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This bread is traditionally braided and shaped to look like a wreath and bright and beautiful decorated eggs are nestled in the dough. This bread is served on Easter Sunday . The eggs represent life, fertility and rebirth, and the ring shape represents the crown of thorns. The women in my family get together to make this bread every year and we give them out as gifts to neighbors and friends. Please Enjoy!
The Easter eggs do not need to be hard boiled. They will cook when the bread bakes. I usually dye the eggs right out of the refrigerator. Just be careful not to crack them when dying them!
In a large mixing bowl combine the yeast, warm milk (not hot), salt, softened butter, eggs and sugar. Add 1/2 of the flour(2 cups) and with your dough hook beat until smooth.
Slowly add in the remaining flour and beat until its forms a stiff dough. Don’t worry how much flour you add in extra, add in flour until you have a smooth and not sticky dough.
Knead dough for about 10 minutes either with your dough hook or on a lightly floured dough board. Place dough into a greased bowl, cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about an hour.
Punch dough down, divide into 12 pieces. Roll each piece to form a 1 inch thick rope about 14 inches long. Take two of the ropes and twist to form a braid, pinch the ends together, and loop it into a circle, or wreath, pinch ends together and tuck a bit under to secure the end. *If you prefer you can make your dough into 2 large rings instead of six small*. If you do decide to make them large,each large ring gets 3 Easter eggs .
Place dough rings on a greased baking sheet, cover and let rise until doubled, about an hour. Brush each bread with the beaten egg wash, sprinkle the candy over each one. Make an indentation in the middle of each ring and gently place a colored egg into each one. Bake at 350 degrees F until golden, about 20-25 minutes. Cool on rack.
Buona Pasqua *Happy Easter*
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msblue on 4.13.2011
Looking for something new to put on the dinner table at Easter and I came across your recipe whose presentation is just gorgeous. Rusty at baking, I gave it a try today and this will be served to my family on Easter Sunday. Although the egg was still raw after the bread turned golden brown, it is one of the most delicious breads I’ve tried in awhile. I will precook the eggs before placing them inside each ring and look forward to my family’s reaction when I bring this to the dinner table. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe.