Easter Bread Ring

Total Time: 35 mins Cook Time: 35 mins

Ingredients

• 5 -6 cups robin hood best for bread flour
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 5 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1 teaspoon orange zest, grated
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons orange juice
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup carnation evaporated milk
• 3/4 cup crisco shortening
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 6 hard-boiled eggs
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon carnation evaporated milk
• liquid food coloring
• 1 cup icing sugar
• 1 -2 tablespoon orange juice

Recipe

• 1 bread:.
• 2 in a large bowl, combine 3 cups flour with the sugar, yeast, orange zest, and salt. mix until well blended.
• 3 in a saucepan, heat the milk over medium high heat until just boiling. remove from the heat; add the shortening and stir until melted. stir in the orange juice and vanilla. cool to 120°f pour the milk mixture and the beaten eggs over the flour mixture.
• 4 mix until a soft and sticky dough forms. slowly stir in enough of the remaining flour to make a soft dough. knead for 8-10 minutes. place in a lightly greased bowl, cover with plstic wrap and place in a warm draft free spot and let rise 1 1/2 to 2 hours. punch down dough, cover with plastic and refrigerate overnight.
• 5 grease or line a baking sheet with parchment paper. remove the dough from the refrigerator; punch it down. divide dough in half. on a floured surface, roll each piece into a rope, about 24-inches long. twist the ropes together; place the dough on prepared baking sheet. joining the ends together to form a ring shape.
• 6 push the hard boiled eggs, on their sides, between the spaces in the twisted rope around ring. cover bread with a piece of lightly greased plastic wrap. let rise until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 -2 hours.
• 7 heat oven to 350°f place the bread in the oven and bake for 5 minutes. bat egg with 1 tablespoons milk. brush bread with egg wash; return to oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown. cool on wire rack.
• 8 garnish:.
• 9 place a few drops of liquid food coloring in a small dish. using a cotton swab or small paint brush, carefully color each dyed egg. let dry fully before drizzling on orange glaze.
• 10 orange glaze:.
• 11 in a small bowl, combine glaze ingredients: stir until smooth. drizzle over cooled bread.