Often they were yeast breads, filled with luxurious ingredients such as almonds, candied citrus peel and other candied and dried fruits, cinnamon, and saffron. Some loaves were decorated with colored eggs or sugar, elaborately braided or shaped into doves. Most are sweet, some are savory.

Most of the recipes are European, with a few South American specialties. Add one or more of these 21 Easter breads to your celebration. Head to a bakery in your town, or find recipes online.

BABKA FROM EASTERN EUROPE

Babka is a rich yeast loaf that is now enjoyed year-round. Made with butter, eggs and raisins, is native to Poland and the Ukraine. A savory version is made with cheese.
 
CHIPA FROM PARAGUAY

This cheese bread has a dense, chewy texture, similar to a bagel or bialy.

This rich, sweet dough, topped with sliced almonds, is sweetened with the mahleb, a spice ground from wild cherry pits that’s also used in the tsouréki yeast bread from Greece (below).
 
COLOMBA DI PASQUA FROM ITALY
The dough for is similar to panettone, with flour, eggs, sugar, yeast and butter. Unlike panettone, it usually contains candied peel but no raisins. The dough is then fashioned into a dove shape (colomba in Italian) and topped with pearl sugar and almonds. Some modern versions use a chocolate topping.
 
FOLAR DE PÁSCOA FROM PORTUGAL

Also called Five-Egg Easter Bread, this round yeast loaf is sectioned into five triangles, each with a hard boiled egg nestled on top.
 
GUBANA FROM ITALY

From the Friuli region, this strudel-like bread is made from a cocoa dough and filled with pine nuts, raisins and walnuts.
 
HORNAZO FROM SPAIN

This savory yeast loaf is stuffed with hard boiled egg and sausage—typically chorizo.
 
HOT CROSS BUNS FROM ENGLAND

Commonly found in the U.S. as well, raisin-filled yeast buns are marked with a cross of white icing.
 
KOULOURAKIA FROM GREECE

These crisp breakfast biscuits, originating on the Aegean island of Ikaria, are sweetened with honey.
 
KOUZNAK FROM BULGARIA

An eggy dough is mixed with lemon zest, nuts and raisins. It can be oblong or round, or braided and studded with eggs, like Greek tsouréeki.

This dome-shaped yeast bread is brushed with an egg wash or white glaze, and typically garnished with brightly colored sugar, candied orange peel, chopped almonds and currants. The dough can be mixed with candied citrus, cardamom, nuts, raisins and saffron (photo at right).

PANE DI PASQUA FROM ITALY

This means “Easter bread,” a generic term that can take many forms. One popular shape is a braided ring with a red-tinted hard boiled egg in the center—a riff on Greek tsouréki. Also see torta pasqualina, below.

 
PAO DOCE FROM PORTUGUAL

This lightly sweet, golden loaf is scented with saffron.
 
PAASBROOD FROM HOLLAND

Almond paste is the signature filling of this sweet loaf, along with golden raisins (sultanas) and candied lemon peel.
 
PAASSTOL FROM HOLLAND

Also known as sirnica, this sweet, eggy, buttery bread especially popular in Dalmatia and Istria. Pinca is similar to a briche and is traditionally shaped into a round loaf with a cross cut into the surface, like hot cross buns. Flavorings citrus zest, raisins and rum. Similar to hot cross buns, it is eaten on Good Friday to celebrate the end of Lent.

 
PULLA FROM FINLAND

This braided loaf is infused with cardamom.
 
TORTA PASQUALINA FROM ITALY

In Liguria, the special Easter bread is savory, consisting of thin layers of unleavened dough alternating with a stuffing made of sautéed chard, spinach and/or artichokes plus eggs and cheese, accented with nutmeg. Arugula, asparagus, chicory and radicchio can also be used.
 
TSOURÉKI FROM GREECE

This classic Greek Easter bread dates back to Byzantine times. By the Christian era, red-colored boiled eggs, symbolizing the blood and rebirth of Christ, were tucked into the braids. The rich yeast dough is flavored with orange peel and a charming spice called mahleb (mahlepi, makhlépi), ground from the pits of wild cherries. Other traditional spices include anise seeds and mastic (photo at top).
 
VELIKONOCNI KRUHKI FROM SLOVENIS

These sweet buns are flavored with candied citron, cardamom, ground almonds, lemon zest and raisins, vanilla and brushed with an egg wash.
 
VELKYOS PYRAGAS FROM LITHUANIA

This sweet yeast bread is studded with golden raisins (sultanas).

 
If we haven’t included your favorite Easter bread, let us know!