This Easter Sweet Bread features a fluffy brioche dough topped with custard and decorated with candied cherries and crunchy pearl sugar! Pillowy-soft, sweet, and delicious, it’s the perfect addition to your Easter table!
Easter Sweet Bread
After all the love my Holiday Rosca De Reyes got, I had to share an Easter version with you guys!
This Easter Sweet Bread is features an extremely fluffy brioche dough and topped with custard, candied cherries, and pearl sugar for a fun crunch.
Traditionally, this type of bread tends to be flavored with just vanilla and lemon zest but I’m a major orange blossom water fan so I did orange instead, kept the vanilla, and added a hint of almond too.
This combo will have your kitchen smell like a bakery, but you’re free to stick to vanilla and lemon if you wish!
Why you’ll love this Easter bread:
- Pillowy-soft brioche. This brioche dough is literally the fluffiest you’ll ever try. It feels like biting into a cloud. No mixer needed!
- Custard topping. Deliciously sweet and creamy, flavored with vanilla extract.
- Easy to make. Made with instant yeast, all you have to do is add all the ingredients to a bowl and mix! The dough will raise quickly and all you’ll have to do is shape it into a garland.
- Prep ahead. Don’t have time to make this on Easter Sunday? Prepare the dough and let it rise in the refrigerator overnight, assemble and bake on Sunday morning for the perfect Easter breakfast!
Ingredients
- All-purpose flour for the dough.
- Sugar. Use white granulated sugar for this recipe. You’ll need enough for the dough and the custard.
- Instant yeast. This is just another ingredient to add to the bowl, no need to activate it or anything like that. Quick and easy. If you have any yeast-related questions, here’s my Beginner's Guide to Baking with Yeast.
- Milk. You want to make sure the milk is warm so it can properly activate the yeast once you start mixing. Warm would be 90F – 110F (32C – 43C) if you want to use a thermometer but it’s not necessary, slightly warm to the touch is usually fine.
- Eggs at room temperature. You’ll need eggs for the dough and the custard. For the custard, you’ll want to use just the yolks but you can save the whites to make an omelette, meringues, or these Coconut Macaroons (no condensed milk needed).
- Vanilla extract for flavoring the dough and custard.
- Lemon zest or orange zest for flavoring the dough. Traditionally, lemon is preferred but I’m a huge fan of orange so I went with orange instead. You can use orange zest or orange blossom water if you prefer. Make sure the fruit you’re using is organic if using zest.
- Almond extract, optional. This is a personal addition. Traditionally, it’s not used but I really like the combo of vanilla + orange + almond. You can’t taste any of these extracts separately but all together they make a bakery-worthy flavor that’s delicious.
- Salt for flavor.
- Butter for the dough. This will make your batter softer. You’ll want to add it in last for best results. The dough will turn very sticky but it will come together nicely – don’t freak out!
- Cornstarch for thickening the custard. I kept mine pretty thin but you can add more cornstarch for a thicker custard that will spread less.
- Candied cherries for decorating.
- Pearl sugar, optional, for decorating (it also adds a nice crunch!).
How to make Easter Sweet Bread
STEP 1: Make the dough. In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, add the flours, sugar, yeast, milk, egg, extracts, and salt. Mix until a sticky dough comes together and starts pulling away from the bowl.
Add in the butter and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic. Form into a ball, brush with oil, place in a clean bowl greased with oil and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Allow the dough to rise until double in size.
STEP 2: Make the custard. While the dough is rising, make the custard. Pour the milk in a medium pot over low heat, allow to heat until hot but not simmering or boiling. Meanwhile, beat together the egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch until pale yellow in color.
Add some of the hot milk into the egg mixture, mix until combined, then add the egg mixture into the hot milk as you mix continuously. Cook over low heat until thickened while mixing, then turn off the heat, mix in the vanilla extract, pour the custard into a clean bowl, and cover with plastic wrap making sure it touches the custard so it won’t form a skin and allow to come down to room temperature.
