Easter Bread

Ingredients

8 oz Sugar
4 oz Butter
16 oz whole eggs (7-8 XL eggs)
36 oz Flour
2 oz Fresh Yeast
Teaspoon of each: lemon extract, orange extract, almond extract
1-2 teaspoons of nonpareils for garnish

___________________________

Directions

1. Mix all ingredients in mixing bowl, mix and form dough into a large ball
2. Cover bowl with towel and rest dough for 1 hour
3. Cut the dough into 8 oz pieces and stretch to 18-inch pieces
4. To make a 1 egg size: twist each 18” piece into knot rolls and rest for 1 hour
5. To make a 3-egg twist bread: braid three 18” pieces and make a ring and rest for 1 hour
6. After the bread has rested, egg wash the top of the bread and place boiled and colored eggs in bread
7. Then sprinkle on nonpareils as garnish.
8. Bake at 330* for 15 to 18 minutes.

COLORED EGGS
What You’ll Need:

White eggs (hard-boiled)
Food coloring
Cups or bowls for dye
Water
Vinegar
Spoons or tongs (to handle the eggs)
Old newspaper or paper towels (for drying)
Rubber gloves (optional, to avoid staining hands)

Steps to Color Eggs:
1. Boil the Eggs:
o Place your eggs in a pot and cover them with water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and let them simmer for about 9-12 minutes. Once done, let them cool completely. You can also place the eggs in ice water to speed up the cooling.

2. Prepare the Dye:
o In separate cups or bowls, pour about 1 cup of water into each.
o Add 1 tablespoon of vinegar to each cup (this helps the dye adhere better).
o Stir in the food coloring (usually about 10-20 drops, depending on the intensity of color you want). You can mix different colors to create custom shades.

3. Dye the Eggs:
o Use a spoon or tongs to gently lower the hard-boiled eggs into the dye. Let them sit in the dye for 5-10 minutes or longer, depending on how deep you want the color to be.
o For multi-colored or layered effects, dip the egg into one color, let it dry, and then dip it in another color.
o If you want to create patterns or designs, you can use rubber bands, stickers, or a crayon to draw on the eggs before dyeing them (the dye won’t stick to the crayon, creating fun patterns).

4. Dry the Eggs:
o Carefully remove the eggs from the dye using tongs or a spoon, and place them on a paper towel or newspaper to dry.
o Allow the eggs to dry completely before handling them.