This gorgeous golden Sourdough Italian Easter Bread has a soft crumb and a subtle sourdough tang. It’s naturally leavened with sourdough starter, lightly sweetened, and perfect for your Easter celebration!
Looking for a festive braided bread centerpiece for your Easter table? Look no further! This beautiful, naturally leavened Sourdough Italian Easter Bread is special! It combines the rich tradition of Italian Easter bread with the wonderful complexity of sourdough… It takes time, but the results are worth it.
Italian Easter bread is also known as ‘Pane di Pasqua,’.. It’s a traditional Easter Italian sweet bread, and a symbol and a of celebration of new life! If you are looking for an Easter treat that’s more meaningful than candy or cookies, this one is for you!
Italian Easter bread is festive, delicious, soft, fluffy dough, is braided into a pretty shape, and decorated with dyed eggs baked into the top… It’s a sweet, enriched bread, kind of like brioche, but with a few extra touches that scream “celebration!” It’s a symbol of new life and springtime, meant to be shared with family and friends. You can flavor it with orange or lemon zest, for a bright flavor, or make without… Either way, it’s the perfect Easter Sourdough Brunch or Easter dessert recipe.
Making it Sourdough
This bread is just so special… It’s a traditional Easter bread recipe with sourdough starter to create a flavor and texture that’s absolutely irresistible. It’s got a subtle sourdough tang, it’s beautiful to look at, and it’s perfect for sharing with family and friends this Easter.
This bread because is not only beautiful, but it’s also a wonderful way to use sourdough starter to create something unique for Easter. Give it a try, and let me know how it turns out! You’re gonna love it!
This Sourdough Italian Easter Bread is gonna be the star of your Easter table!
Same Day or Overnight Recipe: This naturally leavened Easter bread is It’s one big, sweet, beautiful loaf as is, and you’ll have a beautiful loaf in a few hours. But, if you’re short on time or just want to spread out the work, here’s the overnight trick: After your first rise, when the dough has doubled, instead of shaping it right away, gently punch it down, cover it well with plastic wrap, and pop it in the fridge. The cold slows down the fermentation, so you can leave it overnight. The next morning, take it out, let it come to room temperature for about an hour or so, and then shape it, do the second rise, and bake as usual. This overnight method is great for getting ahead and still having that fresh-baked bread goodness!
Serving Sourdough Italian Easter Bread
Usually Sourdough Italian Easter Bread is served on Easter Sunday, and Easter Monday but it’s also common throughout the Easter Season! Traditionally it’s served as a centerpiece with the whole died easter eggs baked right into the braid.
Top Each Slice of this sourdough braid with butter, honey butter, strawberry freezer jam, or a dusting of powdered sugar.
For an Easter Brunch serve Sourdough Easter Bread with prosciutto or bacon, sausage, cheeses and fresh fruits.
For an Easter Dessert serve this delicious easter bread with a drizzle of lemon glaze for a little extra sweetness.
During Easter Week Serve your Easter Bread with a cup of tea, fresh berries, and cheese.
Pro Tips
Prevent Cracked Eggs: Some traditional Italian bakers do not pre-boil the eggs, and allow the eggs to hard boil while the bread is baking. This is a practice that is done, however, it does come with risks of the egg exploding within the loaf.
Don’t let this happen to you! You can PREVENT the eggs from cracking while baking by using already hardboiled easter eggs with proper placement to prevent breaking. If you use raw eggs they can crack during baking.
Place your pre-cooked, died and fully cooled easter eggs is during the second rise, after you’ve shaped the loaf. At this stage, the dough is already somewhat risen, but still pliable. Avoid pressing the eggs in too early, because the dough will continue to expand, and you risk the eggs cracking.
Ferment Time – Bulk Rising Time: Sourdough Italian Easter bread uses two rise times: The first rise, where the dough doubles in size, takes about 4-6 hours. Then, after you shape it, there’s a second rise for 1-2 hours, until it looks nice and puffy. Remember, these times can change a bit depending on how warm your kitchen is. If your kitchen is warmer it’ll rise faster, if it’s colder it will take longer.
