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Ingredients
| granulated sugar: 1/4 cup |
| salt: 1 tsp |
| active dry yeast: 1 oz |
| 2% milk: 2/3 cup |
| salted butter: 2 Tbl |
| eggs: 2 (at room temperature) |
| candied mixed fruit: 1/2 cup |
| almonds (whole): 1/3 cup |
| anise seed (whole): 1/2 tsp |
| eggs: 5 |
| powdered sugar (unsifted): 1 cup |
| 2% milk: 1 Tbl |
| vanilla extract: 1/8 tsp |
Italian Easter Bread
Credit: Food.com
User rating:
-
Prep Time
180 min -
Cook Time
40 min -
Servings
4 serving(s)
Tags
- Colored sprinkles In a large mixing bowl, blend the sugar, salt, and yeast well with 1 cup of the flour.
- In a saucepan, combine milk and butter, heating slowly until liquid is warm and butter is melted.
- Pour the milk into the dry ingredients and beat 125 strokes with a wooden spoon.
- Add eggs and 1/2 cup flour or enough to make a thick batter.
- beat vigorously for 2 minutes.
- Then stir in enough flour to make a ball of dough that draws away from the sides of the bowl.
- Turn out onto a floured board and knead for about 10 minutes, working in additional flour to overcome stickiness.
- Place the dough in a greased bowl, turning to grease the top.
- Cover tightly with plastic wrap and put in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in bulk about 1 hour.
- Meanwhile, combine the fruit,nuts, and anise seed.
- Punch down the dough and return it to a lightly floured board.
- Knead in the fruit mixture, keeping the syrupy pieces dusted with flour until they are worked into the dough.
- Divide the dough in half.
- Carefully roll each piece into a 24 inch rope - the fruit and nuts will make this slightly difficult.
- Loosely twist the two ropes together and form a ring on a greased baking sheet.
- Pinch the ends together well.
- Brush the dough with melted shortening.
- Push aside the twist to make a place for each egg.
- Push eggs down carefully as far as possible.
- Cover the bread with wax paper and let rise in a warm,draft-free place until double in bulk, about 1 hour.
- Bake the bread in a preheated 350 F oven for about 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in a twist comes out clean.
- Place on a wire rack to cool.
- Once the bread is cool, drizzle the icing on top between the eggs, and decorate with colored sprinkles.
- Makes 1 loaf.