Pandolce, Sweet Braided Bread with Raisins, is a soft and fragrant loaf-lightly sweet, beautifully tender, and dotted with juicy raisins. It's wonderful for breakfast, whether toasted or spread with your favorite jam, and it's a beloved staple on our Easter morning table.
Song of the day: "home" - morgxn ft. WALK THE MOON
Easter is approaching quickly, and I've started thinking about the recipes that are traditionally prepared in Italy this time of year. My mom's handwritten recipe books are a true treasure-pages filled with family favorites, some so old that she no longer remembers where they originally came from.
Pandolce: Pan(e)=Bread Dolce= Sweet
Pandolce, Sweet Braided Bread with Raisins, is the kind of treat you'll often find on an Easter Sunday breakfast table in many Italian homes. Simple, beautifully rustic, and gently sweet, it pairs perfectly with tea or coffee and sits comfortably alongside both sweet and savory delights.
This bread carries with it the charm of country days long gone-the scent of freshly baked loaves drifting through narrow alleys, children playing loudly in the streets, and women in aprons, strong hands, and bright smiles chatting as they worked in their kitchens. It's a taste that brings those memories right back to life.
YEAST DOUGH
Although simple to prepare, Pandolce isn't a quick baking project. Like all yeast breads, it needs time to rise-twice, in fact. Whenever possible, I prefer using fresh yeast (also called baker's or compressed yeast), which contains no artificial additives and keeps in the fridge for up to four weeks. Dry yeast works well too; you just need to adjust the quantity and how you use it.
- Active dry yeast: use half the amount of fresh yeast. It must be dissolved in warm water or milk before adding it to the dough.
- Instant yeast: use one quarter of the amount of fresh yeast. It can be mixed directly into the dough, though it's more sensitive to cold temperatures.
Kneading, to me, is therapeutic. If you're kneading by hand, lightly flour your work surface and work the dough for about 10 minutes. It will feel sticky at first-try not to add extra flour. With time and movement, it becomes smoother and less tacky. A bench scraper can help manage the dough in the early stages. By the end, it should feel soft, elastic, and cohesive.
Of course, if you prefer using a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, the process is quicker and the machine does the heavy lifting for you.
For the full step‑by‑step instructions on making the dough, be sure to check the recipe at the bottom of the post.
A BRAIDED BREAD
Following the instructions in my mom's book, I shaped the dough into a simple three‑strand braid. You can certainly experiment with more elaborate weaves, or even join the ends together to form a wreath.
Here's how I did mine:
Step 1
I divided the dough ball into three equal portions.
Step 2
I rolled each portion into a rope about 40 cm long.
Step 3
I lined up the three ropes side by side and braided them, just as you would braid hair.
Once the braid was complete, I gently tucked the ends underneath to give the loaf a neat finish.
I hope you're among the raisin lovers, like me, because here they add a delightful sweetness that makes this bread especially lovely with butter or jam
HOW TO SERVE IT
Bring it to the table for an energetic breakfast to start the day off right, or enjoy a slice as an afternoon snack when a sweet craving appears. Pandolce, this Sweet Braided Bread with Raisins, also shines on a cheese board, where its gentle sweetness pairs beautifully with aged cheeses and a drizzle of honey.
It keeps well for a few days, and once it begins to lose a bit of softness, it becomes wonderful toasted-or absolutely irresistible turned into French toast.
TRADITIONAL ITALIAN FOR EASTER
This Pandolce, Sweet Braided Bread with Raisins, is a classic treat enjoyed in many parts of Italy during the Easter holidays. It's not just for Easter Sunday-families also pack it for Pasquetta, Easter Monday, when Italians head outdoors for a picnic to celebrate spring. Soft, lightly sweet, and beautifully fragrant, it's one of those simple traditions that instantly brings the holiday to the table.
EASTER BRUNCH, ANYONE?
Make it for your family or for an Easter brunch you're hosting-it looks impressive on the table and tastes absolutely exquisite. For us Italians, its aroma is pure Easter, and that little rumble in the stomach means we can't wait to slice into it and spread on a generous layer of butter or jam. Once you experience this Pandolce, Sweet Braided Bread with Raisins, you'll wonder how you ever celebrated Easter without it.
Enjoy!
PrintPandolce, Sweet Braided Bread with Raisins
Pandolce, Sweet Braided Bread with Raisins. Pandolce is a soft, fragrant bread, just mildly sweet and freckled with raisins. Great for breakfast, tasted or slathered in jam, it is always present on our Easter breakfast table.
- Prep Time: 1 hour 50 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours 25 minutes
- Yield: 1 sweet braided bread 1x
- Category: Bread, Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 500 g flour 0, 00, or all-purpose
- 25 g fresh baker's yeast (12.5 g active dry yeast; 6 g instant yeast)
- 100 g sugar (granulated or cane sugar)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- the grated zest of 1 organic lemon
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 egg, organic free range
- 80 g melted butter
- 250 ml lukewarm milk
- 125 g raisins
- 1 egg, lightly beaten, to brush on top
Instructions
- Sift the flour in a large bowl, or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Add the yeast in, mix, and make a well in the center.
- Add the sugar, vanilla, lemon zest, salt, egg, the lukewarm melted butter. Mix, incorporating the flour on the sides.
- Slowly start pouring the milk, and mix to incorporate all the flour.
- Once a 'raggedy' dough starts to form, pour it onto a lightly floured work surface and knead the dough for 10 minutes (or finish kneading it in the stand mixer, about 5-6 minutes).
- Put the dough back in the floured bowl, cover with a wet towel and let rise for 1 hour away from air draughts (I cover it with a towel and put it in the oven, turned off with the light on).
