Italian Easter Sweet Bread Recipe: Pane di Pasqua

Pane di Pasqua, also known as Italian Easter Bread, is a fluffy braided bread made with sweet yeast dough traditionally made at Easter time. This authentic recipe yields three beautiful loaves that are perfect for sharing with family and friends.

Jump to:

• Introduction
• Mise en place
• Assembling the dough
• Kneading and proofing the dough
• How to braid the dough
• Baking the bread
• Braided Easter Bread Variations
• Tips
• FAQ
• More Italian Easter recipes
• Recipe origins
• Recipe

Introduction

Would you like to make a traditional Italian sweet bread recipe for Easter?

This pane di pasqua, which literally means Easter bread in Italian, is a beautiful braided lightly sweetened dough. It is made with mashed potatoes and oil instead of butter.

All you need are a few ingredients and some easy steps to follow. The end result is a stunningly light and delicate braided Easter bread with a beautiful golden crust.

Much like these mashed potato cinnamon rolls, this Easter bread gets its light and fluffy texture from the addition of Russet potatoes. The result is a deliciously soft and tender bread that is perfect for celebrating an Italian Easter.

If you have never tried making yeast bread before, don’t worry. 

There was a time I was absolutely apprehensive about using yeast. I had this preconceived idea that only professional bakers had the magical ability to decipher when the first rising was complete.

I’m here to tell you that making this recipe for the best Easter bread is not only simple, but the procedure is very straightforward.

I can confidently tell you that you’ll feel as though every effort has been worth it after you make this delectable Easter bread!

This recipe yields three braided Italian Easter loaves of bread, one to enjoy immediately and two to share with friends or to freeze for later.

I will walk you through every step of the process so that you can make three delicious loaves of your own!

Mise en place

A few ingredients need to be prepared before beginning this recipe.

Boil the potatoes: First, you’ll need to boil 2 medium russet potatoes for about 15 minutes or until they are fork-tender. You need about 200 grams of riced potatoes. If you do not have a scale, this is about 1½ cups. If you do not have a potato ricer, you can use the large holes of a box grater or mash lightly with a fork. Be careful not to overmanipulate. 

Room temperature eggs: Simply remove 5 eggs from the refrigerator and set them on the counter. Allow them to come to room temperature, for about 30 minutes.

Warm the milk: Place 1 cup of milk (2% or whole) in a small saucepan over medium heat and warm until it is lukewarm, about 105°F (41°C). Do not let it get any hotter than that or you risk deactivating the yeast.

Dissolve the yeast: In a small bowl, combine 1 cup of lukewarm milk with 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar and 8 grams (2¼ teaspoons) of active dry yeast.

Stir gently until the yeast is completely dissolved and set it aside for about 10-15 minutes to allow the mixture to become frothy.

If you do not see any foam after 10 minutes, your yeast is likely inactive and you’ll need to start over with fresh yeast.

Make the orange sugar: Combine 1 cup of granulated sugar and the zest of one orange in a small bowl. Using your fingertips, rub them together in a circular motion for a couple of minutes. Notice how the sugar undergoes a color and aroma change as it absorbs the oils from the orange. Set aside for now.

Sift the flour: Sift 1kg of all-purpose flour in a large bowl. If you do not have a scale, this is about 7 cups of flour. To properly weigh flour, fluff, then scoop and level it off with the back of a knife. 

Prepare the simple egg wash: Whisk together one whole egg with a tablespoon of milk in a small bowl. Set this aside until you are ready to use it.

Assembling the dough

Now that we have all of our ingredients prepared, we can begin making the braided Italian Easter bread!

In a large mixing bowl of a stand mixer, whisk the eggs at medium speed until they are nice and frothy, about 3-4 minutes.

Gradually add 1 cup of orange sugar (refer to details in the previous section on preparing the ingredients). Whisk for another 3-4 minutes.

Whisk in ½ cup of oil and 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract on low speed.

In a small bowl, whisk together 200 grams of riced potatoes and the yeast mixture (refer to details in the previous section on preparing the ingredients). This will create a slurry.

With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the yeast slurry. Whisk together for one minute.

Kneading and proofing the dough

Now, with the mixer still on low speed, add about ⅓-½ of the sifted all-purpose flour (1 kg total). Whisk together for 1 minute.

Switch to the dough hook attachment. Add the rest of the flour and knead for 8-10 minutes until smooth and elastic. The dough should pull away from the sides of the bowl, but it should be sticking to the bottom.

To test the dough consistency, press your finger lightly into the dough. It should be soft and slightly tacky to the touch.

If it’s too sticky, add a little more flour (a tablespoon at a time) until you achieve the right consistency.

Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl. Make sure to give the dough a good turn while coating it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.

Allow the dough to rise in a warm place, draft-free, for about 1 hour or until double in size.

Tip: To assist the dough rise, I put it in my oven on the bread-proof setting.

After the first rise, gently deflate it by punching and pressing down. Cover and allow it to rest for an additional 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.

