Easter Crown Bread
Easter Crown Bread is a traditional European recipe for a classic loaf of plaited fruited bread that is studded with five coloured eggs before being baked and which is traditionally served at Easter time. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic European version of: Easter Crown Bread.
prep time
20 minutes
cook time
35 minutes
Total Time:
55 minutes
Additional Time:
(+100 minutes proving)
Serves:
8
Rating: 
Tags : Bread RecipesBaking RecipesCake RecipesEuropean Recipes
To decorate this pretty
Easter crown, you will need 5 coloured eggs but they must be UNCOOKED. Be sure to use non-toxic dyes as you colour them. This is also sometimes known as 'Italian Easter Bread'.
Ingredients:
650 to 700g plain flour (divided use)
50g granulated sugar
1 packet active dry yeast
1 teaspoon salt
160ml warm milk
2 tbsp softened butter or margarine
2 eggs
90g chopped, mixed, candied fruit
50g chopped, blanched,
almonds
1/2 tsp
aniseed
5 uncooked eggs
Non-toxic egg colouring
Vegetable oil
Method:
In a large mixing bowl, combine 200g flour with the sugar, yeast, and salt. Add the milk and butter and beat with an electric mixer for 2 minutes on medium. Add the eggs and 100g flour and beat on high for 2 minutes. Stir-in the fruit, nuts, and aniseed, mixing well. Then stir in enough of the remaining flour to form a soft dough. Turn this out onto a lightly-floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic (about 6 to 8 minutes). Place the dough in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover with a damp cloth or plastic wrap and leave to rise in a warm place until doubled in size (about 1 hour).
About 30 minutes before the dough has finished rising, colour the 5 eggs (leave them uncooked) with non-toxic dyes. When dry, lightly rub them with vegetable oil.
Knock back the risen dough and divide in half. Roll each half into a 24-inch rope. On a greased baking sheet, loosely twist the two ropes together then shape into a ring and pinch the ends together. Gently split the ropes and tuck the 5 coloured uncooked eggs into the openings. Cover and let rise again until doubled in size (about 30 minutes). Bake in an oven pre-heated to 180°C (350°F/Gas Mark 4) for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the bread is golden brown. Remove from the baking sheet and allow to cool on a wire rack.
Find more Easter Recipes Here
