Name: Sweet Easter Bread - How To Make Armenian Easter Bread
Prep time: 2 h 25 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 2 h 55 min
Cuisine: Armenian
Ingredients: 8 cups All-purpose Flour; 1 1/2 cups Sugar; 1 cup Butter; 1/2 cup Honey; 2 tablespoons Fast Active Yeast; 2 teaspoons Mahlab; 1 teaspoon Cardamom; 2 tablespoons Vegetable Oil; 1 cup Whole Milk; 1/2 cup Water; 6 Eggs; 1/4 teaspoon Powdered Vanilla; 1 teaspoon Baking Powder; 1 teaspoon Salt; 1 egg

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This Sweet Easter Bread – How To Make Armenian Easter Bread, is my traditional spring recipe I make every year and it’s a must! This recipe is hand braided and is a lightly sweetened, yeasted bread that has such an amazing and unique buttery taste. This dense buttery dough is filled with sugar, mahlab, cardamom, and vanilla flavors and stuffed with dried cranberries. It is sometimes accented with colorful boiled decorative easter eggs to bring out that Easter look. This recipe is so delicious and lightly sweetened it pairs perfectly with a nice sweetened tea. Let’s start making it!

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Sweet easter bread with dried cranberries on a black colling rack with two round shaped breads accented with a colored easter egg in the center with a blue bowl of tie-dye pastel colored easter eggs with a gray tray with a lit candle in the background.

This sweet braided bread is known in most Eastern European regions and has so many different names for it. It’s a symbolic bread known to be made for Easter in many homes. This bread recipe is very similar to Challah bread. Another key point, this recipe’s dough-like texture is on the denser side. It’s so good, that you can have it any time of the year! For one thing, you can also choose to eat it any other day it’s perfect next to a warm cup of tea, for a snack, even next to your breakfast, or a dessert! It’s lightly sweetened so you can even enjoy it with a nice sunny-side-up egg breakfast! I’m telling you, you will enjoy it!

Also, I would like to include that I have added a few of my little tweaks like vanilla, cardamom, and honey. I prefer it this way but it’s up to you what flavors you would like to include. Some like to add almond extract, cinnamon, different types of dried fruits, fennel seeds, orange zest, nuts, allspice or cloves. You make it the way you like it! 😉

This recipe is also made during the best time of year “Christmas or New Year”.

This post contains referral links to products we have used or similar to the items used in this recipe. Galore Of Flavors earns a small commission on these links at no cost. You can find more products like these on our “Shop My Favorites” on our homepage! ♡

IN THIS POST: EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW TO MAKE SWEET EASTER BREAD

WANT TO TRY ANOTHER SWEETENED BREAD – BABKA?
🍴INGREDIENTS YOU’LL NEED TO MAKE SWEET EASTER BREAD
STEPS TO MAKE THIS SWEET EASTER BREAD RECIPE
PREFER TO WATCH STEP-BY-STEP RECIPE VIDEO INSTEAD OF READING?
JUMP TO RECIPE CARD

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WANT TO TRY ANOTHER SWEETENED BREAD – BABKA?

This is another one of my family’s favorite recipes! If you like sweetened bread you should also try my Apple Pumpkin Cinnamon baked Babka! This is also a dense type of bread recipe filled with fresh apple filling and hand-braided. It’s so perfect for the holidays!

🍴INGREDIENTS YOU’LL NEED TO MAKE SWEET EASTER BREAD

Things to know before you start:

You may use your hands for kneading or you can use the electric mixer
Make sure to allow your dough to rest for at least 2 hours in a warm environment
When baking, make sure to rotate your pan every 10 minutes
If you would like to sweeten up your dough you can add an extra half cup of sugar to your batter
Do not over-flour, make sure your dough is sticky

Here is a preview of the ingredients you’ll need to make this recipe! You can find these at your local grocery store or you can shop online. (Detailed Ingredients in Recipe Card down below)

All-purpose Flour
Sugar
Butter
Honey
Fast Active Yeast
Mahlab
Cardamom
Canola Oil
Whole Milk
Water
Eggs
Vanilla
Baking Powder

STEPS TO MAKE THIS SWEET EASTER BREAD RECIPE

Step 1: YEAST FERMENTATION

Firstly, place yeast and sugar into warm water (115°-120°) and cover the bowl. Allow this to sit for about 10 minutes.

