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Sourdough Italian Easter Bread, THM XO

Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 21 minutes
Fermenting time 7 hours
Servings 10
Author Glenda Groff

Ingredients

  • Dough:
  • 1/2 cup almond milk
  • 2 eggs
  • 4 tablespoons melted butter divided
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 2 1/4 cups white whole wheat flour divided
  • 1 cup active sourdough starter
  • 1 tablespoon vital wheat gluten
  • 1/2 teaspoon THM Pineapple Extract
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 6 uncooked eggs dyed various colors
  • Fruit:
  • 1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
  • 1 tablespoon grated orange peel
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon THM Gentle Sweet
  • 1 tablespoon dried blueberries
  • 1 1/2 tablespoon dried cranberries
  • 1 tablespoon chopped raisins
  • Frosting:
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
  • 3 ounces cream cheese softened
  • 2 tablespoons THM Gentle Sweet

Instructions

  1. Dough: Blend almond milk, eggs, 3 tablespoons butter, and honey together. Stir in 2 cups white whole wheat flour. Allow the dough to rest for 45 minutes. Add sourdough starter, vital wheat gluten, Pineapple Extract, and salt. Mix well. Set aside. Combine the dried fruit, citrus peel, and sweetener together. Mix fruit into the dough. You can either knead the dough for 3-4 minutes or do 4 sets of stretch and folds; each set 1 hour apart. Allow the dough to ferment for a total of 6 hours counting from the time you mix it.
  2. Shaping: Colder dough is easier to handle so I set the dish of dough into the fridge for 30-45 minutes. Divide the dough into two pieces. Take one piece and and roll it 18 inches long. With a bench knife, cut the roll in half lengthwise. Loosely twist the two pieces together. to form a braid. Shape the braid into a circle. Brush with melted butter. Tuck 3 egg into the folds in the wreath. Repeat with the remaining piece of dough. Allow dough to proof/rise for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
  3. Baking: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Bake bread for 22-24 minutes or until the internal temperature is 200 degrees. Remove the braids from the oven. Allow to cool before frosting.
  4. Frosting: Whip frosting ingredients together until smooth. Drizzle over the breads. 2 breads