German Easter Bread (Osterbrot): Easy Sweet Bread
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Celebrate the season with German Easter Bread, or Osterbrot, an easy-to-make sweet bread filled with dried fruit, hints of citrus, and topped with sliced almonds. Traditionally enjoyed at Easter, it's fragrant, festive, and delicious enough for any special occasion.
What I Love About This German Easter Bread
- It's soft, fragrant, and lightly sweet with hints of citrus and dried fruit.
- The round loaf and cross on top make it especially beautiful for Easter.
- It's easier to make than many traditional holiday breads.
- It's delicious served fresh, toasted, or turned into bread pudding.
- It fills the kitchen with the unmistakable scent of holiday baking.
What is Osterbrot?
Much like Jewish challah or Italian Easter Bread, Osterbrot is a rich, fragrant sweet bread with deep holiday symbolism. It's traditionally served to break the Lenten fast and is often enjoyed at Easter breakfast, brunch, or teatime.
Leftovers are wonderful toasted or can be transformed into bread pudding, much like my Cinnamon Brioche Bread Pudding.
If you love traditional Easter breads, you might also enjoy my Ukrainian Paska, rich Kulich Easter Bread, or this Almond Cinnamon Babka Star Bread.
What is Sweet Bread Dough?
Sweet bread dough is an enriched yeast dough made with ingredients like butter, milk, eggs, and sugar. Compared to everyday bread dough, it bakes up softer, richer, and more tender-perfect for holiday breads like Osterbrot.
If you're new to breadmaking, refer to my Bread Making Troubleshooting Guide for helpful tips and answers to common questions.
Ingredients for German Easter Bread
You will find the exact measurements in the recipe card below, but these are the key ingredients that give Osterbrot its flavor and texture.
- Dried fruit: Raisins, golden raisins, or currants add sweetness and texture. They are soaked before being added to the dough.
- Milk and butter: Warmed together to enrich the dough and create a soft, tender crumb.
- Sugar: Adds gentle sweetness to the bread.
- Instant yeast: Helps the dough rise quickly and reliably.
- All-purpose flour: Provides structure; measure by spooning and leveling.
- Eggs: Enrich the dough and help create a light, tender crumb.
- Citrus zest: Orange or lemon zest adds brightness and traditional flavor. My German grandmothers always used orange, so the tradition continues with me.
How to Make German Easter Bread
The recipe card below includes detailed instructions, but here is a step-by-step overview of how to make Osterbrot.
If you're new to sweet bread baking, don't worry-this dough is straightforward to make, and the simple round shape makes it especially approachable.
- Step 1: Soak the raisins in hot water for up to 30 minutes. Meanwhile, warm the milk and butter until lukewarm.
- Step 2: Add the sugar, yeast, flour, salt, citrus zest, milk mixture, and eggs to the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the dough hook, mix and knead until combined. Add the soaked dried fruit and continue kneading for 5-7 minutes, until the dough is smooth and passes the windowpane test.
- Step 3: Shape the dough into a ball, place it in an oiled bowl, cover, and let rise until doubled in size, about 90 minutes to 2 hours.
- Step 4: Gently deflate the dough and shape it into a round loaf. Place it on a parchment-lined baking sheet and cover loosely. Let rest at room temperature for about 45 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375°F and place a tray of water on the bottom rack to create steam. Prepare the egg wash.
- Step 5: Brush the loaf with egg wash. Score a cross on the top using a sharp knife or bread lame. Sprinkle generously with sliced almonds and additional sugar if desired.
- Step 6: Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the loaf is deep golden brown. If it browns too quickly, tent loosely with foil. Let cool before slicing.
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German Easter Bread (Osterbrot)
Equipment
Ingredients
Dough
- 1 cup dried fruit like raisins, golden raisins and/or currants soaked
- ¾ cup milk
- 4 tablespoons butter
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 4 teaspoons instant yeast
- 4 cups all-purpose flour (to 4¼ cups) spooned and leveled
- 1 ½ teaspoons table salt
- 1 teaspoon orange zest or lemon zest
- 2 large eggs
Topping
- egg wash egg white beaten with 1 tablespoon cold water.
- sliced almonds for garnish
Instructions
- Soak the raisins in hot water for up to 30 minutes, then drain off the liquid and pat dry.
- Warm the milk and butter in a small saucepan until the butter melts. Let cool to lukewarm.
- Add sugar, yeast, flour, salt, zest, lukewarm milk mixture, and the eggs in the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the dough hook, mix and knead until combined. Then add the soaked (and pat dried) fruit and knead for 5-7 minutes. The dough will be tacky but not sticky. Depending on how wet and plump the dried fruit is, you may need to add a little extra flour (1 tablespoon at a time). For me, I haven't needed to add any additional flour.
- Shape the dough into a round ball or "boule," cover, and let it rise in an oiled bowl in a warm place until puffy, about 90 minutes to 2 hours.
- Deflate gently and form the dough into a round "boule" shape. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and rest at room temperature for 45 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375℉ and place a tray with water on the bottom shelf. This will create steam in the oven. Prepare the egg wash and set aside.
- When ready to bake, brush the risen dough with the egg wash. Use a sharp knife or a dough etching tool (which I absolutely love), and score a cross on the top of the loaf. Sprinkle generously with sliced almonds and additional sugar if desired.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until it's a deep golden brown and a digital thermometer inserted into the center reads 185-190℉. Loosely tent with foil if it's browning too quickly. Let cool before slicing.
Video
Notes
- Dough Texture: The dough should be soft and slightly tacky but not overly sticky. Add flour 1 tablespoon at a time if needed.
- Soaking the Fruit: Soaking the dried fruit helps keep it soft and prevents it from drawing moisture from the dough.
- Citrus Flavor: Orange zest is traditional, but lemon zest can also be used for a slightly brighter flavor.
- Rising Time: Rising time will vary depending on the temperature of your kitchen. Allow the dough to fully double in size for the best texture.
- Steam in the Oven: Placing a pan of water in the oven creates steam, which helps develop a soft interior and beautifully golden crust.
- Scoring the Cross: Score the dough just before baking using a sharp knife or bread lame for clean lines.
- Storage: Store covered at room temperature for up to 2 days. Toast slices before serving for the best flavor.
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
More Easter Recipes to Try!
- Hot Cross Buns (Easy & Traditional Easter Recipe)
- Spring Crudités Basket
- The Sunday Edit | No. 11: The Easter Table
- Moist Coconut Cake
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