Just spectacular! Thanks for sharing and inspiring!

Nancy

Very pretty, the color is just right.

Nancy

Nancys are the nicest people...

thanks!

Nancy

Perfect...looks delicious..Do you make Pandora???

Beautiful!

Those are gorgeous. Egg bread is one of my favourite breads. I too love it toasted. Your colour and braiding is perfection

Gorgeous loaves!
Sherry

Nancy :
You didn't put in the recipe. I wanted to see if it was the same as mine.
I don't like Citron either.

Lou's , are nice people too !!!

lol, Lou, yes they are.

I didn't share the recipe as it is a family secret and then I'd have to kill you. :)

nah, actually, I don't mind sharing:

here is how I used to make it--now I just put all the liquids in my KA mixer, dump in all the flour at once and knead with dough hook until it cleans the bowl. (flour is always King Arthur regular)

Italian Easter Bread
from Mary Gallo Mitchell

makes 3 large loaves

½ c. milk
2/3 c. sugar
1 tsp. salt
6 tbs. butter
2/3 c. warm water
2 packages of yeast
4 eggs
6 2/3 c. flour
1 tsp. fennel seeds crushed.

Scald milk. Stir in sugar, salt and butter. Let cool.

In large bowl, mix warm water and yeast, let sit until dissolved. Add cooled milk mixture. Stir in eggs and fennel.

Add 1 ¼ c. flour and beat. Add rest of flour slowly. Knead until dough forms a smooth ball that is not sticky.

Place in a greased bowl covered with plastic and a kitchen towel. Place in a warm spot and let rise about 1 ½ hours until double.

Punch down, knead lightly. Divide dough into 3 parts. Keep 2 covered.

Divide into 3 parts again. Roll each into a long rope. Make a loose braid and place on a greased cookie sheet, tucking ends under.
Repeat with 2 remaining parts of dough.

Cover braids with plastic and towels and let rise again until doubled in bulk.

Brush loaves with melted butter and bake at 350F for approx. 30 minutes, until brown.

Immediately brush crust with beaten egg. Remove to rack to cool.

Just beautiful! Thanks for sharing.

/tricia

namabafo: Yes , the recipe is basically the same. Thanks.
I forgot which I used for the Easter bread.( The one like a Basket shape )

You're neater with the Braiding, I'm a slob. I bake in Loaf Pans, sometimes.
I can fit more in the oven. Either way they don't stay around too long.
LOU

Nancy, you've inspired me. I've been debating about whether or not to bake a Greek Easter Bread. Same basic recipe as yours. Depending on the family tradition, it can be flavored with orange peel, lemon, peel, and even anise seeds. But two flavorings are unique to the Greek bread -- mahleb and/or masticha. Also traditional is the braided wreath with red colored eggs.

After years of pining for the Easter breads made at the Greek bakeries in the Los Angeles area, I finally broke down and baked some myself. I only used mahleb for flavoring, and it was everything I remembered. Thanks for posting your pictures. The breads look absolutely beautiful. I think I'll just use your recipe and sub some mahleb for the fennel.

Purdy! My neighbor uses Sambuca to make her bread baskets, the challah braid looks like a lot less work! They really are beautiful.

Bread baskets? I'm intrigued. My family never did that.

My mother always made the Italian Easter bread but for some reason it was always very "tough". I'd like to start making it again, though. Maybe I'll give your recipe a try, namabafo. The breads look gorgeous! Are yours softer like challah or more crusty?

I made teeny, tiny pannetones this year for Easter. They were adorable & very tasty. Unfortunately there are none left for me to photograph. I used the small, paper pannetone wrappers from King Arthur flour & they worked wonderfully.

Nina