Pull-Apart Easter Blossom Bread Recipe

In a large bowl, whisk together 4 cups of flour, yeast, white sugar, and salt.

In a saucepan over low heat, melt the unsalted butter with the milk until the mixture is warm in about 110 degrees F.

Gradually whisk about ⅓ of the butter-milk mixture into the beaten eggs, then return the egg mixture back into the remaining milk mixture.

Stir the lemon zest into the liquid ingredients (set aside lemon juice for later).

Pour the liquid ingredients into the flour mixture, and stir until thoroughly combined.

Add enough flour to make a soft dough. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, and knead for 8 to 10 minutes until smooth and elastic.

Place the dough into an oiled bowl, and turn the dough around to cover the surface lightly with oil.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and allow to rise in a warm place for about 1 hour until doubled.

Punch down the dough, and allow to rest for 10 minutes.

Divide the dough in half, and roll each half into a round ball.

On a floured surface, roll out a ball into a 12-inch circle.

Place a drinking glass, face down, into the center of the circle to prevent cutting the dough too far into the center.

Cut the dough with a knife, from the edge of the dough circle to the rim of the glass, into quarters.

Cut each quarter into 5 narrow wedge-shaped strips. (Center of the dough is uncut.)

Remove the drinking glass. There should be 20 narrow wedge-shaped strips surrounding the uncut center of the dough.

Pick up 2 adjacent strips, and twist them together about 4 times.

Pinch the ends of the 2 pieces together at the top. Gently coil to form a rough flower shape.

Arrange the round into the middle of the circle where the drinking glass was.

Pick up 2 more adjacent strips, and twist and pinch them as before.

Coil them into a rough round, and arrange the new petal next to the center rosette.

Repeat with the remaining 16 strips, twisting and pinching them in twos, coiling and arranging them into 8 more petals around the center rosette.

The finished bread should have 9 petals surrounding the center round.

Repeat the steps with the second ball of dough to make another bread.

Grease a baking sheet, or line with parchment paper.

Place two of the shaped bread onto the prepared baking sheet, reshaping them into rounds if needed.

Cover with a clean kitchen towel, and place into a warm spot to rise for 30 to 45 minutes until almost doubled.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Beat the egg yolk with water in a small bowl, and brush the mixture over both of the bread.

Bake in the preheated oven for about 25 minutes until both of the bread has turned golden brown.

Allow to cool.

Use the fingers to gently deepen the indentations in the center of each petal, and fill each with about ½ to 1 teaspoon of raspberry jam.

Mix the reserved lemon juice and confectioners’ sugar in a bowl to form a glaze.

Drizzle the glaze in thin lines all over both the bread. Allow glaze to set.

To serve, pull the petals apart.