Brother Bandera's Italian Easter Bread

Ingredients

• 4 ½ cups flour (approximately)
• 1 package active dry yeast
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ cup sugar
• ½ teaspoon nutmeg, preferably freshly ground
• ¼ teaspoon allspice
• ½ teaspoon grated lemon peel
• ⅔ cup skim milk
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, in pieces
• 4 eggs
• ⅓ cup chopped candied fruit peel
• Oil for bowl and pan

• Nutritional Information

  • Nutritional analysis per serving (12 servings)

    11 calories; 0 grams fat; 0 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 0 grams monounsaturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 2 grams carbohydrates; 0 grams dietary fiber; 0 grams sugars; 0 grams protein; 2 milligrams cholesterol; 9 milligrams sodium

  Note: Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available data.
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1 loaf of 12 servings

Preparation

1. Place 2 1/2 cups of the flour in a mixing bowl, and mix in the yeast, salt, sugar, nutmeg, allspice and lemon peel.
2. Warm the milk and butter in a saucepan to 120 degrees, stir to melt the butter and pour into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Lightly beat 3 of the eggs, add them and mix all the ingredients together. Gradually add enough of the remaining flour to make a soft dough.
3. Turn the dough out onto a floured board, flatten it and knead in the fruit peel. Knead the dough about 10 minutes, adding additional flour as necessary to make a soft dough that is barely sticky.
4. Lightly oil a bowl, place the dough in it, turn it, cover the bowl and set the dough aside to rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
5. Punch the dough down, and divide it in four pieces. Roll each of the pieces into a tight ball and place them in an oiled 10-inch cake pan. Cover, and allow to rise in a warm place about 30 minutes.
6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat the remaining egg with 1 tablespoon of water, and brush this mixture lightly onto the dough. Place in the oven and bake about 45 minutes, until nicely browned. Allow to cool before cutting.