Italian bread is fragrant, delicious, and super simple to make. Even those of us who aren’t the most gifted of bakers can do it. The loaf is slightly reminiscent of holiday time (hence the reason it’s often served at Easter) and reminds me faintly of Panettone with the use of orange zest and dried fruit.

It would make one hell of a french toast on Easter Sunday. Or any weekend really. It’s comforting yet light and ridiculously aromatic, making it well suited for a Winter or Spring brunch.

Table of Contents Show

Egg & Raisin Bread Recipe

From farm, to factory, to store, to kitchen, to table, to mouth, to belly, to pooper. Every meal tells a story about how that dish got in front of us. And those stories are cooked up and served to us each and every time we put our forks in our gobs.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe Add to Collection

Cuisine Italian

Servings loaves

Equipment

1 Bowl
1 Large bowl
1 stirrer
1 greased baking pans
1 Oven

Ingredients

1 C sugar (250 ml)
½ C warm water (125 ml)
1 Tbsp dry active yeast (15 ml)
1 C milk (250 ml) + 1 Tbsp (15 ml)
3 pieces pastured eggs
½ C unsalted butter (125 ml) melted
1 Tbsp Orange zest (15 ml)
¼ tsp anise extract (1 ml) optional
5 C all-purpose flour (1.25 L) more for dusting
1 tsp salt (5 ml)
½ C golden raisins (125 ml) soaked

Egg Wash

1 piece pasture egg
1 Tbsp milk (15 ml)

Instructions

In a bowl dissolve 2 tsp (10 ml) of the sugar in warm water. Sprinkle with yeast, cover and let stand for 10 minutes or until frothy. Whisk in milk.
In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, remaining sugar, butter, orange zest and anise extract, if using. Whisk into the milk mixture.
In a large bowl, stir together the flour and salt.
Pour yeast mixture over flour mixture, stirring to make a soft, slightly sticky dough. Stir in drained raisins. Scrape dough onto a well floured work surface and knead for about 7-10 minutes to make a soft, smooth dough. Because humidity and elevation effect moisture and flour, add more flour if dough is sticky.
Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover and let rise for about 1 hour or until doubled in size.
Punch down dough and divide into 4 or 6 balls. Roll out each ball of dough as desired and place on parchment paper-lined baking sheets or in greased baking pans. Let rise for about 1 hour or until doubled in volume.
Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).
Whisk together the egg wash ingredients and brush the tops of the loaves. Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes or until golden and brown. Let cool slightly before removing from pans to cool completely on a wire rack.

Notes

To soak raisins, simply pour boiling water over the raisins to cover and let stand 10 minutes until ready to use. Drain before using.

To braid dough - replace Step #6: Punch down dough and divide into 4 even pieces. Roll 3 of the pieces into long logs to braid. Pinch the top of the logs together and then braid just like hair - folding one outside piece over the center one and then do the same on the other side. Try to keep this tight as you go. Once you reach the end, pinch the ends together just like at the top and fold under. The 4th piece of dough can be rolled into 1 1/2" balls to make buns. Place on parchment paper-lined baking sheets or in greased baking pans. Let rise for about 1 hour or until doubled in volume.

Keyword Bread, Raisins

See More RecipesClick Here for All Our Recipes

Chat Box

Home Expert (Bot)

Hello, how are you? Ask me anything about interior design, home improvement, home decor, real estate, gardening and furniture.