Organization: always read the recipe first and make sure you have all the ingredients, at the right temperatures, and also the rest of the equipment and space to make it. This will make the process so much easier!

Baking time: keep in mind that all ovens and pans are different, even if they look the same or very similar. The baking time in my recipes is as accurate as it can be, but it might take you more or less time. You can use a thermometer that is placed inside the oven (like the OXO oven thermometer) to check that your oven is at the right temperature. I recommend you keep track of how your oven works and what tiny details you might need to adjust. 

Make sure the yeast is not expired. Old or moldy yeast is no good, similar to baking powder. If not kept in the right conditions they will not work properly. In short, your bread will not rise. All your effort will be wasted. So buy yeast according to the amount of bread you bake. Keep it in the refrigerator, well covered so it's not in contact with air.

Don't mix yeast with salt at the beginning of the recipe. They should be added separately and mixed after the yeast is working, that is, after it is mixed with some liquid and flour. They are not friends, as salt 'kills' some of the yeast power. You certainly don't want that for your bread. You want the yeast to be powerful and make it rise as much as it can.

Take the time to knead the dough properly. Kneading develops gluten and creates a 'woven fabric' that forms the structure for the bread to rise well. Too little kneading and the bread won't rise well. But don't overdo it either. Too much kneading and the structure will end up breaking and the result will also be bad.

Braiding: the traditional Italian Easter bread is made as a single braid with the ends overlapping, thus creating a round braid. You can top it with pastry cream or colored Easter eggs before baking. Or you can make the braid and leave it like that, as in the photos in this post. Alternatively, you can go the challah bread way and do a more sophisticated braiding job. There are many challah braiding tutorials on YouTube. 

Flavorings: you can add ground spices and citrus to the dough - cinnamon, cardamom, even saffron, other citrus zest (orange, lime, tangerine), anise seeds - or make a morning bread similar to this cinnamon sugar challah. 

Glazes: you can play with the glaze too, make it orange-flavored, or use liquor, or coffee. Top with colorful sprinkles instead, or in addition to, the sliced almonds. Let your imagination and palate go in any direction you want your finished bread to look.

Individual buns: alternatively you can make individual little loaves of bread, similar to the fantastic Hot Cross Buns. Or make individual braids, piece both ends together to make a circle and use different colored eggs to place in the center of each one.

Leftovers: it makes great french toast the next day (and for Easter morning of course). We also use it for the apple bread pudding if there's any left after our Easter Sunday brunch.