Easy Italian Easter Bread

🧂 Ingredients

• 2½ cups all purpose flour
• 1 zest lemon
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2½ tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1½ teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1 large egg (room temperature)
• 2 tablespoons butter (softened)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ½ cup + ½ tablespoon milk – lukewarm (I used whole)
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon water
• 2 tablespoons nonpareils

Instructions

• 1 In a large bowl or stand up mixer, whisk together the flour, zest, salt and
  sugar, add the yeast and mix gently, make a well in the middle and add the egg,
  butter, vanilla and milk.
• 2 Mix with a fork until it is almost combined. Then with the dough hook on speed
  2, knead the dough for 7 minutes, until smooth slightly sticky, (this dough can
  also be kneaded by hand for about 10 minutes).
• 3 Move the dough to a lightly floured flat surface and form into a ball, wrap it
  in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 40 minutes.
• 4 Remove the dough from the fridge and form into 3 ropes (approximately 14
  inches/30 cm long each), join the 3 ends and braid, starting with the one on the
  right into the middle, then left into the middle, until you have a finished
  braid. Gently squish the braid to make it smaller and more compact to fit the
  pan, then place it into a lightly greased loaf pan (9 -9.5 inch / 22-24cm),
  cover and let rise in a warm draft free area until doubled about 1 1/2 – 2
  hours.
• 5 Pre-heat oven to 350F (180C).
• 6 Brush the dough with an egg wash and sprinkle with nonpareils. Bake for 30-40
  minutes or until golden and cooked through. Immediately move the bread to a wire
  rack to cool.
• 7 Beat together the egg and water.

Nutrition Info