Grandma's Easter Bread
Description
Pizza di Pasqua is an Italian bread flavored with fragrant Valencia orange and Romano cheese that's traditionally served for Easter breakfast.
Ingredients
•
5 cups bread flour, or more as needed
•
1 cup white sugar
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2 tablespoons white sugar
•
2/3 cup grated Romano cheese
•
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
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1 1/2 teaspoons salt
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1 cup warm water
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2 tablespoons active dry yeast
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1 medium orange
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1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
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3 large eggs, beaten slightly
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1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Directions
1
Combine 5 cups flour, 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, Romano cheese, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl; stir well and set aside.
2
Stir warm water and yeast together in a small bowl. Set aside until dissolved and bubbly, 5 to 10 minutes.
3
Zest and juice orange into a large bowl. Stir in melted butter, eggs, and vanilla extract until well combined. Stir in yeast mixture. Add flour mixture gradually, stirring as you go.
4
Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 8 to 10 minutes, adding up to 1 extra cup of flour as needed to keep dough manageable. Transfer to an oiled bowl, cover, and let rise until almost doubled in size, about 30 to 60 minutes.
5
Punch dough down, cover and let rise again until almost doubled in size, 30 to 60 minutes.
6
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Grease two 8-inch round loaf pans.
7
Cut dough into 2 equal pieces and shape into loaves. Place in the prepared pans, cover, and let rise again until almost doubled in size, 30 to 60 minutes.
8
Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 70 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cook on a wire rack.