Grandma’s Easter Bread

Ingredients

• 5 cups bread flour, or more as needed
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 2/3 cup grated Romano cheese
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1.5 teaspoons salt
• 1 cup warm water
• 2 tablespoons active dry yeast
• 1 medium orange
• 0.5 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
• 3 large eggs, beaten slightly
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Steps

1. Combine 5 cups flour, 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, Romano cheese, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl; stir well and set aside.
2. Stir warm water and yeast together in a small bowl. Set aside until dissolved and bubbly, 5 to 10 minutes.
3. Zest and juice orange into a large bowl. Stir in melted butter, eggs, and vanilla extract until well combined. Stir in yeast mixture. Add flour mixture gradually, stirring as you go.
4. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 8 to 10 minutes, adding up to 1 extra cup of flour as needed to keep dough manageable. Transfer to an oiled bowl, cover, and let rise until almost doubled in size, about 30 to 60 minutes.
5. Punch dough down, cover and let rise again until almost doubled in size, 30 to 60 minutes.
6. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Grease two 8-inch round loaf pans.
7. Cut dough into 2 equal pieces and shape into loaves. Place in the prepared pans, cover, and let rise again until almost doubled in size, 30 to 60 minutes.
8. Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 70 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cook on a wire rack.