Pane di Pasqua (Italian Easter bread)
Serves: 12
Prep time: 40 minsTotal time: 
Recipe photograph by Toby Scott
Pane di Pasqua (Italian Easter bread)
Bring a splash of colour to your Easter breakfast table with this beautiful enriched bread, based on a traditional Italian recipe. Similar in texture to brioche, it’s sweet and fragrant with fennel and lemon zest
Serves: 12
Prep time: 40 minsTotal time: 
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Nutritional information (per serving)
Calories
303Kcal
Fat
8gr
Saturates
4gr
Carbs
48gr
Sugars
11gr
Fibre
2gr
Protein
8gr
Salt
0.7gr
Sarah Akhurst
Our Food Director Sarah is a food obsessive, and spends most of her time scoping out the latest food trends, experimenting in her own kitchen, or making her family wait to eat while she photographs every dinner she makes for the 'gram! A complete Middle Eastern food junkie, she is never far from a good shawarma marinade, a pinch of Aleppo chilli or a sprig of dill
See more of Sarah Akhurst’s recipes
Sarah Akhurst
Our Food Director Sarah is a food obsessive, and spends most of her time scoping out the latest food trends, experimenting in her own kitchen, or making her family wait to eat while she photographs every dinner she makes for the 'gram! A complete Middle Eastern food junkie, she is never far from a good shawarma marinade, a pinch of Aleppo chilli or a sprig of dill
See more of Sarah Akhurst’s recipes
Ingredients
- 200ml milk
- 50g caster sugar
- 1 x 7g sachet fast- action dried yeast
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 550g strong white bread flour
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 3 medium eggs
- 75g melted butter, cooled
- zest of 2 lemons
- 100g cut mixed peel
- oil, to grease
- 1½ tbsp coloured sprinkles*
For the tinted eggs**
- 5 medium eggs
- assorted gel food colouring*
Step by step
Get ahead
Plait and shape the wreath a day ahead, cover and chill overnight. Remove from the fridge an hour before baking, add the eggs, glaze and sprinkles and let it rise.
- First, make the tinted eggs. For each colour, add colouring to small bowls of water. Immerse the eggs, dousing with a spoon, until they reach your desired colour. Let dry on kitchen paper.
- Put the milk in a saucepan and heat just to blood temperature (barely warm). Remove from the heat and add the sugar, stir to dissolve, then add the yeast. Set aside for 5 minutes.
- Grind the fennel seeds using a pestle and mortar. Put the flour in a freestanding mixer with the dough hook attached and add the ground fennel and salt. Lightly beat 2 of the eggs and whisk together with the melted butter and lemon zest. Make a well in the centre of the flour and add the yeasty milk plus the egg and butter mixture. Knead slowly for 8-10 minutes, or until you have a soft, smooth dough. Finally mix through the mixed peel. The dough will be quite soft and sticky.
- Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl, cover and leave to prove in a warm place for 1-2 hours, or until doubled in size.
- Line a large baking tray with baking paper. Transfer the dough to a floured work surface and divide into three. Roll each into a long rope, around 65cm. Pinchall three strands together at one end, plait then pinch together at the other end. Transfer to the tray and shape into a wreath, securing the two ends together. Dot the coloured eggs around the ring, opening up the strands to help them nestle into the dough. Beat the remaining egg and brush all over the wreath, avoiding the tinted eggs. Scatter with sprinkles and leave to rise again in a warm place for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 180°C, fan 160°C, gas 4.
-
Bake the bread for 25 minutes, or until golden. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.
*Check your food colouring and coloured sprinkles are vegetarian, if required.
**For decoration only.
