Place the yeast into a cup and mix in 15mls of the water and set aside

Place the flour, butter, sugar, raisins, milk, zest and ground cinnamon into a large bowl

Place the fennel seeds and salt into a mortar and use the pestle to grind the fennel until fine

Add to the flour mixture and mix all the ingredients together

Add the yeast and slowly add as much of the water as you need to create a soft dough

Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until the dough is pliable

Put the dough back into the bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and leave to prove for an hour

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide into two equal pieces

Roll each piece into strips and braid them together, making sure you have enough braids for the 3 eggs

Ensure that the edges are properly joined and tucked in

Place onto a lined baking tray, cover with lightly oiled cling film and leave to prove for an hour

Preheat the oven to 200° Celsius

Hard boil your eggs, using the method you know works for you

Place into a bowl of cold water with the food colouring – the longer you leave them in the water, the redder they will be

Brush the top of the bread with the egg wash

Place the eggs on top of the bread

Bake for 25 minutes and leave to cool on a wire rack