Italian Easter Bread

New Year's 2032. Black-eyed peas for the twentieth year. Twenty years. The tradition is now old enough to vote. Dustin made the peas — ninth consecutive year, the undisputed champion. I made the cornbread (my domain, forever — the cornbread is mine the way the peas are his, and the division is final and sacred). We ate at 10:15 PM because nobody in this house stays up until midnight and pretending otherwise is an annual tradition we've also abandoned.

Twenty years of black-eyed peas. Twenty years since I was fourteen, standing in Mama's kitchen, making dinner because nobody else was going to. I was fourteen and the peas were survival. I'm thirty-one and the peas are tradition. The ingredient list hasn't changed: dried black-eyed peas, ham hock, onion, garlic, bay leaf. The meaning has changed. Everything has changed. The girl hasn't changed — she's still in here, in my hands, in the way I soak the peas overnight and check the pot and add salt by instinct. The girl is permanent. The circumstances are temporary. Every circumstance I've ever been in — the dark kitchen, the FEMA trailer, the apartment, the house — has been temporary. The girl and the peas are permanent.

Resolution: publish "Counter Space." The manuscript is finished. Red Dirt Books has it. The release is set for fall 2032. My third book. My first memoir. The book that tells everything — not just the recipes, not just the costs, but the tornado and the flashlight and the dropout and the bonfire and the wedding and the babies and the counter space. Everything. In one book. For anyone who needs to know that a life can start in the dark and end in a kitchen full of light.

The cornbread is mine the same way this bread is mine now — because I chose it, because I keep choosing it, because some things you claim and they become permanent. Twenty years of watching Dustin own the peas made me think hard about what it means to hold a recipe like it’s a piece of yourself, and this Italian Easter Bread does exactly that: it’s braided and golden and requires real attention, the kind of attention that says this matters. I started making it the spring after our first New Year’s tradition took root, and it’s stayed ever since — another annual act of permanence in a life that used to feel like nothing was.

Prep Time: 30 minutes + 2 hours rising | Cook Time: 25 minutes | Total Time: 2 hours 55 minutes | Servings: 8

Ingredients

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided, plus more for kneading
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 packet (2 1/4 tsp) active dry yeast
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup whole milk
2 tbsp unsalted butter
2 large eggs, room temperature, divided
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp anise extract (optional)
5 hard-boiled eggs, dyed if desired
2 tbsp colored nonpareils or sprinkles, for topping

Instructions

Activate the yeast. In a small saucepan over low heat, warm the milk and butter together until the butter is just melted and the mixture reaches about 110°F. In a large bowl, combine 1 cup of flour, sugar, yeast, and salt. Pour in the warm milk mixture and stir until combined. Add 1 egg and the vanilla extract (and anise, if using), and mix well.
Build the dough. Gradually stir in the remaining 2 1/2 cups of flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until a soft, slightly tacky dough forms. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 8–10 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Add flour one tablespoon at a time only if the dough is sticking badly.
First rise. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, turning once to coat. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise in a warm, draft-free spot for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until doubled in size.
Shape the braid. Punch down the dough and turn it out onto a floured surface. Divide into 3 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a rope about 24 inches long. Braid the three ropes together, then shape the braid into a circle, pinching the ends firmly to seal. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Tuck in the eggs. Gently press the dyed hard-boiled eggs into the braid at even intervals, nestling each one snugly so it is cradled by the dough.
Second rise. Cover loosely and let rise again for 30–45 minutes, until noticeably puffed.
Glaze and bake. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Beat the remaining egg with 1 tablespoon of water. Brush the glaze gently over the dough (avoid the hard-boiled eggs). Scatter nonpareils or sprinkles over the top. Bake for 22–25 minutes, until deep golden brown. A thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the braid should read 190°F.
Cool before slicing. Let the bread rest on the baking sheet for at least 15 minutes before slicing. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Nutrition (per serving)

Italian Easter Bread — The Bread That Belongs to You