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How to Bake Easter Paska Bread

easterpaskabread.jpgThis Easter Paska Bread is sweet, fluffy, delicious & festive for Easter.

Although we don’t make this recipe except for Easter, it should be baked much more often.

Oh wow…This recipe comes from generations before me on my mother’s, German side of the family…However, Paska is traditionally a Ukrainian Easter bread! Absolutely delicious and it wouldn’t be Easter without it! ~ Kimberly Turner

Type: Bread Recipe

Serve With: fresh, organic butter
Prep Time: ~ 3 hr 45 min
Cook Time: ~ 1 hr
Nutrition Facts: * Please use organic ingredients whenever possible.

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 cups water or potato water
  • 4 cups flour
  • 2 pkgs yeast – I prefer Fleischmann’s.
  • 5 cups scalded milk – 1/2 milk & 1/2 heavy cream
  • 12 large eggs – separated
  • 3 1/2 cups sugar
  • 1 cup butter – or 1/2 butter, 1/2 duck fat
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 3 cups raisins – softened & rinsed in warm water
  • 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract – Please use real vanilla extract, not artificial!
  • juice of 2 lemons
  • 1 tsp lemon zest

Instructions:

  1. Soften yeast in warm water or potato water for 10 min.
  2. Add a bit of flour to make a very soft sponge.
  3. In the meantime, scald milk or milk/cream mixture, then pour over the flour, and beat until very smooth. Cool mixture slightly.
  4. Beat egg yolks with 2 cups of sugar and add it to the flour mixture.
  5. Beat egg whites until they are stiff and fold them into warm flour mixture, and immediately add yeast mixture. Let rise until it is light.
  6. Then add softened butter, salt, balance of sugar, vanilla, lemon juice, zest and softened raisins.
  7. Gently add enough flour to make a medium-soft dough. * Tip: It could be somewhat sticky when medium-soft.
  8. Allow to rise until it has at least doubled in in bulk. * Tip: Traditionally, paska are baked in round tins; honey pails are ideal.
  9. Grease baking tins well and lightly dust with flour.
  10. Fill containers to 1/3 full with paska dough.
  11. Let rise until light and bake at 325 degrees F for 1 hr.
  • Option to Bake in Tube Tin:
    • Again, fill to 1/3 full with paska dough and bake same as above.
  • Option to Bake in Bread Tin:
    • Fill to 1/3 full with paska dough and bake for 40 min. * Tip: Since all ovens are different, start checking doneness when dough has risen to the top of the tin.

12.  Let cool in tins for 10-15 min before removing and cooling on wire racks.

Now, at this point, once completely cool, you may opt to decorate the paska with a Butter Cream Icing, sprinkled with colorful decorations like jelly beans, chocolate eggs or cookie sprinkles like my Mom does in this webisode of Cooking with Kimberly:

Enjoy with fresh, organic butter!

This Easter Paska Bread is a great, traditional family recipe…Great when it’s warm with softened butter melted on it!

***

I hope you enjoy this Easter Recipe from Cooking With Kimberly. Until next time…

Be a Champion in Your Kitchen & Eat Deliciously!

P.S. What are your family’s traditional Easter foods? Comment in the Box below!


[tags]Easter recipe, paska, bread recipe, raisin bread, Ukrainian recipe, Ukrainian cuisine, vegetarian recipe, organic recipe[/tags]

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Author: Kimberly Turner

Kimberly Turner is the web-chef behind CookingWithKimberly.com. Food writer, food consultant and general lover of the delicious treats on our planet, Kimberly brings you hearty content, delicious offerings, fun antics, and some down-home cooked love with her mom making cameos. Internet entrepreneur and marketer, International model, and Editor-in-Chief of a number of online publications. Be a Champion in Your Kitchen & Eat Deliciously!

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  1. How to Bake a Lemon Jelly Roll: Easter Surprises | The 'How to Cook' Blog – Cooking with Kimberly - […] usually bake lemon meringue pies or angel cake with special sauces, as well as the traditional Paska, but this…
  2. Easter Menu Ideas to Please Everyone | The 'How to Cook' Blog – Cooking with Kimberly - […] Easter Paska Bread […]

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