STEP 3: Shape into a garland. Once the dough has doubled in size, punch it down to release any air bubbles, then gently roll it into a log and connect the two ends to make a garland. When rolling the dough into a log, be very gentle and try not to overwork it or press it down too much and do not knead it again. Allow the garland to raise until puffy.
STEP 4: Add the custard. Place the custard into a piping bag, cut off the tip, the pipe the custard onto the garland. Brush any custard-free areas with milk.
STEP 5: Bake until a toothpick (inserted into one of the sides going towards the center) comes out clean. Remove from the oven and immediately decorate with candied cherries and pearl sugar. Enjoy!
Can I make this ahead of time?
Yes, you can. Simply follow the recipe through step 1, then place the covered bowl in the refrigerator and allow the dough to raise in the refrigerator overnight.
The next morning, take it out and allow it to come to room temperature by leaving it on the counter for about 40 minutes, then follow the recipe.
You can also make the custard ahead of time (step 2). Follow step 2, then place the covered bowl in the refrigerator. Chill overnight and take it out when ready to use, the next day.
How do you store this?
Store any leftovers in an air-tight container at room temperature for a day. If you need to store your Rosca for longer than a day or if your kitchen is particularly hot, store it in an air-tight container in the refrigerator.
Keep in mind that the refrigerator tends dry out baked goods rather quickly. At the same time, custard needs to be refrigerated if it’s very hot or a lot of time goes by.
You can also freeze it for up to 3 months.
HAPPY BAKING!! I hope you'll love this delicious Easter Sweet Bread aka Easter Rosca as much as I do!
PS: Please leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating ⭐️ if you make it! Your comments make my day!! You can also tag me on Instagram @itsdamnspicy 🌈💘
More Latin American Recipes You'll Love:
- Holiday Rosca De Reyes (Latin American Three Kings Cake)
- Pan De Yuca (Ecuadorian Cassava Cheese Bread)
- Pan De Coco (Coconut Buns)
- Creamiest Arroz Con Leche
Easter Sweet Bread (Easter Rosca)
Ingredients
For The Dough
- 3 cups (370 g) all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup (50 g) white granulated sugar
- 2 and 1/2 tsp (7 g) instant yeast
- 1/2 cup + 3 tbsp (170 ml) milk
- 1 egg
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/4 teaspoon orange extract
- 1/2 stick (55 g) unsalted butter
For The Custard
- 1 and 1/2 cups (375 ml) milk
- 3 egg yolks
- 1/2 cup (100 g) white granulated sugar
- 3 tbsp (30 g) cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
For Topping
- Candied cherries
Instructions
- Make the dough. In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, add the flour, sugar, yeast, milk, egg, extracts, and salt. Mix until a sticky dough comes together and starts pulling away from the bowl. Add in the butter and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic.
- Let raise. Form into a ball, brush with oil, place in a clean bowl greased with oil and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Allow the dough to rise for 60-90 minutes or until double in size. While the dough is rising, make the custard.
- Make the custard. Pour the milk in a medium pot over low heat, allow to heat until hot but not simmering or boiling. As the milk is heating, add the egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch to a medium bowl and beat until pale yellow in color. Pour about 1-2 tablespoon of the hot milk into the egg mixture, and mix until combined. Repeat this process 1-2 more times to allow the eggs to match the temperature of the milk, then slowly pour egg mixture into the hot milk as you mix. Cook over low heat until thickened while mixing constantly. Once thickened, turn off the heat, mix in the vanilla extract, pour the custard into a clean bowl, and cover with plastic wrap making sure the plastic wrap touches the custard. Allow to come down to room temperature.
- Shape into a garland. Once the dough has doubled in size, punch it down to release any air bubbles, then gently roll it into a log and connect the two ends to form a garland. When rolling the dough into a log, be very gentle and try not to overwork it or press it down too much and do not knead it again. Place the garland onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap and allow to raise for 20-30 minutes or until puffy. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350F (180C).
- Add the custard. Place the custard into a piping bag, cut off the tip, the pipe the custard onto the garland. Brush any custard-free areas with milk.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick (inserted into one of the sides going towards the center) comes out clean. Remove from the oven and immediately decorate with candied cherries and pearl sugar. Enjoy!
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