This egg-rich sweet bread is another of our Easter traditions. Serve with creamy Irish butter and a cup of your favorite tea.
Easter Bread
You will need the following ingredients:
1 envelope (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water (105 to 115 degrees F)
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter (melted and cooled)
1/2 cup warm milk (prepared powdered milk works great!)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 Tablespoon grated orange zest (optional)
5 cups plus 1/2 cup unbleached all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
6 fresh RAINBOW EGG FARM eggs whole** (color them if you like)
1 fresh RAINBOW EGG FARM egg yolk (beaten with 1 Tbsp water)
Colored sprinkles (optional)
To make the dough:
In a small cup, combine the yeast with the warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 5 minutes. Stir to dissolve. In a large bowl, beat the eggs. Beat in the sugar. Stir in the butter, milk, vanilla, and orange zest. Stir in the yeast mixture. Add 5 cups of the flour and the salt. Stir until a soft dough forms. Add enough of the remaining flour to make a smooth dough. Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and knead for a minute or two until very smooth. Shape dough into a ball. Place in a buttered bowl. Cover and let rise in a warm place until double in volume, about 1-1/2 hours.
Butter 2 baking sheets.
Punch down dough and cut into 4 equal pieces. With your hands, roll one piece into a rope about 20 inches long. Repeat with another piece of dough. Lay the ropes side by side and loosely twist them together.
Place the ropes onto the prepared baking sheet. Bring the ends together to form a ring. Pinch the ends to seal. Place 3 eggs at intervals around the wreath, tucking them in between the ropes of the dough. Repeat with the remaining dough and eggs. Cover and let rise about 1 hour or until doubled in size.
20 minutes before baking, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Just before baking, brush the egg wash over loaves and scatter the colored sprinkles on top. Bake loaves for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer bread to wire racks to cool completely before serving.
**NOTE: You can use either cooked or uncooked colored eggs in this recipe. If you hard-cook them before baking they will be a little tough, but still eatable.