Eggless Easter Bread recipe which is a full-proof, tried and tested recipe at home. We always make this home and is love by our family. This bread is eggless yet has a great texture and taste like any normal bread does. I am posting this much before Easter so that I have ample of time posting more recipe till easter actually arrives 😉  There are many traditional breads made across the world during Easter. In India we make hot cross buns more than the Easter bread.
Across the globe traditional easter bread like Paska Bread, Easter Dove Bread, Cozonac Bread, Kulich Bread, Kolach Bread and Italian Braided bread are made with dyed eggs. Mostly any easter bread is sweet, is braided, bright, beautiful and also has dyed eggs. Since this is an eggless recipe I have added cherries instead of dyed eggs. The red dyed eggs signifies the blood of Jesus christ hence used the glazed cherries for my bread.
This bread is rich, has a great texture, goes well with butter or cheese and a hot cup of tea. We love this bread and I generally warm them and apply some butter or cheese and my breakfast is sorted 😉  This bread would stay for a longer time if wrapped and kept in the freezer. It’s a great idea to distribute them as Easter goodies. You could make small buns or small bread loaf for distribution.
Now I have incorporated a braided bread with the loaf and also made a plain loaf bread. So if you have the time you could make the braid or just make a plain loaf bread. Adding cherries are optional. To sweeten them have added tutti frutti or sweetened papaya in the bread. To give the bread a gentle yellow color I have used saffron but that’s optional. If you don’t have saffron just use a mild yellow color or don’t add any color. Also nuts are used in the Easter bread but that’s optional.
Always remember if you decide to make bread always make them a day prior as this saves a lot of time. I generally start making bread early morning so that my bread has enough time to be leavened and made before evening. As the entire bread making process takes about 2-3 hrs depending on the humidity and weather of your country. So if you baking breads make them in advance. Once they are leavened you could cover the dough with a cling film and chill in the fridge. Make your bread the next day. Hope this suggestion throws more light and helps you.
Let’s make step by step Eggless Easter Bread Recipe:
1. Firstly add saffron strands or yellow color in hot water. Grease your loaf pans with butter and place aside.
2. Place it aside for 10-15 mins it would start coloring.
3. At this point add the melted butter in the saffron mixture. Combine all nicely.
4. Sift the flour, milk powder, corn flour, nutmeg powder and salt.
5. Make a small well in the sifted flour.
6. Pour the saffron – butter mixture.
7. Also add the active yeast or dry yeast at this time.
8. Now start kneading the dough with your full stamina.
9. Until it appears like this.
10. Now wrap with a cling film or a damp cloth and allow the dough to rest in a humid area. I kept mine in the oven with the light on. You could also keep them in sunlight if the weather is too cold.
11. About 20-30 mins the dough would double up in size. Again lightly knead the dough and add the candied tutti frutti.
12. Mix them with the dough nicely
13. Wrap with a damp cloth and allow to rest to leaven for 20 mins more.
14. Now remove a quarter part of dough and keep aside if you want to make braids for your bread. Else skip this part if you just want to make  a loaf. Make small balls from the dough. Shape them into thin logs like these.
15. Just remember how you tie a plait with your hair. Similar fashion pinch three thin logs on the top and braid then gently. If they break fix with a little dough and start again.  Check your pan size and make the braid accordingly.
16. At this point of time you could grease the pans. Place the leavened bread on the greased pans. If you want to attach the braids then shape the dough into oval or round shape. Gently attach the braids around the bread or decorate them on the top. However you want to decorate your bread do that use your own creativity.
17. You could make cross or a star anything you could think of. Place some glazed cherries over the braids.
18. Again allow the dough to rest in a humid place with a covered damp cloth until they are doubled in size. Just brush the bread with milk-butter mixture before baking.
19. Bake in preheated oven at 200ºC exactly fifteen mins before baking. Bake for 30-35 mins or until the bread sounds hollow and is baked evenly. Again brush with the milk-butter mixture over the bread. Allow to cool dust with icing sugar.
