Emma's Easter Bread

This sweet bread decorated with multi-colored sparkling sugars and brightly colored eggs always adds extra smiles to any Easter dinner. Traditionally an Italian celebration bread and shaped in a wreath, or "corona di nove," many contemporary cooks shape it instead like a basket or bunny.

Lightly butter 15 ½ x 12-in baking sheet or Jelly roll pan

Decorate 5 raw eggs as you would hard-boiled ones with food dyes (Follow dye instructions)

Soften 2 packs active dry yeast in ½ cup warm water, then let stand 5-10 minutes.

In another bowl, pour ½ cup warm water then blend in 1 ½ cups sifted all-purpose flour. After 10 minutes have past, mix in yeast mixture. Beat this until it is smooth. Cover bowl with wax paper and kitchen towel, then let rest in a warm place for 1-2 hours.

While waiting, in a large bowl, cream ¾ cup shortening, 2 tablespoons lemon juice and 1 tablespoon lemon zest until softened. Gradually, add 1 cup sugar, then cream until fluffy. Add 1 teaspoon salt and cream mixture again until fluffy.

In another bowl, beat 2 eggs and 1 egg white until thick and piled softly, then add in thirds to the sugar mixture you just made above. If it has now been over an hour, you may combine this mixture with the yeast mix from earlier. Mix well.

Measure about 4 cups sifted all-purpose flour and add half of that to the yeast mixture, then beat until smooth. Mix in enough of the remaining sifted flour to make a soft dough ball. Knead ona lightly floured surface for several minutes.

Let this dough double by resting it in a large bowl that has been greased either with vegetable oil or shortening. I like to replace shortening with coconut oil here and in the creaming stage. I find the unrefined coconut oil imparts a delicate flavor that goes well with the sweet dough. Turn the dough in the bowl to bring the greased surface to the top. Cover again, like before, with wax paper and a kitchen towel until it doubles in size, or another 1-2 hours.

Punch down with your hands or fist. Divide the dough into 2 balls, then let rest covered for 10 more minutes.

Uncover and roll each ball out into a long roll only about 1 inch thick and as long as it will go, sometimes as much as 3 feet. Using these two longs pieces of dough, loosely twist or braid them together to form a ring or wreath, but leave spaces for the eggs to nestle in. Place bread shape onto prepared jelly roll pan or baking sheet then place your colored eggs into the spaces of the bread. Cover loosely with a kitchen towel to again let rise until it appears to have doubled in size again. It will help if you set the covered tray in a warm place to help the rising process.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

Remove bread and brush with 1 egg yolk and 1 tablespoon milk. Now select some brightly colored decorating sugars and dust the bread.

Bake the bread an additional 40 minutes more or until crust is golden brown. At that point, the eggs will be hard-boiled.

-This recipe was taught to me by my grandmother, however as a kid I always added the colored sugars or powdered sugar icing afterward.