Folar da Páscoa (Portuguese Easter Bread)

Nov 3, 2026 · By VanillaGoods

Baking Quick breads Medium

Folar da Páscoa (Portuguese Easter Bread)

A lightly sweet, spiced yeast bread topped with whole boiled eggs held in place by crossed strips of dough. This is the sweet version with lemon, cinnamon and a hint of anise. Makes 1 large loaf in about 3 hr 45 min.

Prep 40 min

Cook 35 min

Cooling 2 hr 30 min

Total 3 hr 45 min

Yield 1 large loaf

Ingredients

Adjust yield

large loaf

4 cups (500 g)bread flour
¼ oz (7 g)instant yeast
½ cup (100 g)granulated sugar
¾ cup (200 ml)whole milk, lukewarm
2 (100 g)eggs
⅓ cup (90 g)unsalted butter, softened
1lemon zest, finely grated
1 ¼ tsp (3 g)ground cinnamon
¾ tsp (2 g)ground anise seed
¾ tsp (5 g)fine salt
4 (200 g)hard-boiled eggs, in the shell, dyed if desired
1 (50 g)egg, beaten, for brushing

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Instructions

Mix the flour, yeast, sugar, cinnamon, anise and salt in a large bowl. Add the milk, 2 eggs and lemon zest and stir to a shaggy dough.
Knead 8 minutes (or 5 in a mixer), working in the butter a bit at a time, until soft, smooth and elastic.
Cover and let rise 1 hour 15 minutes in a warm place, until doubled.
Set aside about 120 g of dough for strips. Shape the rest into a round ring or oval on a parchment-lined sheet, and press a shallow hollow for each egg (4 total).
Gently press a hard-boiled egg into each hollow. Roll the reserved dough into thin ropes and lay two crossed strips over each egg, pinching the ends under the loaf.
Cover and rise 45 minutes until puffy. Heat the oven to 350 F (175 C).
Brush with the beaten egg, avoiding the shells. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, until deep golden and hollow-sounding when tapped. Cool on a rack.

Tips

Press the eggs in firmly; they swell the hollows as the dough bakes.
Cover with foil after 20 minutes if it browns too fast.
Serve it with the eggs still on; peel them at the table.
Hard-boiled eggs should be refrigerated within 2 hours of cooking; the eggs on the bread are decorative and should not sit out longer than that before eating.

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Recipe FAQ

How long does it take to make folar da páscoa (portuguese easter bread)?

Plan on 40 minutes of prep and 35 minutes of cooking, plus 2 hours 30 minutes to chill. The recipe makes 1 large loaf.

How should I store folar da páscoa (portuguese easter bread)?

Store wrapped at room temperature up to 2 days; refrigerate the cooked eggs if keeping longer than 2 hours, and freeze the bread without eggs up to 2 months.

Can I make folar da páscoa (portuguese easter bread) ahead?

Yes. It needs time to chill and set, so it is a good one to make the day before you serve it.

A traditional Portuguese Easter bread baked with whole eggs set into the dough, sweet in the south and often savory in the north. Serve it with strong coffee.