Adapted from Adriana Trigiani’s book Cooking With My Sisters, this tender citrus-scented bread appears annually on her Italian family’s Easter table. Holiday bread making is a competitive sport in the author’s family, each member making their version of this Venetian classic. This—Trigiani’s mother’s variation—was the crowd-pleaser, the only one worthy of perching on a cake stand come Easter morning.
If you’d like, instead of making the powdered sugar glaze, try brushing the still-warm bread with honey as Trigiani’s mother used to do. Leftover bread makes excellent French toast. Adriana Trigiani’s latest novel, The Good Left Undone, is out now.
Ingredients
12 servings
Bread
4
¼
1
1
1
1
1
½
1
⅔
¼
2
3
Glaze and assembly
1⅓
3
1
Preparation
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Bread
Step 1
Beat zest of 1 lemon, zest of 1 orange, 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, room temperature, ¼ cup granulated sugar, 1 tsp. anise liqueur (if using), 1 tsp. dark rum (if using), 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt, 1 tsp. orange extract, 1 tsp. vanilla extract, and ½ tsp. lemon extract in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium speed until pale and creamy, about 4 minutes. Add 1 large egg, room temperature, and beat until combined (it’s okay if mixture looks curdled).
Step 2
Switch to the dough hook and add ⅔ cup whole milk, room temperature, ¼ cup fresh orange juice, 2 tsp. instant yeast, and 3 cups (375 g) all-purpose flour. Mix on low speed, scraping bottom and sides of bowl once or twice, until a smooth, soft dough forms, 18–20 minutes (toward the end of mixing, dough will release cleanly from the sides of bowl but may still stick to bottom).
Step 3
Transfer dough to a surface and form into a ball. Lightly coat mixer bowl with vegetable oil, then return dough to bowl. Cover with plastic wrap or a plate and let dough rise in a warm spot until nearly doubled in size, 2–3 hours. Chill dough at least 30 minutes to firm up.
Step 4
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and pat into a square. Roll out to a 13×9″ rectangle, then rotate dough so a long side is closest to you. Using a bench scraper or knife, cut dough vertically into 8 strips. Gently roll up each strip into a coil (don’t roll too tight or the centers will pop out while proofing).
Step 5
Lightly coat a 9″-diameter cake pan with oil. Arrange dough coils, cut side down, in pan, starting in the center, then working around the perimeter. Cover with plastic wrap or a plate and let dough rise in a warm spot until nearly doubled in size, 1–2 hours.
Step 6
Place a rack in middle of oven and preheat to 350°. Uncover pan and bake bread until the center of each coil is golden brown (an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of bread should register 190°), 23–28 minutes. Let cool in pan 15 minutes, then unmold fuatha and transfer to a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet. Let cool completely, about 45 minutes.
Do ahead: Dough can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled after first rise.
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Glaze and assembly
Step 7
Whisk 1⅓ cups (147 g) powdered sugar, sifted, 3 Tbsp. honey, 1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice, and a pinch of kosher salt in a small bowl until smooth.
Step 8
Pour glaze over fuatha, scraping bowl with a rubber spatula to get every bit; spread evenly over top, letting it drip down the sides. Decorate with sprinkles as desired. Let sit until glaze is set, about 2 hours.
