Sweet Italian Holiday Bread

September 2019. Fall semester of my junior year at UAB. I am taking four classes and working twenty hours at the daycare and putting in ten hours at the research lab and I am, for the first time in my academic career, managing a full load without feeling like I am holding too many things at once. I have become efficient. I know my own work rhythms. I know when to push and when to rest.

The toddler room at the Birmingham daycare has a new child who has been in the system. I know this from the intake paperwork and from the way she watches the room. She is twenty-three months old and her name is Lily and she does not make eye contact with adults yet and she holds food when she is given it rather than eating it immediately. I know both of those things. I sit near her without crowding and I narrate what I am doing and I do not make demands and I wait. She will decide on her own schedule. I have all the patience in the world for her schedule.

Made brioche this week, the real kind, rich with eggs and butter, a dough so soft it is almost liquid when you first make it. The key is time: two rises, the second overnight in the refrigerator. The loaf I made was golden and tender and smelled extraordinary. I took half to Sunday dinner. James ate three slices with butter and said: now what is this bread. I said brioche. He said: it is very fine bread. Fine again. The highest word he has for things.

The brioche I described was the moment I realized that enriched doughs reward the same thing I was learning to give Lily — patience, a light touch, trust in the process. Sweet Italian Holiday Bread carries that same spirit: it’s a rich, egg-and-butter dough that asks you to slow down and let time do its work, and it comes out of the oven with that same golden warmth that made James reach for a third slice. If you have a Sunday afternoon and someone worth baking for, this is the loaf to make.

Prep Time: 30 minutes + 2 hours rising | Cook Time: 30 minutes | Total Time: 3 hours | Servings: 12 slices

Ingredients

1 package (2 1/4 tsp) active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water (110°F)
1 cup warm whole milk
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
3 large eggs, room temperature
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp anise extract (optional, traditional)
1 tsp salt
4 1/2 to 5 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading
1 egg beaten with 1 tbsp water, for egg wash
2 tbsp pearl sugar or coarse sugar, for topping (optional)

Instructions

Proof the yeast. Combine yeast and warm water in a small bowl. Let stand 5–10 minutes until foamy. If it doesn’t foam, your yeast is inactive — start over with a fresh packet.
Mix the dough. In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the warm milk, sugar, softened butter, eggs, vanilla, and anise extract (if using). Add the proofed yeast mixture and stir to combine. Add the salt and 2 cups of flour, mixing until smooth.
Build the dough. Add remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, mixing until a soft, slightly tacky dough forms. Do not add so much flour that the dough becomes stiff — enriched doughs should feel pillowy and soft.
Knead. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 8–10 minutes until smooth, elastic, and just barely sticky, or knead with a dough hook on medium speed for 6–8 minutes.
First rise. Place dough in a lightly greased bowl, turning once to coat. Cover with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and let rise in a warm spot until doubled, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
Shape the loaf. Punch down the dough. Divide into three equal portions and roll each into a 16-inch rope. Braid the three ropes together, pinching and tucking both ends under. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet or a greased 9x5-inch loaf pan.
Second rise. Cover loosely and let rise until puffy and nearly doubled, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Preheat & finish. Preheat oven to 350°F. Brush the loaf gently with egg wash and sprinkle with pearl sugar if using.
Bake. Bake 28–32 minutes until deep golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center reads 190°F. If the top browns too quickly, tent loosely with foil for the last 10 minutes.
Cool. Let cool on a wire rack at least 20 minutes before slicing. Serve with salted butter.

Nutrition (per serving)

Sweet Italian Holiday Bread — The Loaf That Earned James’s Highest Word