This fluffy and eggy Italian Easter Bread, Pane di Pasqua, is slightly sweet and bursting the with flavors of citrus and anise.
Just as bread for centuries has been the prime source of bodily sustenance for daily life, Christ, whose resurrection Christians celebrate on Easter, is considered “the bread of life, ” (John 6:35), in whom believers will find their daily, spiritual sustenance.
This Italian Easter bread is braided with eggs, which also hold incredible Easter significance as signs from nature of new life, just as we are celebrating new life in the risen Christ.
Italian Easter Bread
Due to the ending of the fast of Lent, where households would traditionally refrain from rich and sweet dishes, Easter breads are often rich, eggy breads that can range in sweetness, and sometimes are studded with dried fruit, which at one time was a luxury item. (Like this Romanian Easter Breador Hot Cross Buns).
Pane di Pasqua is this oh so fluffy and ever so slightly sweet. This is the perfect background for the light and bright, springy flavors of citrus and anise.
Orange juice and anise are the main flavoring agents in this fluffy bread, and they mingle together quite well, with neither over powering the other as you enjoy each bite.
Italian Easter Sweet Bread Recipe: Pane Di Pasqua
And, while 1/2 tsp of anise may seem like a lot, particularly if you’re not an anise lover, the flavor really mellows as the bread cooks, leaving just a hint of spice in the finished loaf.
We have gotten a lot of questions from people who want to make this Easter bread, but aren’t a fan of the flavor of anise.
If you’re looking for a substitute for anise in this bread, let us first say that the anise flavor in the finished bread is quite subtle. It is more of a light spice flavor than a quintessential anise/licorice flavor. So if you’re on the fence, go ahead and give it a try.
Italian Anise Bread Recipe
That being said, if anise really isn’t your thing (or you don’t have it on hand), you can definitely leave it out of the bread and it will be just fine.
Other substitutions could be adding some cinnamon or nutmeg in the amount of ground anise we call for in the recipe (1/2 tsp). Still another option would be to replace the anise with 1 tsp of vanilla extract.
Whatever you decide to substitute the anise for, remember that it needs to pair nicely with orange, which is the other prominent flavor in the bread.
Sweet Italian Easter Bread
While this loaf is quite impressive (as is fitting an Easter celebration table) and does contain a number of steps, it it definitely a bread that is worth your time to make.
What makes this bread even more unique is that raw, dyed eggs are braided right into the dough before it is baked.
This makes it very moist and slightly sticky as it comes together. But, after a bit of kneading, it becomes silky smooth and very easy to work with.
Italian Anise Easter Bread Recipe
After one rise, this fragrant dough gets divided into three pieces and rolled into ropes that will be braided. If you find that the dough springs back on itself as you try to roll it into your 24 inch strand, stop rolling and let the strand rest for 5 minutes (covered with your damp tea towel). This will relax the gluten proteins and make it much easier to continue rolling your strand.
After you shape your bread into a circle and pinch your ends together, it’s time to tuck the eggs into the braided dough.
The most important thing here is to keep the eggs on top of the braid, or even a little towards the center of the circle. If you place them too close to the outer edge of the circle, they tend to roll further outwards as the bread rises.
Traditional Calabrese Cuzzupe: Italian Easter Bread
Recently we have been getting a lot of questions about substitutions for the active dry yeast in this bread. While we haven’t tried using fresh yeast in place of the active dry yeast, it should work.
For this recipe you will need 2/3oz (19g) of fresh yeast in place of the 2 1/4 tsp of active dry yeast.
Fresh yeast will not need as long in the hydrating step #1 of the recipe instructions. It also may cause your bread to rise more quickly, so be sure to check it often during proofing.
Grandma Lu's Italian Anise Easter Bread
Yes, you should be able to substitute instant yeast for the active dry yeast in this recipe as well. Use the same amount of instant yeast as we call for in active dry yeast.
If using instant yeast, you can skip the hydrating step (step #1) and simply add the yeast to the dry ingredients in step #2. (Don’t forget to add the sugar and the milk to the wet ingredients in step #3.) Then, continue with the instructions as listed.
If you love the idea of Easter bread, you’ll want to give Hot Cross Buns and Romanian Easter Bread a try too!
Pane Di Pasqua (italian Easter Bread)
*Since this is a rich dough, rise time may be longer depending on your kitchen and your dough. If it doesn't get puffy and nearly double in the time listed, just give it some patience and more time.
This is one of the recipes from the early days of Curious Cuisiniere. We’ve updated our pictures since we first shared it, but we’ve left some originals here, in case you’ve found us in the past and are looking for that old, familiar image.
Sarah is one of Curious Cuisiniere’s founding duo. Her love for cultural cuisines was instilled early by her French Canadian Grandmother. Her experience in the kitchen and in recipe development comes from years working in professional kitchens. She has traveled extensively and enjoys bringing the flavors of her travels back to create easy-to-make recipes.
Anise Twists (italian Anise Sweet Bread)
Hi, For as long as I can remember my Mom has made Italian Easter Bread every year (or at least this is what I was told it was and believed all this time). And now I do as well. We use a similar recipe without the orange zest and orange juice and we add anise seeds instead of anise powder or extract. I believe it is a double recipe but I been making it so long that I am not sure. 1 & 1/2 cup milk Luke warm;1/2 cup warm water, 2 packets dry yeast & 1 tbsp sugar(combine and let get foamy); 1/2 cup sugar; 2 tsp salt; 2 beaten eggs; 1/2 cup butter; 7 to 7 & 1/2 cup flour and 1 tsp Anise seeds. Add all wet ingredients, then and in sugar till dissolved, then slowly add the flour stirred with salt & anise seed. Let flour be absorbed until dough is not sticky and forms a dough ball. Let rise 1 & 1/2 hrs or until doubled. Punch down, kneed again, shape into Braid loaves and let rise 35 to 45 mins. Prior to placing in oven at 350 degrees Brush with egg wash and sprinkle heavily with multi colored non pariels. When I was a child and while my daughter was young we colored eggs and nested them in the braid. I have heard of this tradition in other places among other Italians (many without anise flavoring) but your recipe is the closest to my Mom's. She's in her 80's and does not remember where she got the recipe or why she puts anise in it. Her mother is from Calabria and never made the bread. If anyone can help with this mystery, I would appreciate it. I love that I am not the only fan of anise. We give loaves to neighbors and our relatives who love the bread. It does not taste or smell like licorice in the bread. In fact it does not taste right without it. I forgot it one year and every one asked what I did differently because they missed the ingredient but couldnt identify what it was.This Easter I will add the orange zest and juice. I think it may improve the recipe. Thank you for posting your recipe.
What is nice about this recipe is you can make it your own. I made the bread for Easter and also made it again today for another family Easter dinner. The first time I made one big circle with three 24” ropes and followed the recipe exactly. Today I made 6 ropes and made two braided 12” loaves, but used both lemon and orange zest. I want to put slivered almonds on top the next time I make it because my mom made her bread that way. Unfortunately, we can’t find her recipe, but my sister said this recipe tastes like Mom’s.
Pretty close to what my grandma made every easter. She was born in Abruzzo, 1896. Only difference, she put white raisins in the dough.
Italian Easter Bread Recipe, How To Make Italian Easter Bread Recipe
Good morning, I made your bread last evening and it was delicious! The only concern I have is after I made my braids I covered it to rise and the braids all blended together…any thoughts as to what I did wrong?
Hi Kiretta. We're glad you enjoyed it! If your strands
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