaking suspicion that this pretty sweet-and-eggy bread ring is going to taste like placek.
My Babcia, who hailed from Krasnystaw county in Lublin Voivodeship, Poland, made such a marvelous Easter placek that seemed to defy gravity — it rose exceedingly high, with a dome-top that looked like a giant mushroom! The texture of Babci’s placek was light and airy but chewy … and yellow with multiple fresh eggs from the farmer’s market in St. Catharines. But the aroma and flavor: ahhhh: indescribably wonderful of buttery, yeasty vanilla. Just great for dunking in herbata (tea) or coffee.
Alas, I never watched my Babcia make that placek! She would get up extra early to create it, and then it would just appear, all done and scrumptious in her kitchen, as if by magic.
Can’t wait to try this recipe, Jenny — after I finish these half-white-whole-wheat quick bread buns, template recipe from your delightful Website.
Jump: to quick bread buns for comment.
P.s.: Thank you, Jenny, for all you have shared on this site. You are a treasure.
I hope this little note finds all well with you.
*
Whoops! Make that: farmers’ market … and blame a big glass of iced Pinot Grigio … you know, holiday long-weekend and beautiful weather, here in “Silly Valley,” CA.
Jennie! Where is the Placzek? With your Polish background and love for Polish food there has to be a recipe somewhere.
Barbara, if you want to find a recipe for classic, eggy, fragrant, high-topped Polish placek — don’t search for placek, too frustrating!! Instead, search for Paska, a Ukrainian and Slovak Easter bread — it’s precisely traditional Polish Easter placek! (Placek simply means cake …)
There is lots (with all kinds of photos and video) under Paska Easter bread. Took me a while to connect the dots & figure it out.
Enjoy!
This is similar, if not the same as the Greek or Armenian easter bread, “tsoureki” or “choereg”. It is sometimes made with a spice known as “mahleb” and is sprinkled with sesame seeds.
Thanks, Ed, now I know what to do with that precious little jar of mahlab that I bought on ‘The Zon.’ (Found the same little jar at a local market later at a much better price.)
Danusia, That’s very Nice of you to Help out a Fellow “Jenny Can Cook” Commenter by sharing info on similar recipes.
The info, also, helps the rest of us Commenters. I’m not Polish, but I Love a Good tasting Fruited Yeast Bread. Thak You. 🙂
I made this for our Easter dinner yesterday and it turned out great. The only problem I had was that it took a really long time for the dough to rise. I eventually took it outside and put it directly in the Florida sun. That did the trick!
Now I need to figure out how to post pics of my bread on your site!
Here is the link to post photos: YourPhotos@JennyCanCook.com
FYI – I emailed my pics to the address you provided, but I received a “mail undeliverable” notice. ☹️
Your photos arrived and have been posted. Thank you!
Yay! Thank you. The Easter Bread was delicious and everyone love it?.
This bread turned out delicious, even though I forgot to add the sugar 😉
Thanks for posting this Jenny! Looks yummy!
Will the Easter bread recipe work using fat free milk?
Thanks!
Just made the bread, and tried the first piece…..it was great. I’m thinking that for year-round use, I will add some cinnamon to it and lose the glaze. It should make a real good cinnamon toast. I will certainly be making it again.
I found that the recipe yielded a sticky dough that could not be handled and kneaded. Adding flour to coax it to something firmer and dryer point didn’t produce a dough that could become the bread illustrated.
Please use the link at the bottom of the recipe for a possible explanation. This can happen if someone sifts the flour before measuring.
Thank you Jenny!
-Jean?
This looked so good I decided to make it last night. Quick and easy just as Jenny described. Hubby doesn’t care for raisins, I added dried cherries soaked in apple brandy instead. I decided to give it a cold rise overnight, wrapped loosely with plastic wrap and towel. After bake, I sprinkled blue crystals on top, but would reco the kind Jenny used as it was not as festive looking as Jenny’s. It WAS easy and delicious. My husband was late getting out the door this morning waiting for a slice. I sent in a pic.
Thank You !
Jenny, I make your no rise buns every other day. My husband loves my buns so much. Better than baguettes that we used to buy at almost $4.00 each
Where is the recipe for no rise buns that you referred to?
I would like to try it.
Thanks.
I think she was referring to my “”No Knead Crusty Rolls.”
They are quick and easy to make and are really realllllly good. I make them at least once a week and my son loves them says they are just like the ones we used to buy from the store but better cause I make fresh. I want to thank you for your cooking show I really enjoy it and so happy you’re made the recipes easy. I have done your pierogis, stuff cabbage, rolls and every one came out great. Thank you again
I have the worst luck with anything that involves yeast but I always try hoping for success. My dough came out to gooey and had to add much more flour than it called for. Any suggestions as to why? Everything was at room temperature and Measured correctly. It is rising now and hopeful it comes out okay
You might find a solution here: https://www.jennycancook.com/problems-with-yeast-baking/
This IS a easy recipe AND very delicious. Made it this morning. We always buy “Hoy Cross Buns” during Easter and this is even better. Thank You so very much for you being you !
Thank you. I miss your videos!
I AM SOOO THANKFUL AND HAPPY TO SEE YOU AGAIN!!! I HAVE USED YOUR GREAT RECIPE ON MEATLOAF EVER SINCE I FOUND IT AWHILE AGO. NO OTHER RECIPE WILL DO!! CONTINUED SUCCESS!!
Where do you find the meatloaf recipe?
thanks
lois
https://www.jennycancook.com/recipes/best-meatloaf-recipe/
Appreciate your site. I’m Polish and your Polish recipes are very similar to the ones my Mother made. She has passed on now and some of her recipes, I’m sorry to say, are now lost. Yours help me fill in the blanks, Can this recipe be baked in loaf pans? Thank you!
great..now i have to make this lol this sounds so good!!
Love love love your recipes. You are the best!
I love your recipes. They are easy to follow, and the instructions, video’s and moving through your website is also easy to follow. The print recipe feature is the best. Use for shopping list ingredients too. All of your bread recipes and all of your recipes make it so wonderful for people who would not otherwise think they could bake or cook. I have made many of your recipes, and they are all easy to follow, prepare, make and taste so good. Good pointers to people who would not attempt to make their own bread, etc. because of getting bricks; instead of bread. Delicious and no longer buy store bread or frozen pizza. Thank you for sharing.
Jenny, we love your recipes. Thank you dearly for sharing them with us all. 🙂
I have made so many breads using Jenny Can Cook instructional/tutorial videos and these recipes have provided us with delicious breads and pizzas.
THANK YOU !
Jenny….I love your recipes and your sense of humor that helps the newer Bread Bakers have confidence rather than doubts about Bread Making:)
This is a special recipe for me and Easter can’t come soon enough for me this year..lol. I think it will be a nice birthday party bread for my Granddaughters, too, in years to come❤️ Thank you for giving me some new ideas now that I’m a Grandma who likes to surprise them w new “traditions” of MY OWN.
Can I make and freeze these and freeze for a week before parties? I hope so.