Sicilian Easter Bread with Eggs – Cuddura

BySimona
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This post for cuddura, or Sicilian Easter Bread, was originally published on the 29th of March 2021.

I am sure we are all ready for the Easter break. Especially considering this one coming is a normal one, dare I say. Having struggled for the past two years with lockdowns of any sort, it’s finally time to get the ball rolling. Or the egg, as in this case right?! And how is your prep for Easter going?

We have decided to share something very personal and traditional this time. Something I have been making with my nonna a few times as a kid. With all my cousins and aunties in tow, of course. And these are the Sicilian Easter Cookies or bread, also known as cuddura. These are simple to make and very much low effort. They are also great if you want to bake & decorate with the kids. I remember having so much fun with my grandma and cousins, it was a bonding experience! But let’s not go too fast, right?

The Sicilian Easter bread, or Cuddura as it’s also more commonly known, has got a great deal of tradition and history behind it. Cuddura comes from Greek and translates in ‘crown‘, and that’s pretty much one of the many shapes this can take. You’ll be able to shape them as you see fit since the main part of it it’s the hard boiled egg.

Sicilian Easter Cookies

Recommended: Sugar Cookies with Chocolate Chips.

The tradition behind Cuddura.

With the crown goes a hard-boiled egg, and this is very much symbolic. The egg, in Christian symbology, represents the resurrection of Christ. And while I am not going to go all religious on you, just know it meant a lot back when I made them with my grandma in Sicily. I come from a very religious family on my father’s side, and every single recurrence it’s very much ritual.

In all honesty, by the time I was old enough to actually learn Cuddura from her, my grandma had gotten rid of the wood fire oven and stopped baking altogether. So the only actual memory I have is decorating my Sicilian Easter bread once. The cuddura, yes. Which, to be fair, it’s a long stretch to call it a full-blown memory.

I remember something about decorating my crown, that’s for sure. But I wouldn’t put my money on the fact that it was a crown. It could have been a bird. I do not recall, at all. I remember the good bits, the being all together with the family and the eating part.

What’s Italian Easter like?

Well, as a state mainly run by religion (forgive me, but it is true!), we have plenty of traditions going through Easter. Easter happens to be one of the most important holidays for Italians, with plenty of popular festivals, religious rites and processions happening in every little (or big) place. The city my dad comes from has a whole deal of celebrations going on for a full week. Yes, you heard that right: a full week. From processions to actual church rituals and singing, to end on a Sunday with a big piece of drama in the main square. You’d think they are mad, but it’s actually one of my favourite times ever.

Of course, we’re big on food too: from Colomba to eating lamb, the Neapolitan Pastiera and Casatiello, or even some Italian Easter cookies of sorts, you’d be unable to go through all of them. And the cuddura is actually one of those traditions which appears everywhere, not just in Sicily. So many of these traditions, like the beans and cheese one, date as back as the Roman empire! Mindblowing, for sure.

What ingredients do I need for the cuddura?

So this version of Cuddura is more biscuit-like than bread-like, but delicious nonetheless. You will be using very basic ingredients for the dough, including all purpose flour, sugar, butter, baking powder and eggs. A bit of vanilla for taste and milk to brush the bases to stick the sprinkles. And of course, the piece de resistence, the hard boiled egg!

How do I make Cuddura?

You’ll start by making the main star of this dish, the hard boiled eggs. Around 10 to 12 minutes will be enough because they will end up baking in the oven. Then you’ll prepare the dough, and roll it out on a floured surface. Cut the cuddura to the shape you prefer – we went for bells, but doves and other religious emblems are pretty common – decorate and bake. Let them come to room temperature before serving. They make the perfect decoration for your Easter table, and the kids especially will love them! A sweet treat to end the easter lunch in style.

