This Italian Easter Bread is Italy's answer to Hot Cross Buns. Full of symbolism and tasty as well! Whether you use multi-colored eggs, red eggs or uncolored eggs, this bread will be the crowning of your Easter table
1 teaspoonanise seeds((or more according to taste))
½teaspoonsalt
1¼cupswhole milk
2eggs(at room temperature)
½cupunsalted butter(at room temperature)
Egg wash
1egg beaten with 1 teaspoon water
Icing
1cuppowdered sugar
2teaspoonslemon juice
2teaspoonswater
Dyed eggs
5eggs
food coloring
8teaspoonwhite vinegar
To decorate
colored sprinkles
Instructions
Grind anise seeds with mortar and pestle as finely as you can. Warm milk until just tepid.
Place 4 cups flour, sugar, orange peel, instant dried yeast, anise seeds and salt into bowl of stand mixer. Attach the dough hook. Add in the milk and eggs into the mixer. Turn the mixer on slowly. When the dough comes together add the butter, one tablespoon at a time until well incorporated. If the dough is very sticky add more of the additional flour. Knead until smooth and elastic. Remove the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 1/2 hours.
Scrape the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and divide into three equal portions. Roll out each into a long (about 24in/60cm) rope.
Plait and carefully twist into a ring, join the ends and place on a tray lined with non-stick parchment paper.
In the meantime preheat the oven to 350ºF/180ºC.
Allow the dough to rise in a warm place until double again which should only take about 30 minutes.
When risen, brush with egg wash.
Arrange the eggs on the dough and push in slightly.
Bake for about 30 minutes until well browned and cooked through. Cool on a rack.
Make icing
Sift the powdered sugar into a small bowl.
Whisk together the powdered sugar with lemon juice and enough water to make a runny icing.
Drizzle icing over the bread but not on the eggs. Scatter with colored sprinkles
How to color eggs
Color two eggs of red, blue and green and one of yellow in the following method.
For each color - spoon two teaspoons of white vinegar and 20 or 30 drops of food coloring into a small bowl.
Add one cup of hot water from the kitchen tap.
Carefully place desired number of eggs into the colored hot water.
Spoon colored water over the eggs and move them around in the water until colored which should only take 5 minutes.
Set on paper towels to dry.
Allow to dry for one hour before use.
Notes
You can eat the eggs as they will be cooked along with the dough. Naturally don't leave them sitting out with in the dough for hours and then expect them to still be good. You can remove the eggs and refrigerate then place them back in for serving.