How to braid the dough

Press down on the dough once more to deflate it again.

Transfer the dough to a clean work surface and divide it into three equal parts using a kitchen scale. 

Cover each ball of dough loosely with plastic wrap to prevent them from drying out.

Working with one ball of dough at a time, use a kitchen scale to divide it into three equal pieces. Cover loosely with plastic cling wrap.

1. Then, taking one piece at a time, knead it briefly for 15 seconds, then roll it out into a long rope that is about 10 inches long and 1½ inch thick. Make sure that the ropes are even in thickness so that they will braid evenly.
2. Pinch together 3 strips of dough at the top end.
3. Begin braiding by bringing the left strip of dough over the middle strip. 
4. Then, bring the right strip of dough to the middle.
5. Repeat again -left then right. 
6. Braid the three ropes together by intertwining one over the other two. 
7. Repeat again -left then right.
8. You are almost done! One more time.
9. Pinch the ends together. Tuck the end underneath and pinch it to secure.

Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover loosely with plastic film.

Repeat braiding with the other two balls of dough.

Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise until almost double in size, 45 minutes. The dough should spring back lightly if you poke it with your knuckles.

Baking the bread

Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 350 °F (180 °C).

When the dough is ready, brush the entire surface lightly with the egg wash (1 large egg beaten with 1 tablespoon of milk) using a pastry brush. This will give the bread a nice, glossy finish.

Bake for 45-50 minutes or until deep golden brown. 

Depending on your oven, you might want to place a sheet of aluminum paper loosely over the loaves, to prevent them from over-browning.

The bread should sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. Remove them from the oven and let them cool completely on a wire rack before slicing and serving.

Braided Easter Bread Variations

While this recipe yields a traditional Italian Easter bread, there are a number of ways that you can vary it:

• Instead of braiding the dough, form it into six round loaves.
• Replace the orange zest with lemon zest.
• To take it a step further, try adding different flavor profiles to the dough. Nuts and raisins are two popular additions.
• Instead of or in addition to vanilla extract, use almond and/or anise extracts.
• For a non-traditional look top the bread with poppy seeds, pearled sugar or colorful sprinkles before baking.
• Omit the egg wash and instead brush the bread with warm milk or water. It will still achieve a golden look but without the sheen. 

Tips

• Check the expiration date on the yeast and test it to see if it’s still viable.
• Have the eggs at room temperature for simpler mixing. This includes the egg used for the egg wash.
• Use russet potatoes because they have a high starch content and yield a fluffy texture in the bread.
• The most precise technique to measure flour is by weight. If you don’t have a kitchen scale, fluff your flour and then scoop it using a dry measuring cup and level it off with the back of a knife. For reference, 1 cup of all-purpose flour = 142 grams [source]. 
• There’s no need to flour your wooden board since you want the dough to adhere to it while rolling and shaping the logs. You can prevent the soft dough from sticking to your hands by dusting your palms with flour.
• This sweet braided Easter bread is best if served the same day they are made.  As with most sweet yeast bread, they dry out quickly.

FAQ

More Italian Easter recipes

Another Southern Italian favorite, originating from the Molise region is fiadone. The savory Easter cheese pie is made with three different types of cheeses. The sweet fiadone, are mini ricotta pies filled with a sweet ricotta filling. Originating from Naples, Pastiera is another very popular Italian Easter dessert that is a must-try!

Recipe origins

When a colleague of mine, Fabiana, learned of my yeast obsession, she was generous enough to share her family’s recipe for this sweet Easter bread with me. It’s been part of my Easter festivities ever since.

My friend’s mom was born in Ururi. This is a small town in the province of Campobasso, in the Italian region of Molise. I learned that Albanian refugees migrated following the Balkans’ invasion in the 15th century by the Ottoman empire.

Ururi was one of the places where these uprooted Albanians settled in. I can’t help but wonder if this recipe, which according to Fabiana, was always referred to as poprati, was influenced by the Arbëreshë people.

The original recipe said, with regards to flour, to use quanto basta – which essentially means to use as much flour as the mixture will absorb. 

If you think that a description like that in a recipe is super vague and unhelpful, you are not alone. These two words have haunted so many of us trying to recapture and honor our families’ recipes. But we are a resilient group as we continue to bake and document as best as we can.

I want to mention that Fabiana’s original recipe used 1½ cups of sugar. I reduced it to 1 cup. That’s the beauty of recipes, and you can adapt to your own preferences.

Lina’s delicious Easter bread…also referred to as Pane di Pasqua… I absolutely love it!

Thank you, Fabiana, for sharing your mom’s poprati.

For an authentic Italian experience during this Easter season, be sure to check out more delicious recipes from our Easter category.

★★★★★ If you have made this traditional Italian Easter bread, I would love to hear about it in the comments below and be sure to rate the recipe!

Recipe

This post was originally published on April 1, 2015, and republished on March 28, 2022, with updated content and photos. Thanks for sharing!