Sweet Easter Bread With Sprinkles

By
Leah Maroney
Leah Maroney
Leah Maroney
A recipe developer and food photographer, Leah Maroney is an ardent home cook and food blogger who has written over 300 recipes for The Spruce Eats.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 07/18/21
Sweet Easter Bread With Sprinkles

The Spruce / Sonia Bozzo

Prep: 60 mins
Cook: 30 mins
Total: 90 mins
Servings: 16 servings
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
235 Calories
5g Fat
42g Carbs
7g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 16
Amount per serving
Calories 235
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 5g 7%
Saturated Fat 2g 11%
Cholesterol 21mg 7%
Sodium 150mg 7%
Total Carbohydrate 42g 15%
Dietary Fiber 3g 10%
Total Sugars 17g
Protein 7g
Vitamin C 1mg 3%
Calcium 32mg 2%
Iron 2mg 9%
Potassium 162mg 3%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Surprise your family Easter morning with a freshly baked loaf of this soft and sweet yeast bread coated with a glaze and cute colored sprinkles, similar to a traditional Italian Easter bread. The dough is studded with raisins and tinged with orange zest, making for a bread with a bit of tang and nice texture.

As long as you leave the time for the bread to rise twice, this recipe is a cinch; the dough and glaze are super easy to whip together, and decorating couldn't be simpler. Make it ahead of time and this delicious bread will be ready as soon as the Easter Bunny arrives.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup raisins

  • 1 (1/4-ounce) package active dried yeast

  • 1/4 cup lukewarm water

  • 1 cup scalded milk

  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter

  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • 1 large egg

  • 1 tablespoon orange zest

  • 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

  • 1 tablespoon milk

  • 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

  • 1/4 cup round sprinkles

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients for Easter bread

    The Spruce / Sonia Bozzo

  2. In a small bowl, soak the raisins in warm water for about 20 minutes, or as long as it takes to make the dough. This ensures that they will be moist and delicious in the bread.

    Soak raisins in a bowl

    The Spruce / Sonia Bozzo

  3. In another small bowl, combine the yeast with the lukewarm water and let sit for a few minutes.

    Combine yeast and lukewarm water in a bowl

    The Spruce / Sonia Bozzo

  4. In a large bowl, combine the hot, scalded (not boiled) milk with the butter, sugar, and salt. Allow the butter to melt and the sugar and salt to dissolve in the hot milk. Cool the milk and butter mixture until it is lukewarm.

    Combine milk with butter and sugar

    The Spruce / Sonia Bozzo

  5. Add the yeast mixture to the lukewarm milk mixture and stir to combine.

    Add yeast to milk in a bowl

    The Spruce / Sonia Bozzo

  6. Beat in the egg and the orange zest.

    Beat in egg and orange zest into the yeast mixture

    The Spruce / Sonia Bozzo

  7. Place the mixture in the bowl of a stand mixer; put on low speed and slowly add in the flour. Mix until it is completely incorporated and a soft dough has formed.

    Place mixture in the bowl of a stand mixer

    The Spruce / Sonia Bozzo

  8. Strain the raisins and add them to the dough. Mix again until the raisins are fully incorporated into the dough.

    Stir in raisins into the dough mixture in the stand mixer

    The Spruce / Sonia Bozzo

  9. Cover the dough and allow to rise for 30 minutes, until the dough has about doubled.

    cover dough in the bowl with a towel

    The Spruce / Sonia Bozzo

  10. Grease two 9 by 5-inch loaf pans.

    greased bread pans

    The Spruce / Sonia Bozzo

  11. Split the dough in half. Roll each half into a rectangle and place each in a prepared loaf pan.

    dough in greased pans

    The Spruce / Sonia Bozzo

  12. Cover the loaves with a towel and let rise for about 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 F.

    dough in pans covered with a towel

    The Spruce / Sonia Bozzo

  13. Bake the loaves for about 30 minutes, or until golden brown.

    baked dough in pans

    The Spruce / Sonia Bozzo

  14. Meanwhile, whisk together the milk and powdered sugar.

    mix together the milk and powdered sugar in a bowl

    The Spruce / Sonia Bozzo

  15. Let bread cool in pans for a few minutes and then turn out onto cooling racks. Once the bread has mostly cooled, pour the glaze over the top of the loaves. Then add the sprinkles over the top.

    Sweet Easter Bread With Sprinkles

    The Spruce / Sonia Bozzo