20. Slice and serve your eggless easter bread with butter, cheese or honey. This bread tastes best the next day.
21. If using fresh yeast or dry active yeast then take about 1.5 tbsp yeast, 2 tbsp sugar and 3 tbsp lukewarm water. The water should be hot enough to dip your finger, it shouldn’t be more hot else the yeast would die. Combine water, yeast and sugar into a mixing bowl. Stir and keep side at a humid place. After 7-8 mins the mixture should appear frothy, if not frothy then change the yeast and start the process again. Use this frothed yeast in the dough and follow the same instructions as stated above.
Eggless Easter Bread Recipe below:
- 350 gm all purpose flour or refined flour (maida)
- 1 tsp saffron strands or yellow color + 2 tbsp hot water
- 8 gm dry active yeast
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp corn flour or polenta
- 3 tbsp milk powder
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg powder
- 1 cup tutti frutti or dried candied papaya
- 150 ml lukewarm water or as required
- 5 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp milk + 1 tbsp warm butter for brushing over the bread
- 10-12 glazed cherries
- some icing sugar for garnish
- Firstly add saffron strands or yellow color in hot water. Grease your loaf pans with butter and place aside.
- Place it aside for 10-15 mins it would start coloring.
- At this point add the melted butter in the saffron mixture. Combine all nicely.
- Sift the flour, milk powder, corn flour, nutmeg powder and salt.
- Make a small well in the sifted flour.
- Pour the saffron – butter mixture and also add the active yeast at this time.
- Now start kneading the dough with your full stamina. Untiil the dough is soft and smooth.
- Now wrap with a cling film or a damp cloth and allow the dough to rest in a humid area. I kept mine in the oven with the light on. You could also keep them in sunlight if the weather is too cold.
- About 20-30 mins the dough would double up in size. Again lightly knead the dough and add the candied tutti frutti.
- Wrap with a damp cloth and allow to rest to leaven for 20 mins more.
- Now remove a quarter part of dough and keep aside if you want to make braids for your bread. Else skip this part if you just want to make a loaf. Make small balls from the dough. Shape them into thin logs like these.
- Just remember how you tie a plait in your hair. Similar fashion pinch three thin logs on the top and braid then gently. If they break fix with a little dough and start again. Check your pan size and make the braid accordingly.
- At this point of time you could grease the pans. Place the leavened bread on the greased pans. If you want to attach the braids then shape the dough into oval or round shape. Gently attach the braids around the bread or decorate them on the top. However you want to decorate your bread do that use your own creativity.
- You could make cross or a star anything you could think of. Place some glazed cherries over the braids.
- Again allow the dough to rest in a humid place with a covered damp cloth until they are doubled in size. Just brush the bread with milk-butter mixture before baking.
- Bake in preheated oven at 200ºC exactly fifteen mins before baking. Bake for 30-35 mins or until the bread sounds hollow and is baked evenly. Again brush with the milk-butter mixture over the bread. Allow to cool dust with icing sugar. Slice and serve your eggless easter bread with butter, cheese or honey. This bread tastes best the next day.
- [b]If using fresh yeast or dry active yeast then take about 1.5 tbsp yeast, 2 tbsp sugar and 3 tbsp lukewarm water. [/b]The water should be hot enough to dip your finger, it shouldn’t be more hot else the yeast would die.
- Combine water, yeast and sugar into a mixing bowl. Stir and keep side at a humid place. After 7-8 mins the mixture should appear frothy, if not frothy then change the yeast and start the process again. Use this frothed yeast in the dough and follow the same instructions as stated above.
Sangita says
Hi. Maria, thank you for this awesome recipe . I tried it n the flavour of the loaf was great .the only mistake I did was I used a small size tin to bake .due to which my loaf was a little dense .I have two queries ,can you please help in this .which tin size you took to bake n secondly out of this mixture we make two loaves or one . I’ll try again to make it perfect .thanks once again
maria says
Hi Sangita,
Thanks for your kind words. Any loaf pan you take, ensure you leave 1.5-2 inch space for the bread to rise and bake evenly. Surely tray again and let me know how it was?
Priyanka Jain says
Very easy n nice recipe thank u…?
maria says
Welcome and thankyou so much Priyanka 🙂