Sicilian Easter Cookies

Sicilian Easter Cookies – Cuddura

Simona
The traditional recipe from Sicily also known as Cuddura.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 35 minutes
Course Sweet
Cuisine Italian
Servings 4 cookies

Ingredients
  

  • 250 g plain flour
  • 100 g white sugar
  • 100 g unsalted butter
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 tbsp milk to brush
  • ½ cup rainbow sprinkles
  • 4 hard-boiled eggs

Instructions
 

  • Boil your 4 eggs and once they are ready (roughly 10-12 minutes) drop them in an ice bath.
  • Start by prepping the dough: in a medium bowl, beat the eggs with the sugar for a couple of minutes with a whisk.
  • Add the flour, baking powder, vanilla and chopped butter, then work with your hands until everything comes together in a ball. Cover in cling film and let it rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
  • Once it has rested, remove it from the fridge and roll it on a floured surface until it’s roughly 1cm thick. Cut in the shape you prefer – traditionally it would be a basket, a crown, a bell or a dove – and decorate with some extra pastry, making sure you keep some on the side for the crosses on top of the eggs.
  • We went for bells and decorated the top with some rolls tied together. Cut all your four shapes and place the boiled egg in the middle, then cover the egg with two strips of pastry to make a cross.
  • Brush all the pastry with milk, then drizzle the rainbow sprinkles on top.
  • Turn on the oven to 180°C and bake your cookies for 15 minutes.
  • Let them cool off completely before digging in!

Notes

These keep fine for a couple of days, and make the perfect table decor for Easter Sunday!

The Sicilian Easter Cookies in all their glory.

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Sicilian Easter Cookies

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You can read a bit more history of the Cuddura from this blog! There is plenty of history and some tips too that might become useful.

I remember these being a little more bread-like but other than that – they taste beautiful. While the boiled egg might be a little off-putting, I can assure you they are totally worth it. They are a world apart from the Hot Cross Buns I have made a year or so ago, but totally fun to make – and eat! Toasted, slathered in butter and with a cup of tea…the dream.

Also, it is worth checking out our Easter Egg Guide: Cristina has created a list of the 12 eggs you must check out, don’t miss out on it. Happy Easter to you and yours!

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cuddura

Content Creator

Simona is the self-appointed editor-in-chief and has a background in food & drink. She is an introvert who loves staying in, cooking and baking, and spending time with Otis, her dachshund. She loves to watch crime docs with Cristina, and playing Animal Crossing a lot more than is worth mentioning.

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128 Comments

  1. Pingback: How To Celebrate the Start of Spring in 50 Small Ways

  4. Oh yum! These were on my list to bake and now it’s Easter tomorrow and I’ve not made a single Easter bake! Not sure where the time has gone x

    Reply

  5. This sounds like a great recipe for Easter. You have shared a easy to follow recipe. I hope you have a wonderful Easter weekend.

    Lauren x

    Reply

  6. My neighbours are Italian, so I have heard of the Sicillian Cuddura, but until now, I had never seen what it actually looks like, so I loved this post x

    Reply

  11. This recipe looks so good! I love your gorgeous photography too. Tbh I am not a very good baker and I’m lucky if I am able to make sugar cookies correctly. Most years, I just dye hard-boiled eggs and call it a day LOL

    Reply

  12. It’s always interesting to hear about different cultures and their traditions! These look incredible – totally shop window worthy xx

    Reply

  13. I love learning about holiday traditions and its so amazing that they can be centered around something as delicious as these cookies!

    Reply

  14. I love a recipe that comes with family and tradition. It automatically tastes better somehow. I’ve never heard of Cuddura before, but they look festive and tasty. The egg makes it look interesting, but I’m not so sure about the combination. I’ll take your word for it that it makes sense. Please share more stories from your grandma’s kitchen.

    Reply

  16. This looks incredible! I’ve never tried cuddura before. I’m happy that it’s a simple and easy to follow recipe. What a perfect treat for Easter! Thank you for sharing!

