Is a traditional Umbrian bread loaded with cheese that is typically made every Easter although I have found this bread sold year round though in many bread shops and even some of our local grocery stores. Although I have bought it often, I decided it was finally time to make it myself as I thoroughly enjoy creating Umbrian specialties in my kitchen.
This bread is very impressive to look at as it rises to a tall golden dome and is flecked with pieces of cheese. Although I love the bread simply sliced and eaten as is, it is great toasted for breakfast with eggs, and goes really well with cured meats and salami. I tried a few different variations of recipes for this bread and didn’t love any of them, until I tried this recipe I adapted from Mary Ann Esposito.
Pecorino Romano, rather than Parmisiano Reggiano is the typical cheese used here in Umbria and is the cheese of choice used in this bread. Pecorinois a hard, salty cheese that isoften used for grating. Pecorino ismade out of sheep’s milk, and
Italian Easter Bread — Got Room For More
Is the Italian name for sheep. For this traditional Umbrian bread, I combined both aged, grated pecorino, as well as some softer (younger) pecorino that I diced.
I have made this recipe many times now, and found I preferred the diced cheese to be a little larger in size which creates nice little cheesy pockets that bake into the bread. Our eggs here in Italy have very dark yolks which creates a very golden yellow colored bread, but when I make this bread in the US, I found it turned out quite a bit lighter in color than what is shown in these photos.
I have used both two small souffle dishes, or one large souffle dish with good results. Obviously, if you are using he smaller baking dishes, you will need to educe the baking time by about ten minutes.This easy recipe for homemade Italian Easter Cheese Bread is worthy of a special occasion. A rich dough yields a memorable braided bread.
Italian Easter Bread
Homemade Italian Easter Cheese Bread deserves to be made more often then once a year. This easy bread recipe yields a beautiful braided loaf of bread. Braiding the bread dough is so much easier than you might first think!
Baking yeast bread recipes is not complicated. This yeast dough gains structure from eggs similar to a brioche dough. It is really an easy dough to handle. The dough isn’t too sticky and this bread recipe is a good one for beginner bread bakers.
If you enjoy baking bread at home, you’ll like these recipes for Molasses Multi-seed Bread, easy bagel recipe, and simple pita bread.
Crescia Al Formaggio Aka Italian Easter Bread
This authentic Italian Easter Bread recipe is from King Arthur Flour for Italian Easter Cheese Bread, also known as Crescia al Formaggio. This braided bread gains its golden hue from eggsand the easy-to-work-with (but slightly sticky) dough is accented with Parmesan cheese and a healthy dose of pepper. Other cheeses that work well in cheese bread include Pecorino Romano and Gruyere.
Also known as Italian pepper bread, this bread recipe is on the savory side; at my house it will be a treat to use for sandwiches made with Easter’s leftover ham. Another option where this Italian bread would sing is in a ham and cheese bread pudding, also a good way to make leftovers brand new.
Some Easter breads are shaped into circles with eggs nestled in the middle; others are shaped in the image of doves. (How does that work? Sounds challenging to me!) You could do either with this egg-based dough. For this Easter bread I did a simple braid with three logs of the dough then baked it in a bread pan. Sometimes it is thought that the three braids signify the Christian holy trinity.
Casatiello Napoletano Stuffed Italian Easter Bread
Other traditional Easter breads include Hot Cross Bunswhich are popular in England, although I first came across the tradition of hot cross buns when we lived in Bermuda. Easter cookies are always welcome at my family’s table. These cross cookies and these Easter basket cookies are a lovely addition to your Easter dessert!
Braiding bread dough is easier than you think. Simply divide the dough into three equal strands. Try to make the strands about the same width and length, as best you can. Lay the strands on parchment paper, laying the ends on top of each other at the top. Then braid away! Tuck the ends under and gently place your braided dough into your prepared loaf pan.
