Easter Bread with Colored Eggs

BREAD WITH COLORED EGGS

Dough
5 raw eggs dyed with food coloring
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 pkg active dry yeast
2/3 cup milk
2 tablespoons vanilla
2 fresh eggs at room temperature
3 tablespoons melted butter
Sugar Icing:
1/3 cup hot milk
3 cups powdered sugar
dash of vanilla
colored sprinkles
Dye your eggs with food coloring in spring colors. (do not use Easter egg dying kits, the color will bleed on your dough)
Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt and yeast.
Set aside.
In a saucepan, combine milk and butter. Heat over low heat until milk is warm.
Use a electric mixer, gradually add warm milk and butter to the dry ingredients, beat for 2 minutes at medium speed, scraping sides of the bowl.
Add vanilla, eggs, and ½ cup flour for an additional 2 minutes to make a thick batter. With a wooden spoon, stir in additional flour to make a soft dough.
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, kneading till smooth, for about 10 minutes. Place in a lightly greased bowl and with a knife pierce a shallow cross on the dough, cover and let rise for about an hour, until it doubles in size.
Punch dough down on a floured surface and divide in half, roll each pieceof dough into a 24 inch rope. Loosely twist ropes together to form into a ring.
Place on a greased baking sheet and brush with melted butter, place your colored eggs into the spaces between the twists, cover and allow to rise again for about an hour.
Preheat oven to 350 and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until golden brown.
To make sugar icing, heat your milk, sift powdered sugar, and with a mixer on medium speed, beat sifted sugar and milk together, add vanilla and beat till smooth.
Using a pastry brush, glaze cooled bread and sprinkle with colored sprinkles.