    Reply

  17. Sometimes reading blogs I feel like I have been living under a rock – never heard of it. But it’s perfect timing 😀 I saved it and if kids birthday won’t wipe my memory I will try it this weekend – looks cute and yummy

    Reply

  22. Interesting to read about the history, but they seem a little odd with the hard boiled egg. A bit of a random mix. They look cute and very suitable for Easter though

    Reply

  24. I’d never heard of this before – but what a wonderful tradition it must have been growing up and getting family involved. They look delicious too.

    Reply

  31. This looks so cool and loves the design of it and I’m sure it would taste so good. What a clever way! Thank you for sharing!

    Reply

  32. I’ll be honest; I hadn’t heard of a Sicilian Cuddra before reading your guide but now I’m dying to make one. Really informative guide and looks yummy, will definitely be giving your recipe a go! 🙂

    Reply
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  36. Am I reading the recipe right, you keep the egg whole and wrap the dough around it? That’s really taking the pagan symbolism of eggs for fertility for the spring equinox to a weird new level

    Reply

  40. These look both strange, intriguing and tasty in the best way possible! I’ve never heard of them before, but now I’m absolutely curious to try them. Thank you for sharing x

    Reply

  42. I have learnt a new Easter bake with this post! I have seen the Greek ester bread, but not these loely cookies before. I bet they taste yummy! This is a bit of a silly question but, do you eat the boiled egg as well or is it just used for the symbolism?

    Thanks for sharing another fab recipe!
    Aimsy xoxo
    Aimsy’s Antics

    Reply

    1. I’ll need to look into the Greek Easter bread, never heard of it! When I was a kid, we used to leave the egg for the adults, while us kids were feasting on sweet cookies ahah – now I eat the egg too, just not at the same time x

      Reply

  45. This was such an interesting recipe! I’ve never heard of them before and I love the idea of it looking like a crown. Egg is really not my thing at all but I think they’d defo be fun to make

    Reply

  46. I’ve never seen or heard of these before but they look good – though I’m not too fond of hard boiled eggs. However, I love seeing how other cultures celebrate easter! Really interesting post!

    Reply

  48. I’ve never heard of this tradition before and I’m totally fascinated by it! My father-in-law is Sicilian, so I wonder if he’s ever had something like this. At some point, I might have to ask him. I really like the concept (even though I don’t enjoy hard-boiled eggs haha)!

    Reply

  49. I’ve never seen them made like this before! My aunts made them too but they never had this shape. I bet the shape of the dough varied village to village. No one in my family has made them in years now. Everyone wants cuccidati instead!

    Reply

  50. Oh I love cookies but unfortunately, I can’t eat this one because it has egg 🙁 I have an allergy since I was a kid! It seems so easy to make and looks delish as well 😀 Thanks for sharing the recipe, I might try this for my friend or family x

    Reply

  52. Super ready for Easter! Love to see the food and dessert you prepare for this Holy Week. In the Philippines, our tradition here is to make Binignit which involves sweet potatoes and other fruits and vegetables. These cookies look so yummy and sweet! Perfect for kids too. Thanks for sharing.

    http://www.lifebeginsattwenty.com

    Reply

    1. Thank you Kalin – as kids, we used to only eat the dough and leave the egg to the adults, nowadays I am quite the opposite and will eat the egg too, separately 🙂 x

      Reply

    1. Thank you Karalee – that’s quite the weird concoction! I never though anything of it given it was just given to me as a kid, so as long as it’s edible I was pretty fine haha x

      Reply

  57. I’ve never heard of Cuddura before but what a fabulous memory to have of your nonna. I agree, these are a much more unique Easter bake, although I must admit I’m more of a fan of your hot cross buns recipe! x

    Reply

  58. I love the story behind these, must be a really lovely memory for you as a family.

    They look amazing, and the crown design is so clever. I’d really like to do some baking with the kids while we are off this Easter, I think they’d love a crown!

    Reply

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