Easter Bread

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).

Dissolve the Active Dry Yeast (3 packets) in the heated Milk (1 1/2 cups).

Add the melted Butter (1 cup) to the milk/yeast mixture once it is cooled.

Beat the Farmhouse Eggs® Large Brown Eggs (5), Granulated Sugar (1 1/4 cups), Vanilla Extract (1 1/3 Tbsp), Salt (1 pinch), and All-Purpose Flour (7 1/4 cups) together; add the milk mixture and blend well until dough forms.

Turn out the dough on a floured surface and knead well, for approximately 5 minutes.

Place the dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray; cover with a cloth and let rise in a warm place for approximately 2 hours.

When the dough has risen, punch down and allow to rise again for 1 hour.

Remove the dough from the bowl and shape. You can divide the dough into thirds and braid. Curl dough around to form a ring and place in a greased and floured 9″ round baking pan. Or, you may just leave the dough in a long braid and bake on a greased baking sheet.

Sprinkle top of the dough with Sesame Seeds (4 Tbsp) and place the dyed hard-cooked Farmhouse Eggs® Large Brown Egg (1) in the center of the bread ring, or one end of the bread braid (you may add more eggs as you like).

Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 45 minutes or until the bread is golden brown.