Blue bowl full of water and pouring yeast into bowl with a gray tray with a black handle and a lit candle on a white countertop

Blue bowl full of yeast and water pouring sugar into bowl with a gray tray with a black handle and a lit candle on a white countertop

If you like, keep scrolling down to the printable recipe card for a list of full ingredients and instructions. You can also click on the “Jump to Recipe” button at the top of the page! 😀

Step 2: BATTER INGREDIENTS

Secondly, in a large bowl add 6 eggs and sugar and mix with a hand mixer on medium speed until it starts to foam. Add warm whole milk (115°) and batter ingredients into the bowl, pour in melted butter and mix. Pour and fold in the yeast mixture (DO NOT over-mix). In a separate bowl, whisk flour, sugar, vanilla and baking powder.

Glass bowl with eggs in a glass bowl into bowl with a gray tray with a black handle and a lit candle on a white countertop

Glass bowl with eggs mixing in sugar with a kitchen aid hand mixer bowl with a gray tray with a black handle and a lit candle on a white countertop

Glass bowl with batter pouring milk with a glass bowl into bowl with a gray tray with a black handle and a lit candle on a white countertop

Glass bowl with batter pouring melted butter into bowl with a gray tray with a black handle and a lit candle on a white countertop

Blue bowl with fermenated yeast with plastic wrap with a gray tray with a black handle and a lit candle on a white countertop

Step 3: KNEADING DOUGH

Thirdly, add the flour mixture to the wet batter one cup at a time by whisking in between each cup. Do this until it creates a soft and sticky dough. Knead the dough for 15 minutes. Place dough into an oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Place it in a warm environment for 2 hours.

Glass bowl full of flour adding salt and baking powder with a gray tray with a black handle and a lit candle on a white countertop with colerful m&m's in a glass footed serving dish.

Placing dough in a glass bowl with a gray tray with a black handle and a lit candle on a white countertop with colerful m&m's in a glass footed serving dish.

Step 4: FORMING DOUGH

Fourthly, divide your dough into 8 pieces with a dough scraper. Once cut through the center, cut the opposite to make 4 pieces. Then cut your 4 pieces again to make 8 pieces total. Form your pieces into individual balls and set them aside. To make one braided bread you’ll need a total of 3 dough balls. Take one dough and start rolling with the palms of your hands and roll it into a long cylinder-shaped dough. It should measure about 12″ long. Do this with all 3 dough balls.

Time to braid your dough. Place dough about 1 inch apart and attach the tips by gathering the edges of your dough and tucking and pinching together. Start braiding your dough by crossing the right dough over the center dough. Then, cross the left dough over the center one and keep doing this until you reach the end of your braiding. Brush egg wash over each braided bread before placing into the oven.

Cutting round dough into eight pieces with a dough scrapper hand in the photo with gold braclets gray tray with a black handle and a lit candle on a white countertop with colerful m&m's in a glass footed serving dish.

Braiding dough with three long doughs hand in the photo with gold braclets gray tray with a black handle and a lit candle on a white countertop with colerful m&m's in a glass footed serving dish.

Optional: If you like to add berries to your dough, include dried berries of your choice in the center of the dough. Pinch close the dough, and tap to flatten. Round dough with the palms of your hands in a back-and-forth rocking motion until it forms back into a round figure.

Placing dry cranberries into dough with a hand in the photo with gold braclets gray tray with a black handle and a lit candle on a white countertop with colerful m&m's in a glass footed serving dish.

Braded dough with dried cranberries in a silver baking pan with a rubber baking mat sprayed with oil.

Step 5: BAKE

Lastly, place into the oven at 375° and bake for about 25-30 minutes until you see your dough nice and browned. Wait for an hour before cutting into. It should be cut into once it has completely cooled off. If you cut too quickly your dough will not have rested and it will be slightly doughy inside – so let it sit to cool before cutting. I know it’s difficult to wait, but be patient my friend. 😋

Note: Make sure to store bread in a plastic sealed bag after baking to keep moist and fresh. This sweet bread recipe can last up to one week at room temperature.

☕I love having this with a nice cup of Hazelnut Coffee! Check out my video clip of my morning coffee with my Easter Bread! 😋

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PREFER TO WATCH STEP-BY-STEP RECIPE VIDEO INSTEAD OF READING?

Have you tried making our recipe yet? If so, we would LOVE to hear how it turned out! You can rate and comment down below and on Instagram! 👇 Thank you in advance!

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RECIPE CARD

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