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Eat & Drink

Easter bread recipe: How Patsy’s Italian Restaurant makes the traditional treat

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  • Patsy's Italian Restaurant (236 W. 56th St.) has been owned and run by the Scognamillo Family since 1944.
    Photo Credit: Diana Colapietro
  • Add whole milk to the mixing bowl fitted with the paddle attachment to begin making the sweet dough.
    Photo Credit: Diana Colapietro
  • After you pour the milk, add sugar and salt to the mix.
    Photo Credit: Diana Colapietro
  • As the milk and sugar are mixing, add 2 large eggs.
    Photo Credit: Diana Colapietro
  • Combine the instant yeast with a little water to make a liquid consistency and then add that to the mixer with the milk, sugar and eggs.
    Photo Credit: Diana Colapietro
  • Zest 1 lemon and add into the mixing bowl as the sweet dough continues to form.
    Photo Credit: Diana Colapietro
  • Chef Scognamillo eyeballs how much anise extract to add to the mixer. Rule of thumb: If using extract instead of seeds, drizzle a thin stream into the bowl for about 2 seconds.
    Photo Credit: Diana Colapietro
  • Add 3 1/2 cups of flour to the bowl and allow to mix on low speed until combined and thick.
    Photo Credit: Diana Colapietro
  • Add the butter 1 tablespoon at a time, waiting for each to be absorbed before adding another. Make sure butter is soft but not melted.
    Photo Credit: Diana Colapietro
  • The tricky thing with bread, Scognamillo explained, is that it can easily be messed up. How? By adding too much flour! When adding the remaining 1 1/2 cups of flour, add a little at a time to the mixer until the dough is soft and leaves the bowl clean with nothing sticking to its sides. This happens quickly. You may not use all of the flour.
    Photo Credit: Diana Colapietro
  • Nothing on the sides!
    Photo Credit: Diana Colapietro

  • If using the hook, mix on medium-low speed occasionally turning off and pulling the dough off the hook for about 8 minutes or until the dough is smooth, shiny and slightly sticky.

    If making the dough by hand, put flour on a work surface and knead, adding more flour as necessary, until the dough is smooth, supple and slightly sticky or about 10 minutes.

    Next, lightly butter a bowl, add the dough and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to rise in a warm spot for about 1 hour. It should double in volume.

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    Photo Credit: Diana Colapietro
  • Take the dough from the bowl, put it on a floured surface and cut into two (or three) pieces.
    Photo Credit: Diana Colapietro
  • Roll each piece of dough under your palms into two 22-inch ropes. They will be shorter if rolling three pieces. The ropes should taper out at each end.
    Photo Credit: Diana Colapietro
  • Line the ropes up next to each other and braid, pinching the ends together.
    Photo Credit: Diana Colapietro
  • Place the braided bread onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

    Cover with plastic wrap and allow to sit in a warm place for another hour or so. It should continue to rise.

    ” data-id=”111573395″ data-link=”https://amnewyork.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/20865_image.jpg” class=”wp-image-1.11573395″/>

    Photo Credit: Diana Colapietro
  • Each hard-boiled egg should sit in a food-coloring mixture (food coloring, water, a touch of white vinegar) for about 15 minutes.

    ” data-id=”111573405″ data-link=”https://amnewyork.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/23586_image.jpg” class=”wp-image-1.11573405″/>

    Photo Credit: Diana Colapietro
  • Mix egg and milk for the egg glaze.
    Photo Credit: Diana Colapietro
  • The egg glaze will give the bread a sheen and also a pleasantly light crust. It is also a bit sticky, which allows the nonpareils to stick to it. Add those now.
    Photo Credit: Diana Colapietro
  • Distribute the eggs into the dough, nestling them in carefully.

    ” data-id=”111573431″ data-link=”https://amnewyork.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/15880_image.jpg” class=”wp-image-1.11573431″/>

    Photo Credit: Diana Colapietro
  • The bread will be done in about 30 minutes. It should be golden brown.
    Photo Credit: Diana Colapietro
  • And it's time to eat! Let bread cool completely before slicing.
    Photo Credit: Diana Colapietro

Easter bread is a traditional item on Italian Easter tables all over the world. It also has a rich history in NYC, with most bakeries and many Italian restaurants making it for the holiday.

To see how the sweet bread gets made, we headed to one of the oldest Italian restaurants in the city, Patsy’s.

Run by the Scognamillo family since opening in 1944, Chef Sal Scognamillo is the third generation in his family to work the line in the kitchen. The day we showed up was his birthday, and Deana Martin (daughter of Dean) called to sing him her best wishes for his 54th year. For a restaurant lined in framed photos autographed by famous actors and musicians, the call was somehow not surprising.

In the lead up to Easter on March 27, Scognamillo makes four or five Easter breads each day. He gives slices away to all the guests in the restaurant. If you want to order one, just call, he said. The price? $20.

The recipe is taken from the cookbook “Patsy’s Italian Family Cookbook.”

Easter bread with colored eggs

Makes 1 loaf, about 10 servings

Ingredients:

1 cup whole milk

1/2 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1 tablespoon instant (also called bread-machine) yeast

Finely grated zest of 1 lemon

2 teaspoons anise seeds or drizzle anise extract

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

5 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons, at room temperature

4 colored, hard-boiled eggs

1 large egg yolk

2 teaspoons nonpareils

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