Pane di Pasqua: The Italian Easter Bread

For decades I have associated Easter treats with a sweet bread more than a basketful of candy. As a newlywed in the early Eighties, I came across a recipe for Pane di Pasqua in an Italian cookbook: Easter bread. The half dozen pastel-colored eggs braided through a wreath of golden-baked dough looked so perfect for spring.

The recipe listed a cup of sugar in the ingredients but never instructed when to add it, a misprint I guess. I figured it should go with the creamed butter, eggs, and juice from a squeezed lemon. The bread turned out pretty and light, tasting a bit like a yellow jellybean, thanks to a glaze of confectionary sugar and fresh lemon juice drizzled on top.

This recipe has stuck with me through the years – with some alterations. I started splitting the wreath with the half-dozen eggs into two smaller braided loaves, three eggs decorating each so I could share it between two households: my parents and my husband's. Both sides of the family considered it an Easter breakfast food more than a dessert, a perfect start to the Holy Day paired with a cup of strong black coffee. Morning leftovers reappeared on the mid-afternoon dessert table.

Through the years I’ve learned an important lesson about the bread. Bake it a few days in advance, since it takes five to six hours . Most of that time goes into waiting for two dough risings – two hours each – as the initial ball of dough and then the braided ropes double in size. The risings went so well with the spirit of the holiday.

Here’s the online recipe for the bread – with full instructions on when to add the sugar, plus a little Pane di Pasqua lore.

If the week is slipping by too quickly to bake your own, you'll find the Pane de Pasqua nearby at Russo's Bakery in Enfield and Giuseppina's Italian Bakery in South Windsor.

Photo credits - Laura B. Hayden