Easter Bread; Ukrainian Recipe for Paska

My Grandmother let me help her make Easter bread (Paska), when as a child my family would visit her during the Easter holidays. My Grandmother was Ukrainian, and she loved to cook. For her it was a passion. She would spend the entire day in the kitchen preparing food for the whole family and half the neighborhood.

All of this was very long ago, and she is gone now. Our family's recipe for Easter bread is shown below. What exactly is Paska? "Paska is Easter bread served at Easter in many Slavic countries. Paska is enriched bread, made using butter, eggs, and sugar; an egg/water mixture is used as a glaze. The inside of paska can be a swirl of yellow and white" ("Paska - bread", From Wikipedia).

INGREDIENTS

1 small cake yeast
1 c. scalded milk
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. softened butter
1/4 c. warm water
3/4 c. golden raisins
5 eggs
1 tsp. salt
4 1/2 c, non-sifted flour

INSTRUCTIONS

STEP 1 - Dissolve 1 small cake of yeast in warm water.

STEP 2 - Add 1/2 c. sugar to 1 c. scalded milk and cool to lukewarm.

STEP 3 - Work well with your hands, slowly adding the softened butter, for at least 20 minutes (Save some butter for brushing later).

STEP 4 - Place a piece of waxed paper over the bowl. Set the bowl in a pan of hot water to raise the dough for at least 25 minutes.

STEP 5 - Punch down the dough, and let it rise again until double; Approximately 30 minutes.

STEP 6 - Tumble the dough onto a floured pastry cloth, and divide it into 3 equal parts.

STEP 7 - Roll out each piece at least 12 inches long and as wide as you can, leaving it 1/4 inch thick.

STEP 8 - Sprinkle onto the dough 1/4 cup of golden raisins, which have been soaking in warm water while the dough was rising.

STEP 9 - Roll up the dough like a jelly roll, and twist the whole thing by turning one end one way and the other end the other way.

STEP 10 - Repeat with the other 2 pieces of dough.

STEP 11 - Lay the 3 twisted rolls across one another to form a six-pointed star.

STEP 12 - Beginning at the center, braid the 3 pieces together, and pinch the ends so they stick together.

STEP 13 - Turn the dough around, and braid the 3 pieces on the other side starting again at the center.

STEP 14 - Form the braided dough into a circle sealing the ends together. Place the braided dough in a well greased round pan at least 6 inches deep. A 10 inch tube pan is good, or you can make 2 smaller loaves in loaf pans.

Options: You can use your fingers to slide colored raw Easter eggs between the braids of dough (See the image above). Do not cook the eggs, which will cook when the bread bakes. Top with seeds, nut pieces, or even icing.

STEP 15 - Let raise 25 - 30 minutes. Brush with 1 whole beaten egg. Bake at 325 degree F. for 55 minutes.

STEP 16 - Brush with soft butter upon removal from oven.

LIST OF SOURCES

Paska "Paska (bread)", From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.