{"id":62960,"date":"2026-03-06T17:24:37","date_gmt":"2026-03-06T22:24:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.themediterraneandish.com\/?p=62960"},"modified":"2026-03-06T17:24:40","modified_gmt":"2026-03-06T22:24:40","slug":"italian-easter-bread","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.themediterraneandish.com\/italian-easter-bread\/","title":{"rendered":"Italian Easter Bread (Soft and Fluffy)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This traditional Italian Easter bread recipe is incredibly soft, lightly sweet, and scented with citrus zest. Each twisted ring has a whole egg nestled in the center to celebrate rebirth and renewal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photo Credits: Mark Beahm<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This Italian Easter Bread is a Festive Favorite<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Italian Easter Bread (Pane di Pasqua) has a texture similar to Challah<\/a> and is flavored with lemon zest, orange zest, and vanilla extract. To finish, I tuck a brightly colored egg into the dough nest and top it with sprinkles. These eggs do more than add celebratory flair; they also symbolize rebirth.      

The name of this recipe may seem to imply there is one definitive Easter bread in Italy. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth! There are as many variations of Easter bread across the regions and subregions, ranging from savory breads such as pizza di Pasqua<\/em> in central Italy to the sweet breads from the south.

In Calabria, you’ll find cuzzupa<\/em>, flavored with aniseed or citrus, topped with a hardboiled egg, and a sheen of lemon glaze. In Sardinia, they make coccoi cun s’ou<\/em> and in Sicily, cuddura cu l’ova<\/em>, where a raw egg is encased in the dough and cooked in the oven. Whereas, in Greece, they make a similar Easter bread called Tsourike, but in Greek Easter bread<\/a>, the eggs are usually dyed red. The breads may be shaped into doves, dolls, baskets, or rings, each implying a different meaning.

This recipe is a traditional Easter bread in southern Italy. It is shaped into four individual rings, twisted around a dyed egg, and presented at the table. Serve it as part of your Easter feast alongside Healthy Deviled Eggs<\/a>, Roasted Leg of Lamb<\/a> and this Asparagus Salad<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n

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Why You’ll Love This Recipe<\/p>\n\n\n\n