Traditional Italian Easter bread is made from a slightly sweet, soft brioche dough formed into a wreath shape with colored eggs baked right in. You can let it rise overnight in the refrigerator and bake it in the morning if you wish.
0 Dye 6 raw eggs and set aside to dry.
1 Mix yeast, 2 tablespoons of sugar, water, and 1 ½ cups flour until smooth.
2 Set aside until sponge has doubled, about 1 hour.
3 Cream the butter, 1 cup of sugar, and salt together in a bowl.
4 Stir in the lime zest, juice, and vanilla.
5 Add 3 of the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
6 Add the egg white and mix well.
7 Stir in the yeast mixture and add the remaining flour until a smooth dough forms and pulls away from the bowl.
8 Knead with a dough hook for 5 minutes by machine or 10 minutes by hand on a lightly floured surface. Don't use too much flour - you want a soft dough.
9 Oil the dough and place it in a greased bowl. Cover with a warm, damp towel and let rise about 1 hour, or until double.
10 Deflate gently and divide dough into 4 pieces.
11 Let rest for 5 minutes.
12 Roll each piece into a rope about 18 inches long.
13 Lay 2 ropes next to each other.
14 Loosely braid (or twist) them together, making sure you can separate the strands to put the 3 of the dyed (raw) eggs in.
15 Seal the ends together to make a ring. Think of the shape of a wreath.
16 Separate the ropes to fit the eggs into the braid.
17 Repeat with the other two ropes, adding the remaining dyed eggs.
27 Place on a large baking sheet covered with parchment paper.
18 Let rise until double, about 40 minutes.
19 Preheat the oven to 350F.
20 Bake the loaves in a preheated oven for 10 minutes.
21 Beat the egg yolk and cream (egg wash).
22 Remove the bread from the oven. Brush the egg wash mixture on to the Easter Bread.
23 Decorate with sprinkles.
24 Return to the oven and continue to bake until the loaves sound hollow when tapped, about 30 to 40 minutes.
25 Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack.
26 Dust cooled loaf with powdered sugar.
