Easter bread Archives - Proud Italian Cook

This recipe of sausage bread connects me to my childhood, I remember my mom use to make this for special holidays and special occasions, even picnics.

When I was a kid I thought making this was such a big ordeal, but when I got married and started making it on my own I realized just how simple it was to put together.

You can create many variations to this sausage bread but one thing for sure is that you want to use a good quality Italian sausage, I tend to go with a spicy version because I feel you need it and the dough calms down the spice anyway.

You definitely need some shredded mozzarella and a nice sharp grated pecorino romano cheese. I also like using something green, I’ve used chopped parsley, wilted and drained spinach and sautéed broccoli rabe using the tips only, but if you prefer not using anything green, that’s good too.

The other important thing is the dough, you need a good quality pizza dough, a one pound ball. I have to admit working with yeast is not my favorite thing to do, I use to be more enthusiastic when I was younger, now I avoid it at all costs, I’d rather go out and buy a good quality pizza dough which fortunately I have many sources that surround me, but if you love making your own dough please do so.

You roll out the dough in a nice big rectangle, then layer with all your delicious ingredients, it’s as easy as that!

Then roll it up jelly roll style, pinch the bottom together and bake it seam side down.

You can form it into a curve or just straight.

Each slice is filled with so much flavor from the cheese and sausage filling.

I guarantee you’ll want some warm marinara for dipping!

Every time I make this I say I should have added some additional red pepper flakes or more grated romano, so don’t be afraid to spice it up!

This post has been updated in 2021, the picture above shows it made using just parsley for the green, I have since enjoyed using sautéed broccoli rabe, tips only.

You won’t believe how something so simple to make can taste like a million bucks, I hope you try this special sausage bread!

Follow along with me on Instagram to see what I’m cooking up during the week.

4.7 from 3 reviews

Sausage Bread

Author: Marie

Ingredients

1 pound ball of pizza dough, good quality store bought or homemade
1 - ½ lb. of Italian sausage, casings removed if you like spicy use that
2 cups of shredded mozzarella, do not use fresh mozzarella.
¾ cup or so of grated romano cheese.
1 cup of rapini,( broccoli rabe) tips only, sautéed til tender, or chopped parsley, or chopped spinach, cooked and drained
black pepper
olive oil
extra romano and a little mozzarella to top on rolled dough
marinara for dipping

Instructions

Heat oven first to 400, bake for 15 minutes then reduce oven to 350 and finish baking until deep golden around 30 minutes more.
Place a piece of parchment on a rimmed baking sheet.
Have your dough at room temperature before rolling out.
Brown sausage in a skillet with a little bit of olive oil, cooking until you see no pink, breaking up the pieces into crumbles, let it cool down and drain on paper towel.
Roll your dough into a large rectangle, as big as you can get it.
Scatter cooked sausage all over dough leaving a 1 inch border all the way around.
Sprinkle the shredded mozzarella cheese evenly all over sausage.
Sprinkle grated cheese, evenly all over.
Sprinkle chopped parsley, cooked rapini tips or cooked spinach all over.
Grate black pepper on top of mixture, at this point you could add some additional red pepper flakes or more grated cheese, it's up to you, depending on the heat of your sausage.
Start to roll the dough, jelly roll style, tucking in the ends as you're rolling so no leakage occurs while baking, pinching dough making sure it's sealed at the seams.
Place large log or half moon shape unto a parchment lined baking sheet, seam side down. ( make sure seam is pinched and sealed.)
Brush top and sides with olive oil, grate some black pepper on top, a sprinkle of romano and a little shredded mozzarella here and there.
Bake as stated above but ovens do vary.
Remove from pan and place on a rack to cool so it doesn’t get soggy on the bottom from moisture.
Let it rest before cutting into it so that the cheese sets, use a serrated knife to cut your slices.
Serve as a appetizer, lunch with a salad or an addition to any special meal.
Serve it with some warm marinara for dipping

There are many forms of “Easter Breads” and every family has their own special recipe and tradition, some might be sweet and others might be savory.

In my family, Easter wouldn’t be the same without my mother and aunt making their traditional “bostone” as they called it, Other names for this savory meat, cheese, and egg filled “pie’ would be pizza chena, Easter pizza, pizza rustica. I have no clue why they called it bostone but it’s probably because all the filling is encased within an eggy bread like dough.

This recipe is not for the faint of heart, there’s eggs galore, lots of meat and wonderful cheese, it’s meant to be made and eaten once a year, each slice is a meal in itself!

I was always told that the key ingredient in our Easter bread was the Tuma cheese, it binds everything together so well when melted, yet it still stays nice and chunky. In my area you can only find Tuma cheese at Easter time.

Many recipes you see on the web show a variety of meats used like salami or capicola and ham, but my mother and aunt always used straight up Italian sausage, preferably hot. Don’t be afraid to use hot sausage here because the filling is so dense you’ll hardly notice, it will just have a nice spiciness to it.
Where I purchase my sausage, the medium is hot and the hot is super hot, so I mixed them together and the heat was just right.

I would suggest prepping ahead of time, boiling your eggs, browning your sausage, chunking up your cheese and preparing the dough.

This recipe makes two very deep loaf pans filled to the brim, or one 9×13 deeper than normal pan, and believe me they are heavy!

I love to slice it right from the fridge and eat it cold, other family members like to warm it slightly, either way it’s amazing and the smell just brings me back to my childhood!

Here’s the recipe.

Julie and Eileen’s Bostone

DOUGH

8 cups flour*** 9 eggs beaten***1T salt** 1 t. black pepper*** 1/2 cup of vegetable shortening*** water to get it to the right consistency. Use a giant bowl and add flour, salt, pepper. Work the shortening in next, then add the 9 beaten eggs and mix until well incorporated, use water if necessary to make dough nice and smooth.

FILLING

4lbs of browned hot Italian sausage, casings removed***2lbs of Tuma cheese diced, if you can’t find it use mozzarella***1 doz hard boiled eggs, chopped***2 cups of Pecorino romano***3 raw eggs*** salt and cracked black pepper. Just mix everything together in one big bowl.

Roll dough out to fit in pan and let it overlap slightly, then add your filling pressing down and adding more. Save enough dough to place on top, then roll the sides up to meet the top. Brush with egg yolk for a beautiful shiny gloss.

Bake at 325 for around 1 1/2 hours or until very golden and hollow sounding when you tap on top. Place the pan or pans on a baking sheet to cook.