Easter Bread {SRC}

This week is known as Holy Week in the Christian faith.  It’s the week preceding Easter – the week we remember Christ’s death and celebrate His resurrection. 

While Christmas time is filled with family traditions and expectation, Easter’s cultural traditions aren’t a huge part of our Holy Week.  I do enjoy all the bunnies and spring decorations that accompany Easter, but for a very different reason. 

Spring has come. 

The winter – cold and dark, when everything is in a season of death or hibernation – is over.  This is a beautiful parallel to my life, because of Christ.  My certain death is overcome.  All my shortcomings, failures, fears and challenges are gone.  Spring has come in my life and in my spirit indefinitely.  Why?  Because Jesus Christ rose from the grave.  He overcame death, so that I might have the ability to experience renewal – spring. 

So, this week, in advance of our Sunday morning celebration, is going to feature Easter recipes.  Recipes that make celebrating Easter just that much more special. 

The first recipe comes from Dorothy at Shockingly Delicious and is a new recipe to me.  When scrolling through her blog for the Secret Recipe Club I found a fun recipe called “Grammy’s Italian Easter Bread”.  It looked delicious and perfect for an Easter celebration. 

You know recipes that have been in the family for a long time are going to be good. 

And, it was. 

Easter Bread – Adapted from Dorothy at Shockingly Delicious

Ingredients

• 1/2 C milk
• 1 T butter
• 3 eggs
• 1/3 C sugar
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 1/2 C bread flour
• 1 1/2 C white whole wheat flour
• 2 1/4 tsp. yeast

Directions

Using your bread machine, add the ingredients in the order listed by your manufacturer.  Mine call for the ingredients in the order above – starting with the milk, butter, and eggs. 

Then adding in the sugar, salt, flours and yeast. 

Choose the “basic” or “white” bread recipe selection from your bread machine and start the machine up!

Approximately 2.5 hours later (that’s how long my cycle takes), remove the bread.  You’ll want to check the crust to make sure it’s not getting overly brown. 

Allow the bread to cool before slicing. 

Serve with butter and honey! 

**If you want directions on how to make this recipe without a bread machine, or using a hybrid approach (half bread machine, half by hand), see Dorothy’s blog.