Traditional Italian Easter Bread Recipe

Dip 5 of the eggs in the food coloring or egg dye and set aside to dry in the refrigerator.

Add 1 cup of warm water into a large bowl and sprinkle the yeast over the top. Let sit for 5-10 minutes until it starts to foam.

Add in the remaining ½ cup of warm water and sift in 1 ½ cups of the all purpose flour. Mix and beat well with a wooden spoon until mostly smooth.

Cover the bowl with a towel or plastic wrap and let sit in a warm place for 1-2 hours or until doubled in size.

In another large bowl, add the shortening with the lemon juice and lemon zest. Whip with an electric hand mixer until the shortening is softened and combined with the juice and zest.

Slowly mix in the sugar and salt, whipping after each addition until the mixture is fluffy.

Crack two of the remaining eggs into a medium bowl and separate the last egg. Add the egg white to the bowl with the whole eggs and reserve the egg yolk in the refrigerator for use later.

Whip the eggs and egg whites with an electric hand mixer for 2-3 minutes until thick and piled softly.

Add the egg mixture, in thirds, to the shortening mixture, whipping after each addition.

Pour the risen yeast and flour mixture into the shortening and egg mixture and use a wooden spoon to mix by hand until smooth.

Add one half of the remaining flour and beat until smooth.

Gradually add in the last half of the flour mixture, a little bit at a time, until you have a smooth dough. All of the flour may not be used.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 4-5 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic.

Grease a clean large bowl with butter or baking spray and add the dough to the bowl. Flip it over so the dough is greased on all sides and then cover the bowl with a towel or plastic wrap. Let the dough rise for 1-2 hours or until doubled in size.

Punch down the dough and then divide it into two pieces and shape into balls. Cover loosely with a towel on the counter and let rest for 10 minutes. While the dough is resting, preheat the oven to 350˚. Roll each ball of dough into a long rope that is approximately 36 inches long and 1 ½ inches thick.

Using the two long pieces of dough, loosely braid the dough into a ring, leaving spaces in the braid for the 5 colored eggs.

Place the ring on the prepared baking sheet and place the colored eggs inside the spaces of the braid.

Bake the bread for 10 minutes in the preheated oven. While the bread is baking, mix together the reserved egg yolk with the milk in a small bowl.

Brush the top of the bread with the egg wash, add sprinkles and then place it back in the oven to bake for another 35-45 minutes until it is golden brown.

Remove and let cool for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.