Italian EASTER EGG BREAD RING and More Easter Dinner Ideas

March 11, 2009 at 8:10 pm | Posted in baking, Breads, cooking, Food, Holiday cooking, Italian food, photography, Recipes | 16 Comments
Tags: almond pear cake, baking, cake, cooking, dessert, Easter, Easter dinner, Easter Egg Bread, Easter Egg Bread Ring, Easter recipes, Food, Holiday cooking, Italian Easter Bread, Mandarin Sorbet, Recipes, roasted vegetables, Sicilian Easter Bread, sorbet, tart, torte, upside down chocolate cake, upside down pear cake

NOTE: The following post is from an Easter 2007 blogI posted on my Live Journal. I want to share it here with new readers, and to remind some of my regular readers of some Easter Dinner ideas.

I have included the Easter Egg Bread and the Almond Pear Tart recipes. I will get the other recipes up, as time permits. In the meantime, you can find the Flourless Chocolate Cake and the Mandarin Sorbet in Giuliano Hazan’s cookbook.

Easter 2007

This Easter I ended up making too many desserts. I look through cookbooks all of the time, and when I see things I want to make, I tell myself I should wait until a holiday. I don’t think I’ll wait anymore.

ABOVE: Italian Easter Bread

I have wanted to make this bread for years, but never made enough time to squeeze it into an Easter menu. It is time consuming, but it was worth it. I served it the next day, and I would recommend only serving this the same day you bake it.
EASTER EGG BREAD RING (Italian/ Greek)

5 eggs

1/4 cup white sugar

1 teaspoon KOSHER salt (use Kosher-otherwise it may be too salty)

1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast

3 cups all-purpose flour

2/3 cup milk

2 tablespoons butter

2 eggs, room temperature

1/2 cup mixed candied fruit

1/3 cup chopped blanched almonds

1/2 teaspoon anise seed

2 tablespoons melted shortening

1 cup confectioners’ sugar

1 tablespoon whole milk

1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 tablespoons multicolored sprinkles (jimmies

Color the 5 eggs with egg dye. In a large mixing bowl, blend the white sugar, salt, and yeast well with 1 cup of the flour.
In a saucepan, combine 2/3 cup 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. 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 doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
Bake the bread in a preheated 350 degree F (175 degrees C) 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. To make icing: mix together confectioners’ sugar, 1 tablespoon whole milk, and vanilla.

OR Click here for the recipe.

I decided to do two baking sheets of roasted veggies. It was a way to have an assortment of vegetables and cook them all at once. The tray not shown had baby reds, zucchini, carrots, sweet onions, garlic, and herbs.

The Pear Upside Down Cake is truly one of my favorite cakes. The recipe calls for almond paste and fresh Bosc pears. This is the second time I’ve made it and one I’ll make again and again.

I also made my first flourless chocolate cake. The recipe is from Hazan’s book and this is a cake only a true chocolate lover/ worshipper can eat. I used semi sweet chocolates from Germany.

“Rich” is an understatement.

ABOVE: Mandarin Orange Sorbet (made with Prosecco)
If you like sorbet, you have to try this recipe –again Hazan’s–for Mandarin Orange Sorbet. It calls for a cup of Prosecco and fresh squeezed mandarin oranges. This is a new favorite of mine!
I hope you all had a wonderful weekend–holiday or no.

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16 Comments »

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I’ve always intended to make the Easter Egg Bread Ring, but never seem to get around to it. Maybe this is the year! And I definitely want to try to Pear Upside-down Cake. Lovely pictures.
Lillian

Comment by quilt32— March 12, 2009 #

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Everything looks good but the Italian Easter Bread is just so festive.

Comment by joan nova— March 12, 2009 #

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You had me with the roasted veggies- my new favourite- but with the flourless chocolate cake- you reeled me right in with the perfect bait. I don’t do sweets often- but if I do- it has to be rich and it HAS to be chocolate! Braaaaaaaavvvvvvooooooo!

Comment by tamara— March 12, 2009 #

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Ohhhh…I remember that Easter bread from when I lived in Astoria. Beautiful job you did!

Comment by clubkitty— March 13, 2009 #

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Mmmm….wonderfully baked!! I would love to try out your recipe. I baked small individual Easter nest breads for my kids; you can find the recipe and photo at my blog http://www.waystohelpyourself.blogspot.com

Comment by Sera— March 15, 2009 #

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Everything looks SO delicious! I love your blog!

Comment by Anna— March 16, 2009 #

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I remember the Italian Easter Egg Bread Ring from when I was little! Thanks for the recipe.

Comment by Ida— March 17, 2009 #

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Dear Anita,

Your blog is fabulous! I love your beautiful photos and your recipes are incredible! I love to cook and bake, too. The Eater bread is so pretty and looks so good (my son would love that!) everything looks so good! Thank you for sharing the recipes!

Love, Paula

Comment by Paula— March 20, 2009 #

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Sorry, I meant to write Easter, not Eater!

Comment by Paula— March 20, 2009 #

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This Easter Bread Ring looks FABULOUS!

Comment by LADY A1— April 3, 2009 #

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Lillian: The pear cake is to die for! Truly a favorite of mine!

JOAN: Thank you! It is almost time for me to make it again

TAMARA: I love roasted veggies too! I was surprised how much the men loved that flourless chocolate cake–it’s SO good.

KITTY: I also like to bake bunny breads and i want to add eggs to those this year too–if I’m ambitious enough.

SERA: I love those too!

ANNA: Thank you!

IDA: You’re welcome! I think the one thing I love most about food–are the memories certain dishes bring up.

PAULA: I think I like calling it “Eater” Bread It certainly is

LADY A1: Thank you so much!

Comment by angelnina— April 3, 2009 #

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[...] what I should make for a big Easter brunch. I think these will be a nice treat, along with some egg bread that I found a recipe for a couple of months ago, which looks amazing. I can’t wait to try [...]

Pingback by It must be finals time… « La Vie et Lagniappe— March 9, 2010 #

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Just wondering, should the eggs be hardboiled or raw before you color them and add them to the ring?

Comment by imlegallybrunette— March 27, 2010 #

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- You don’t have to hard boil them, they will cook right along with the bread Enjoy!
  
  Comment by angelnina— March 28, 2010 #
  
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I would like to know how many eggs goes in the batter. It just says 5 colored eggs but the number of eggs for mixing is missing.
Amy

Comment by Amy Motyl— April 17, 2011 #

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- Hmm it’s right there in the instructions (Number 2). It is probably easy to overlook.
  
  Comment by angelnina— June 6, 2011 #
  
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Angelnina’s Cottage