- Put the raisins in a small bowl, add water just enough to cover them, let sit for 5-10 minutes, then drain and pat dry.
- After the 60 minutes rising time, punch down the dough, add the raisins and knead it again to incorporate.
- Form a ball with the dough, then divide into 3 parts, more or less the same size (I used a scale).
- With your hands, roll each dough ball into a rope, about 40 cm long. Put the 3 ropes in front of you and starting from the top, start to braid the ropes, sealing the ends together.
- Transfer the braid to a rectangular baking pan lined with parchment paper and set back to rise, covered, away from air draughts, for about 30 minutes.
- In the meantime, preheat the oven to 400° F (200° C).
- After the 30 minutes, brush the lightly beaten egg on top of the bread.
- Place on the lower rack of the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes, covering the top of the bread with foil paper if you see it is getting too dark (I covered it at about half the cooking time).
- Take out of the oven and let cool on a rack.
Notes
It lasts for 3-4 days but it slowly gets tougher. Toast it, or make French toast. Amazing!
I love baking and kneading dough because it takes me to a happy place in my soul.
Katherine | Love In My Oven says
This looks like it came straight from the bakery. Well done!! Very perfect for Easter 🙂
Thank you! It is traditional for Easter or Christmas in Italy, but appreciated all year round.
Linda says
I love a good homemade bread like this. And how lucky you are to have your mom’s precious handwritten recipe books.
Thank you! It is a great sweet bread and if you like raisins they give such a nice touch! I still have so many recipes to make from those books 🙂 .
Lech says
Great recipe,
I've made it for my wife as a birthday cake and it came out fabulously. At first i was going to make some traditional polish yeasted babka, but traditional recipes call for 20 egg yolks. What to do with all those whites?Saved by Italians! Thank you.
So happy you made it! And for your wife's birthday!! Thank you for the feedback. Glad it was enjoyed.
Gloria | Homemade & Yummy says
OMG this brings back childhood memories of baba making bread for Easter. We celebrated Ukrainian Easter, and would take a basket of food to church to get "blessed" on Saturday. Then we would eat the food Easter Sunday for breakfast. She ALWAYS had bread made for us.
Thank you Gloria! So nice that this bread brought back such a happy memory! It is a great bread, not too sweet, but sweet enough to also call it dessert 😉 .
Danielle Wolter says
this sounds just incredible. I'm not much of a baker, but i love bread. you've made this sound so easy!
Thanks! It's not the easiest baked good, but it's totally doable. And it's so good, that I hope you give it a try!
Jessica {Cooking my Dreams} says
I love Pandolce! It was always on our table around Easter time when I was in Italy. I never attempted making it but this recipe looks so gorgeous I might give it a try! 🙂
So happy you know this bread and love it! It is very popular and so delicious. Hope you try it! 🙂
Kate says
This bread is so beautiful I love the dark golden color. And I bet this would make amazing french toast or bread pudding!
Thank you! You need to brush the top with egg and that gives that beautiful color. It is amazing as is, with jam, and as french toast
Luxury says
Walking into a kitchen teeming with the yeasty smell of warm bread like this is like receiving a warm hug from a dear friend
Thank you! So well put!
Tammy says
Ooh your bread is beautiful!! I love homemade bread especially loaves like this one with the dried fruit. Always a delicious treat for the morning!
Thank you! Nothing like the smell of freshly baked bread :-). In the morning it is delicious!!
Dan from Platter Talk says
My biggest criticism of this decadent pandolce is that I am afraid that I could devour the entire loaf, single handly. I love the lemon zest you have added, for the understated bight and flavorful contrast to the other sweet and savory ingredients. Beautifully done and thank you for sharing!
Thank you! Such a beautiful comment! Yes, the lemon is a nice touch that compliments well the sweet raisins.
Gina says
This bread looks AMAZING! I would love to have this for breakfast with some cream cheese!
Thank you! Never thought of spreading cream cheese on top, but it sounds amazing!
Denise@urbnspice says
Many years ago when I was working at a rather frustrating job (before I became a chef), I started to bake bread - I found it to be so therapeutic. Now I bake bread for the people that I love because it is so comforting and so very enjoyable. Your beautiful Pandolce, Sweet Braided Bread with Raisins will be that kind of bread, I am sure. Already, after reading your lovely post and recipe from your Mom’s precious recipe book, this bread is something that I want to bake to evoke the same cozy feelings as you so beautifully wrote about. Many thanks for sharing, Nicoletta. ❤️
Well said, Denise! Baking bread is so comforting and brings so much satisfaction when you see people enjoying it. Thank you so much for your lovely comments!
Lori | The Kitchen Whisperer says
I absolutely love sweet breads like this. It brings back so many childhood memories of baking breads with my Mom. I still make homemade breads like this for the family and extended family. I l9ve your addition of lemon and raisin to this as it’s light and bright while letting the flavors of the bread shine through!
Thank you! The lemon zest and raisins add such a beautiful fragrance.
Analida Braeger says
These pandolce is beautifully done ! and that crust on top? To die for. This bread brings back so many fond memories of mine, Thank you for sharing ~! 🙂
Thank you! Love the top too! It is a great bread and makes Easter sweeter 🙂
Sharon says
There's nothing better than a great homemade loaf of bread. This looks so unique and delicious, making this soon.
Thank you! I agree, nothing like making fresh bread 🙂 .
Daniela says
Yummy! Remind me of challah :). Love a freshly baked bread. And it makes the house smell so delicious! Thanks so much for sharing :).
Jo says
This is such a lovely braided bread and raisins are my favorite topping for any braided breads! Beautifully baked and the crust on top is to die for