Braiding Dough: Braiding can seem tricky, but it’s easier than it looks! You can roll out the dough into two long strands, like ropes, and then twist them together. This creates a beautiful spiral effect. Once you’ve twisted the strands, you can form the braid into a circular wreath, and pinch the ends together.
Can I Make it ahead? Yes you can… but it’s best fresh! So prepare the dough up to the first rise, and then place it in the fridge overnight. Then the next day, let it come to room temperature, and continue with the recipe!
Get Baking!
Let’s peek at the ingredients. We’re starting with a cup of bubbly, active sourdough starter—that’s the heart of our bread! (Make sure it’s active so your bread rises well, this bread will be dense if the starter isn’t nice and active.) Mix that with warm water and a bit of sugar to get it going. Then, we add in eggs, milk, melted butter, optional orange and lemon zest, and vanilla—basically, all the good stuff that makes this bread rich and delicious. A little salt for flavor, and then we’re adding flour until we get a nice, smooth dough.
Here’s the fun part: kneading! We’re gonna knead this dough for about 8-10 minutes until it’s nice and elastic…. It’s therapeutic, enjoy it! Then, into a lightly oiled bowl it goes for that first rise. Remember, a warm place really helps, like around 75-80 degrees.
Shaping: After it’s doubled, we punch it down (yes, it’s strangely satisfying!), shape it into an oval, and let it rise again on a baking sheet. If you’re using those gorgeous dyed eggs, now’s the time to gently press them into the top.
Finishing Touches: Before baking, we’ll brush it with an egg yolk for that lovely golden color and sprinkle on some colored sprinkles for extra festive vibes. Then, into a 350-degree oven it goes until it’s perfectly baked and the internal temp hits 190-200 degrees.
A Few Tips
Bread flour or high-gluten flour is your friend here. And remember, rise times can vary, so keep an eye on your dough. A slightly warm oven with the light on is a great trick for those rises!
Recipe Card
If you make this recipe, I’d really appreciate a review…. Thank YOU!
Sourdough Italian Easter Bread – Long Fermented Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup sourdough starter bubbly and active!
- 1/4 cup water warm (100-105°F)
- 1/4 cup sugar granulated white cane
- 4 eggs large
- 1 egg yolk for egg wash
- 1/4 cup milk warm (100-105°F)
- 1/4 cup butter salted, melted and cooled slightly
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 1/2 flour 4 1/2 – 5 cups all purpose flour
- 3 hard-boiled eggs 3-4 hard-boiled eggs, dyed – *Optional
- 2 teaspoons colored sprinkles *Optional
- 1 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest optional
- 1 1/2 teaspoon orange zest optional
Instructions
- Activate Starter: In a large bowl, combine sourdough starter, warm water, and sugar. Stir until combined and let stand for 15-20 minutes until bubbly and active.
- Combine Wet Ingredients: Add eggs, milk, melted butter, and vanilla extract to the activated starter, and optional lemon and orange zest (if using). Stir to combine.
- Add Dry Ingredients: Gradually add flour to the wet ingredients, mixing with a wooden spoon or your hands until a dough forms.
- Knead: Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 8-10 minutes until smooth and elastic.
- First Rise: Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, turning to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place (around 75-80°F) for 4-6 hours, or until doubled in size.
- Shape: Punch down the dough and gently shape into a large oval loaf.
- Second Rise: Place the shaped dough on a parchment-lined baking sheet. If using dyed eggs, gently press them into the top of the dough. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise for another 1-2 hours, or until slightly puffy.
- Prepare for Baking: Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Egg Wash: Brush the top of the dough with the egg yolk. Sprinkle with colored sprinkles, if desired.
- Bake: Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until golden brown and internal temperature reaches 190-200°F.
- Cool: Let the bread cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes before slicing and serving.
Notes
Nutrition
About Juliea
Juliea Huffaker is the creator of Farmhouse Harvest, and dedicated to teaching from-scratch cooking, sourdough baking, gardening, and food preservation. With over 25 years of hands-on experience she has preserved hundreds of jars of produce, mastered the art of meats and sourdough baking, and nurtured a thriving organic garden. Her recipes and articles have been featured across the web. And she’s passionate about inspiring others to embrace a simpler, self-sufficient life style.
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