Bronx Bakeries Make Specialty Bread for Easter

Easter isn't all about bunnies and eggs. For some bakeries in the Bronx, it's also about a special kind of bread.

When Easter weekend rolls around, Larry Addeo can be found sifting flour at 5 in the morning. He's the owner of Addeo & Sons Bakery near Arthur Avenue. And every Easter, he makes hundreds of loaves of Easter bread, a popular pastry among Christian families. Larry Addeo says he has to dedicate a whole week to making it because of the high demand.

"I start the day before Palm Sunday, I make a mix then, and the rest of the week I'll make a hundred pounds every day," said Addeo. 

He says the process starts by putting typical bread ingredients and pieces of candied fruit into a giant mixer. 

The bakers then take it out and start rolling it and letting it rest. After a few hours, they put the dough in the oven. When it's finished baking, they cover it with an egg wash and rainbow sprinkles. And Addeo says every Easter, the bread reminds him of what the holiday is about:

"Families coming together. Celebrating and eating. And eating special things, and in our case, it's the bread," he said. 

Easter bread can be bought at Addeo's and other Arthur Avenue Bakeries until the end of Easter.