Up Your Easter Bread Game With These 5 Recipes

Simple Easter Danish

A creamy surprise filling make these treats extra delicious

“Easter is all about bringing family and loved ones together, which is one of the reasons why I love this particular recipe,” says Chef Benjamin Ontita of Great Plains Mara Nyika Camp in Kenya, where these simple danishes often surprise breakfast guests in the middle of a Masai Maara bush setting.

They’ll be just as welcome at your Easter table, Ontita says, adding that you can experiment with different fillings and let family members create their own version if you’re baking together.

“In my opinion, it really isn't Easter without the smell of baking pastries in the home,” he says.

DOUGH INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 5 tablespoons sugar
• 1½ teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoon yeast
• 2 ounces milk
• 2 ounces heavy cream
• 3 ounces water
• 18 tablespoons (2¼ sticks) unsalted butter, cubed
• 1 egg, for egg wash

PASTRY CREAM INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup milk
• 5 tablespoons sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 3 teaspoons cornstarch
• Few drops of vanilla

DOUGH INSTRUCTIONS

1. Mix all ingredients together (except butter and egg) to make a soft dough.
2. Chill the dough for two hours, then fold in the butter.
3. Roll the dough and make the first turn (fold the pastry in half). Then chill the dough for one hour.
4. Roll the dough and make a second turn. Chill the dough for another hour.
5. Then make a third and final turn. 

PASTRY CREAM INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a heavy saucepan, stir together the milk and 3 tablespoons of sugar. Bring to a boil over medium heat.
2. In a medium bowl, stir together the egg yolk, egg and vanilla. Stir together the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar and the cornstarch, then stir them into the egg until smooth. When the milk comes to a boil, drizzle it into the bowl in a thin stream while mixing so that you do not cook the eggs. Return the mixture to the saucepan, and slowly bring to a boil, stirring constantly so the eggs do not curdle or scorch on the bottom.
3. When the mixture comes to a boil and thickens, remove from heat. Keep aside to cool.

PASTRY INSTRUCTIONS

1. Roll dough to required size, then spread the pastry cream evenly on the dough.
2. Sprinkle raisins evenly on the dough.
3. Roll the dough starting from the far end toward yourself.
4. Once at the end, apply egg wash to seal the dough.
5. Cut the rolled dough into desired sizes, apply egg wash and put aside to rest and rise until almost doubled in size.
6. Once proofed, bake at 340 F for 10 minutes.

Quick Croissant Pain Perdu

Day-old croissants and a bit of sweetness make for a delicious combo

Elisa Marshall, coauthor of the rustic French cooking cookbook Maman the Cookbook: All-Day Recipes to Warm Your Heart, calls this simple recipe using day-old croissants left to soak overnight the “perfect addition to your Easter Sunday brunch plans” since it lets you prepare the dish the day before for easy baking, filling your house with delicious scents just as your guests arrive.

The bread has a buttery flavor enhanced by the textured layers of the croissants. Adding warmed maple syrup when it’s plated makes it all the more memorable.

INGREDIENTS

• 8 large day-old croissants (about 1¼ pounds), cut crosswise into 3 pieces
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 2 cups whole milk
• ¼ cup brandy, such as St-Rémy cognac
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 8 large eggs
• ²/₃ cup sugar
• Maple syrup, warmed, for serving

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with vegetable oil spray.
2. Snuggle the croissants cut-side-down in the baking dish, alternating the middle and end pieces and placing them at angles as needed to fit.
3. In a large liquid measuring cup, whisk together the heavy cream, milk, brandy and vanilla.
4. In a large bowl, beat the eggs. Add the sugar and whisk until fully incorporated.
5. Add the cream mixture to the egg mixture in three additions, whisking until fully combined after each addition.
6. Pour the mixture over the croissants, gently pressing down to be sure they are completely submerged. Wrap the pain perdu tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least eight hours or overnight.
7. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
8. Bake the pain perdu, straight from the refrigerator, until the custard is firm and the center is set, about 45 minutes.
9. Let cool for 10 minutes, then cut and scoop onto plates. Serve with warm maple syrup.

Cinnamon Date Pull-Apart Bread

Date paste makes this an Easter delight

“When I think of Easter breads, I think of something sweet and shareable to start,” says Ian Rough, a corporate chef with Cameron Mitchell Restaurants. 

Tender brioche-style dough and sweet date spread bring the tasty layers to this monkey bread-style preparation on the brunch menu at Del Mar, a Mediterranean restaurant in Naples, Florida. You can easily make it at home.

To take the treat to another level, Rough recommends plating the bread like it’s done at the restaurant — with labneh topped with toasted and chopped pistachios spread onto the plate.

