Nana’s Italian Easter Bread

This traditional Italian Easter Bread, also known as Pane di Pasqua, is an old family recipe; it's a rich brioche-style dough that is flavored with orange and anise, brushed with icing, and decorated with sprinkles. This colorful holiday bread is a wonderful addition to Easter brunch or to enjoy on the days leading up to Easter!

Years ago, when my husband and I began dating, my father-in-law talked often about his Nana's Easter bread, with orange and anise, and it seemed inconceivable that my grandma had never made it, but I had definitely never eaten it.

It's a fabulous bread - a rich and slightly sweet bread, but light and fluffy, and is flavored with orange and anise. He was generous enough to share his family's recipe with me so that I could make it on my own and share it with all of you.

When I shared this bread with my mom, she said that my grandma did, indeed, make this exact bread, and even remembered that she would set dyed eggs in the dough. However, she said my grandfather was the only one in the family who ate the bread, so my grandma stopped making it when he passed away. 

I was disappointed that I had never been introduced to it before, but thrilled to know that it had been a part of my family's tradition at some point, and that it was something my grandpap loved.

A Little More History

I did some reading up on Italian Easter Bread recipes before tackling this one for the first time, and found that most are flavored with citrus (orange or lemon) and anise oil and/or anise seeds. 

The bread is shaped like a wreath to symbolize the crown of thorns. 

Usually, the loaves are braided and have a dyed egg nestled into the braids in various spots. I skipped the Easter eggs, but went the traditional route with braided loaves, sweet glaze, and sprinkles (because, of course).

Key Ingredients & Notes

While you will use some basic ingredients like flour, sugar, eggs, and salt, there are a few other things you’ll need that are what make this the incredible bread it is:

• Milk – I encourage you to use whole milk for the richest bread, but you can substitute 2% if needed.
• Oranges – You will use the juice and zest from two oranges. I use this microplane for zesting citrus, and this simple juicer for extracting juice (it catches the pulp and seeds!). If you want to change up the flavor, you can use lemon zest and lemon juice.
• Active Dry Yeast – You can substitute instant yeast without making any other modifications to the recipe.
• Margarine – The original recipe calls for margarine, but you can substitute unsalted butter.
• Anise Oil – If you can only find anise extract, use 2 teaspoons, as it is not as concentrated as anise oil.

While the colored eggs are a traditional touch, if you don’t usually dye Easter eggs, don’t worry, the bread is just as delicious without! Our family typically does not include them.

How to Make Italian Easter Bread

This is a traditional two-rise bread recipe. I typically mix it in a bowl with a wooden spoon and knead by hand, but you can absolutely use a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment if you’d like.

Step 1: Make the Dough – Rub together the sugar and orange zest until the sugar is completely moistened, then stir in the warm milk to dissolve the sugar, then stir in the yeast and let sit for 10 minutes. Add this mixture to the flour and stir, then stir in the margarine and orange juice. In a separate small bowl, stir together the eggs, anise oil, and salt, and add to the dough. Add more flour if needed. 

Step 2: Knead the Dough – Once a sticky ball of dough has formed, turn it onto a floured surface and knead, adding a little more flour at a time if needed, until a smooth and elastic ball has formed, about 5 minutes.

Step 3: First Rise – Place the dough in an oiled bowl, turn to coat, then cover loosely with plastic wrap and place in a warm, draft-free spot until doubled in size, about 1 hour. 

Step 4: Shape the Bread – This recipe makes two loaves of bread, so you will divide the dough into four and work with two pieces at a time. Roll them into 24-inch ropes, then loosely twist them together, bring the ends together, then transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Twist and pinch the ends together to seal shut. Repeat with the remaining two pieces of dough to create the second loaf of bread. 

Step 5: Second Rise – Brush the loaves of bread with melted butter, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and let rise until nearly doubled in size, about 45 minutes to hour.

Step 6: Bake and Glaze – Bake the loaves one at a time at 350 degrees F until golden brown, about 30 to 40 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack, then whisk together the powdered sugar and milk and brush the glaze mixture over the loaves, then add sprinkles.

Storage and Freezing Instructions

Any leftover bread should be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap (and placed in a ziploc bag if you want extra assurance to keep it fresh) and kept at room temperature for up to 3 days. You can eat it room temperature or even toast it and add jam for breakfast!

To freeze the bread, wrap either an entire loaf or individual slices tightly in plastic wrap. If freezing a whole loaf, wrap again in aluminum foil. Place the loaf of the slices in a freezer bag and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Individual slices will thaw easily at room temperature; I recommend moving a whole loaf to the refrigerator to thaw a day in advance of serving.

Watch the Italian Easter Bread Recipe Video:

More Easter Breads

• Paska (Polish Easter Bread)
• Greek Easter Bread (Tsoureki)
• Hot Cross Buns
• Grandma’s Bacon and Cheese Easter Bread

If you make this Italian Easter bread recipe and love it, remember to stop back and give the recipe a 5-star rating - it helps others find the recipe! ❤️️