Pane di Pasqua – Easter Bread

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Joanne Natale Spigonardo

April 12, 2025

One of my fondest memories are the days leading up to Easter, when my Mother, Sister, and I would spend endless hours preparing the Easter ricotta pies, la pizza ripiena with sopressatta and basket cheese, and of course the wonderful Easter bread. The Easter bread would be in all shapes and sizes, we would mold wreaths, dolls, horses, and braids. It was so special and obviously so delicious.

The origins of Easter bread go back to ancient times when breads were baked to celebrate spring, to celebrate the earth coming back to life, with fertility and abundance. Bread has always symbolized life, sustenance and rebirth. As Christianity spread, bread was shared as a sign of the body of Christ, and the salvation of man. We can live without many things but we can’t live without bread. It really is part of our existence, I don’t care about the carbs. I honestly don’t know anyone that doesn’t love bread!

My Mother, Raffaela Natale, had a recipe that was actually published in The Philadelphia Inquire in the 1980’s. The article was called Not By Bread Alone. My Mother was interviewed and like many older Italian women, (now me), we don’t always measure everything. The recipe below is an approximation of her ingredients.

Pane di Pasqua

1 package 2-1/4 teaspoons rapid rise instant yeast

1-1/4 cup milk

1/4 teaspoon of salt

1/3 cup unsalted butter

2 large eggs, beaten

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup raisins – golden are the best

1/4 cup citron

4 cups all-purpose flour (more as needed for dusting and kneading)

1 large egg, beaten with 1 teaspoon of water

6 dyed Easter eggs

Colored sprinkles

Instructions

Heat the milk and butter together. Combine the yeast, salt, eggs, and sugar, add the warmed milk and butter. Add 2 cups of the flour – knead the dough on a flat surface for about 5 minutes. Add the rest of the flower and continue kneading for about 20 minutes – add the raisins and citron and knead in. Mom never used a mixer when she made bread – it was all done with her strong hands and lots of love. Shape dough into a bowl that has been sprayed with cooking oil or greased with butter. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise for one hour until doubled in size.

Divide dough into 12 long ropes. Braid ropes to form loaves and wreaths as desired. Place the shaped dough on a parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing the braided dough, so that it has enough room to rise. Loosely cover the baking sheet with plastic wrap and allow to rise for 1 hour, until it doubles in size.

Brush each braided bread or wreath with the beaten egg wash. Top with sprinkles, as desired. Gently place one dyed Easter egg in the center of each braided bread wreath or loaf.

Bake the bread at 350°F until golden brown, approximately 18-20 minutes. Quickly transfer the baked bread to a cooling rack.

I haven’t made Easter bread in a few years as I’ve been buying it at my favorite Italian bakery, Isgro Pastries in South Philly. Easter is one of the most popular holidays at Isgro’s. They have all types of amazing Easter breads, and ricotta pies.

Isgro Pastries – Easter Delicacies

While we are blessed with wonderful pastry shops in Philadelphia, a warm kitchen with family around always reminds me of my Mom, and the aroma of her amazing Easter bread. Nothing can ever top it in my mind, she was a master of cakes, breads and pies, and she was even published in the Inquirer. I hope you will try her recipe sometime.

Buona Pasqua, and enjoy your time with those you love, I hope you will create your own wonderful memories.

About the Author:

Joanne Natale Spigonardo has many years of experience in travel to Italy, Italian art, music, literature, film, history, wine, and cuisine. She is a lover of nature and beauty.  She is an advocate for Italian immigrant women, and the author of White Widow, which is available on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/White-Widow-Joanne-Natale-Spigonardo/dp/B085DT65DB.  For more information about Joanne please visit her LinkedIn page:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/joanne-spigonardo-b4824a9/.

Published by spigonaj

Joanne Spigonardo Business Development Consultant Specializing in Sustainability, Higher Education, Career Management, and Public Relations In her former roles, Joanne served as Senior Associate Director at the Initiative for Global Environmental Leadership (IGEL) at Wharton. Joanne was also part of the Communications Office. She held positions as business manager of the Wharton Seminars for Business Journalists and for the Wharton Alumni Magazine. Joanne also served as the media relations coordinator. When with Alitalia Airlines, Joanne worked as a sales representative. Joanne graduated from The University of Pennsylvania with a BA and later graduated from the Wharton Aresty Institute of Executive Education. She has a strong background in development, management, marketing, and Italian language and culture. As a Wharton Mentor, she coached new employees on professional development, and is active in Penn’s Grievance panels. Joanne was on the board of governors for the University Club. Joanne is chair of the Delaware County Penn Alumni Interview Program and oversees alumni volunteers. As an alum of Penn and Wharton, and also a parent of two Penn graduates, she is a strong advocate in promoting Penn. At Wharton IGEL, Joanne had been in partnership with GreenBiz, Sustainable Brands, the Ethical Corporation, Pira Packaging International, Public Relations Society of America, the Green Sports Alliance, World Trade Center of Greater Philadelphia, the Italian Consulate, the Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, the Sonoma County Winegrowers Association, and the Nature Conservancy, as well as, many other NGO and government offices. She has brokered hundreds of corporate relationships for Wharton. Joanne is the author of her book, White Widow, published on Kindle and Amazon. The book is a fictional novel about 19th-20th Century Italian immigrants. https://www.amazon.com/White-Widow-Joanne-Natale-Spigonardo/dp/B085DT65DB

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