DOUGH INGREDIENTS

• 2 tablespoons instant yeast
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• ¼ cup warm water
• ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons whole milk
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 6 eggs
• 2 pounds all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 4 ounces date paste

ADDITIONAL INGREDIENTS FOR COATING DOUGH BEFORE BAKING

• 2 ounces unsalted butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon

GLAZE INGREDIENTS

• ½ tablespoon sugar
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons warm water

DOUGH INSTRUCTION

1. Bloom yeast with sugar in warm water.
2. Mix with other wet ingredients, then top with flour and salt.
3. Using a stand mixer with dough hook, mix until dough just starts to come together. Cut cold butter in small chunks into dough one at a time until incorporated.
4. Turn mixer off and remove the bowl. Cover the dough and let rest for 10 minutes in a warm location.

GLAZE INSTRUCTIONS

1. Mix until smooth. Reserve for finishing bread after its cooked.

INSTRUCTIONS TO ASSEMBLE

1. Roll dough into a 12-by-6 shape and spread date paste atop dough.
2. Roll into a tight cylinder.
3. Split roll down the center lengthwise, then split again.
4. Cut dough into 1-inch pieces.
5. Toss pieces in 2 ounces melted butter, then add 2 tablespoons light brown sugar and ½ teaspoon cinnamon and toss to coat.
6. Divide dough and place half in each of two mini loaf pans and let rise in a proof box or a warm humid spot in the house until doubled in size.
7. Bake in a preheated 325 F oven for 15 minutes, turn, then bake for an additional 10 minutes.
8. Ladle glaze over bread.

Sugared Mouna Easter Brioche

Orange blossom notes make this bread an aromatic masterpiece

The origins of Mouna bread are not entirely clear, says Chef Armand Berger, executive pastry chef at the Vinoy Resort & Golf Club in St. Petersburg, Florida. “Some say it comes from Spain in the Valencian area, while others say it comes from Algeria, descending from the ‘mouns bread’ typically served there.” The recipe was brought to France in the 1960s, he says.

“All I know is that it is delicious!” Berger says.

Aside from Easter, ”the spices make it a great pairing for afternoon tea parties,” Berger says.  “I love it for breakfast with café au lait, a bit of butter and my favorite marmalade.”    

STARTER INGREDIENTS

• ¾ cup whole milk
• 2 star anise pods
• 2 tablespoons instant yeast
• 2 tablespoons sugar  

DOUGH INGREDIENTS

• ½ cup unsalted butter, melted but cool
• ¾ cup sugar
• zest of ½ lemon
• zest of ½ orange
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons orange juice
• 1 tablespoon orange blossom flower (or vanilla extract)
• 3 whole eggs, room temperature

EGG WASH INGREDIENTS

• 1 egg yolk, beaten
• 1 tablespoon milk

TOPPING INGREDIENTS

Belgian waffle sugar grain (or coarsely chopped sugar cubes)

DOUGH INSTRUCTIONS

1. Bring the milk and star anise to a simmer. 
2. Cover the pot with plastic film while hot and set aside for 20 to 25 minutes or until lukewarm.
3. Remove the star anise from the milk and add 2 tablespoons sugar and the yeast to the lukewarm milk. Mix until frothy, then set aside.
4. In a large bowl, combine ¾ cups of sugar and both lemon and orange zests. Using your hands, massage the zest into the sugar. The zest will release moisture and the sugar will become lumpy.
5. Add the flour and salt and mix well.
6. Create a well in the center and add the orange juice and the orange blossom water (or vanilla). 
7. Start mixing from the center out, then add the eggs a little at a time and the butter and keep mixing. Next, add the milk and yeast mixture and start mixing the rest of the flour in until it forms a dough. 
8. Knead the dough for about 8 to 15 minutes, until smooth and a little sticky. Form a ball of dough, place the ball of dough into a large bowl, and cover loosely with plastic film or a kitchen towel. Let it rise at room temperature for about two hours. The dough should triple in size.
9. Remove dough from the bowl onto a lightly floured surface, deflate it and form a new ball, pushing the dough into itself from the outside in.
10. Place the ball of dough onto parchment paper placed atop a sheet pan. Place a towel over the ball and let it rise at room temperature for about one hour (it should just double in size this time).  

BAKING THE BREAD

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.  
2. Once the dough is ready to bake, mix the yolk and milk together to make the egg wash
3. Using a brush, wash the whole bread until the egg wash is absorbed, then apply another coat of egg wash. 
4. Score the bread in a cross shape using a very sharp knife or a razor blade.
5. Sprinkle the coarse sugar on top and place in the oven, reducing the oven temp to 315 F.
6. Bake for about 40 to 45 minutes, or until golden brown.
7. Allow bread to rest for 20 minutes on a cooling rack before cutting it and enjoying.