Ingredients
The following ingredients have 20 Servings
- 1 cup water (110F)
- 2 tablespoons active dry yeast
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (divided use - you may need a little more or less.)
- ¾ cup butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 9 eggs (divided use)
- 1 egg white
- 1 tablespoon lime zest
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream
- 1 egg yolk (beaten)
- 2 tablespoons sprinkles or non-pareils (optional)
Instruction
- Dye 6 raw eggs and set aside to dry.
- Mix yeast, 2 tablespoons of sugar, water, and 1 ½ cups flour until smooth.
- Set aside until doubled, about 1 hour.
- Cream the butter, 1 cup of sugar, and salt together in a bowl.
- Stir in the lime zest, juice, and vanilla.
- Add 3 of the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
- Add the egg white and mix well.
- Stir in the yeast mixture and add the remaining flour until a smooth dough forms and pulls away from the bowl.
- Knead for 5 minutes by machine or 10 minutes by hand.
- Oil the dough and place it in a greased bowl. Cover and let rise about 1 hour, or until double.
- Deflate the dough gently and cut into 4 pieces.
- Let rest for 5 minutes.
- Roll each piece into a rope about 18 inches long.
- Lay 2 ropes next to each other.
- Loosely braid them together, making sure you can separate the strands to put the 3 of the dyed (raw) eggs in.
- Seal the ends together to make a ring.
- Separate the ropes to fit the eggs into the braid.
- Repeat with the other two ropes, adding the remaining dyed eggs.
- Let rise until double, about 40 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Bake the loaves in a preheated oven for 10 minutes.
- Beat the egg yolk and cream.
- Remove the bread from the oven. Brush the egg yolk mixture on to the Easter Bread.
- Decorate with sprinkles.
- Return to the oven and continue to bake until the loaves sound hollow when tapped, about 30 to 40 minutes.
- Remove from oven and let cool.