I find the King Arthur Flour provides reliable and repeatable recipes that I come to count on in my kitchen. There is a great satisfaction in baking bread at home and tostart with recipes that I know will yield good results is really important to me. I think you’ll agree if you give this recipe a try.
Crescia Al Formaggio: A Bread For Easter
Depending on how your oven bakes, you may need an additional 10-15 minutes baking time. Check to make sure your internal cooked temperature of the bread is 200 degrees F.
Holly Baker started the food blog, A Baker’s House, in 2011. She is the writer, recipe creator, and photographer for the site. Holly loves to bake and shares recipes for gluten free food, canning recipes, as well as traditional desserts too. Her recipes and food photography have been highlighted by BuzzFeed, Reader’s Digest, and She Knows.
Thats an awesome loaf of bread. wish there was some way to omit the eggs and yet get that beautiful colour on top :-))
Italian Easter Cheese Bread (crescia Al Formaggio)
I have actually made this one, and it IS delicious. Yours is gorgeous! I actually had an Italian tourism blogger steal my post and pass it on as their own!
Gorgeous! The color is so rich and I can just imagine how good it tastes. Cheesy bread is never, ever a bad thing.Crescia al Formaggio is a traditional Italian Easter bread that is savory and flavorful. This airy and light yeast bread is made with a combination of cheeses and eggs. Your whole kitchen will smell amazing as this Easter bread is baking in the oven.
For me, the holiday season always brings to mind childhood memories of family and friends coming over and gathering around a large table laden with food. I’ve said it before, and I’ll repeat it: I grew up seeing that food brings people together.
Crescia, Easter Cheese Bread
But I don’t think that traditions need to stagnant. They evolve and change as families do. When my mom and dad passed away, some of our old holiday traditions had to change, but some stayed the same, and many new ones were forged.
My mom’s rice ricotta Easter pie is a must! But I found this wonderful recipe for Ricotta Pie that my family loves.
As Easter approaches, I am reminded of another recipe for an Italian Easter bread that my friend Lori and her cousin Simi shared with me. The crescia in Crescia al Formaggio means “to grow, ” and how appropriate is that for a new tradition?
Pizza Al Formaggio, Cheesy Italian Easter Bread Recipe
The first two kinds of cheese are grated, and the latter is cut in chunks. You will notice that I used the medium-sized holes of my box grater and not the small holes.
I must mention that the original recipe called for chunks of cheese to be scattered throughout the dough at the end of the kneading process. Unfortunately, I am living with a cheese monster (also known as my husband 🙂 ) and so I only had enough cheese to scatter a few pieces over the top.
As I understand, tradition would dictate that this bread is placed in pans that resemble a Panettone Star Mould to achieve height -for the sake of convenience, I used a loaf pan.
Gluten Free Italian Easter Bread (almond, Lemon, Or Vanilla)
I had a little fun with this and decided to braid one of my halves before placing it in my loaf pan.
Once the dough is in the pan, cover loosely with plastic wrap and allow time to double in size. This can take up to 2 hours.
Bake in a 350°F oven for about 45-60 minutes with the oven grate set at the bottom. If the bread is taking on too much color (i.e., burnt tops), place a piece of aluminum foil loosely over the top or/and reduce the heat to 325°F as every oven is different; feel free to adjust the baking time.
Romano Cheese Easter Bread Recipe
I cannot even begin to explain the aroma coming from the kitchen as the loaves were baking… I couldn’t wait to taste it!
As soon as it was hot enough to handle, I removed it from the pan and sliced it. I probably should have waited, but the smell was just too good!
About a year ago, I had a wonderful conversation about the importance of traditions and family with Lori, a colleague of mine. Specifically, we discussed how the vast majority of the Italian community in Montreal maintained their families’ Easter traditions.
Italian Easter Cheese Pie
Lori explained to me that she and her cousin Simi continue to make this bread every Easter to carry on their twin mothers’ tradition.
This Italian Easter Bread, aka Crescia al Formaggio, is the perfect bread to have at Easter as part of
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