ITALIAN EASTER BREAD 
2 c. milk
1/2 lb. butter, melted
1 tbsp. salt
2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 tsp. anise seed (optional)
6 eggs
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 cake yeast (or 1 pkg.)
Enough flour to make a soft dough

Prepare yeast night before by dissolving in one cup of scalded milk which has been cooled to lukewarm and adding one cup of flour. Cover with wax paper.

The next day, melt butter and allow to cool. In a large bowl beat together the eggs, sugar, butter, 1 cup warm milk, salt and flavoring. Then add the yeast-flour mixture prepared the night before. Add enough flour to make a soft dough. Knead well. Cover and let rise until double in size. Punch down and let rise again.

Shape dough as desired, place in baking pans and let rise until double again. Bake at 350°F 1 hour or until done. This recipe makes 3 loaves or one large ring. My mom always put boiled, colored eggs in the ring. The ring was braided. You do not need to put eggs in loaves if you don't want to.

My mother made large batches of bread and baked the bread in her brick oven. We did a lot of measuring to get this recipe because she used handfuls and pinches.

recipe reviews
Italian Easter Bread
 #1007
 Dale says:
I am so impressed to find an authentic recipe from the old couintry. Thank you for sharing. Anise seed is never optional for me.
 #66937
 Ann (Kentucky) says:
This is very similar to my Nana's recipe from the old country--the Calabria region.
 #98058
 Kerry (Massachusetts) says:
This recipe is exact to my grandmother's. There are 2 small changes. I have tried for years to perfect it, and I fail every time. I was very happy to find this recipe, she too used pinches and tea saucer fulls :) One question can anyone answer...1 pkg dry yeast....is it one small pkg, or all 3 of the small pkgs that come together??
 #171833
 Jerry (Connecticut) says:
Dear Kerry, With regards to your question concerning the dry yeast -whether it is one single package, or all 3 of the small packages: one cake or 1 pkg equals one small pkg- not all 3 of the envelopes.(Basically, the only time you would triple the yeast is if you tripled all the above ingredients). Good Luck!
 #177907
 Marlene Battiste (Colorado) says:
Approximately how many cups of flour for Easter Bread?

 

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