Description
This recipe is from Italy. The Italians love it, especially at Easter time.
Ingredients
- 5 eggs
- ¼ cup white sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- ⅔ cup milk
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- ½ cup mixed candied fruit
- ⅓ cup chopped blanched almonds
- ½ teaspoon anise seed
- 2 tablespoons melted shortening
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1 tablespoon whole milk
- ⅛ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons multicolored sprinkles (jimmies)
Instructions
- Color the 5 eggs with egg dye. In a large mixing bowl
- blend the white sugar
- salt
- and yeast well with 1 cup of the flour.
- In a saucepan
- combine 2/3 cup milk and butter
- heating slowly until liquid is warm and butter is melted. Pour the milk into the dry ingredients and beat 125 strokes with a wooden spoon. Add eggs and 1/2 cup flour or enough to make a thick batter. Beat vigorously for 2 minutes. Stir in enough flour to make a ball of dough that draws away from the sides of the bowl.
- Turn out onto a floured board and knead for about 10 minutes
- working in additional flour to overcome stickiness. Place the dough in a greased bowl
- turning to grease the top. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and put in a warm
- draft-free place until doubled in bulk
- about 1 hour.
- Meanwhile
- combine the fruit
- nuts
- and anise seed.
- Punch down the dough and return it to a lightly floured board. Knead in the fruit mixture
- keeping the syrupy pieces dusted with flour until they are worked into the dough. Divide the dough in half.
- Carefully roll each piece into a 24-inch rope–the fruit and nuts will make this slightly difficult. Loosely twist the two ropes together and form a ring on a greased baking sheet. Pinch the ends together well. Brush the dough with melted shortening. Push aside the twist to make a place for each egg. Push eggs down carefully as far as possible. Cover the bread with wax paper and let rise in a warm
- draft-free place until doubled in bulk
- about 1 hour.
- Bake the bread in a preheated 350 degree F (175 degrees C) oven for about 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in a twist comes out clean. Place on a wire rack to cool.
- Once the bread is cool
- drizzle the icing on top between the eggs
- and decorate with colored sprinkles. To make icing: mix together confectioners’ sugar
- 1 tablespoon whole milk
- and vanilla.
Prep Time: 30 mins
Cook Time: 35 mins
Total Time: 3 hrs 5 mins
Servings: 6