Paska (паска, Ukrainian Easter bread)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Two tall 15cm paska tins, clean coffee tins, or paper panettone molds
• •Parchment paper for tall collars
• •Stand mixer with dough hook or strong hands
• •Pastry brush
• •Wooden skewer for testing the centre

Instructions

1. 1

   Wake the sponge

   Stir the lukewarm milk, yeast, tablespoon of sugar, and 150g flour into a thick batter. Cover it and leave it until the surface is foamy, pocked with little craters, and smells sweetly yeasty. If it sits there silent and flat, your yeast is tired; start again now, before the eggs and butter join the party.

   The milk should feel warm like a wrist, not hot. Hot milk kills yeast, and Easter morning is not the time for drama.
2. 2

   Prepare the tins

   Butter or oil two tall 15cm paska tins, coffee tins, or paper panettone molds, then line them with parchment collars that rise a few centimetres above the rim. If using raisins, soak them in warm black tea or water while the sponge wakes, then drain them well and pat them dry. Wet fruit makes streaks and heavy pockets in the dough.

3. 3

   Mix the dough

   Whisk the eggs, yolks, sugar, salt, smetana, vanilla, orange zest, and lemon zest until the mixture is glossy and golden. Add the sponge and 600g flour, then mix until you have a shaggy, sticky dough with no dry patches. Let it rest for fifteen minutes so the flour drinks before you decide it needs more.

4. 4

   Feed in butter

   Knead until the dough begins to stretch instead of tear, then add the soft butter a thumbful at a time, waiting for each piece to disappear before the next. Drizzle in the sunflower oil at the end. The dough should turn smooth, elastic, and faintly shiny, clinging to the bowl but pulling away in long strands when lifted.

   This is the step that matters. Fat goes in late because the dough needs strength before richness; otherwise the loaf tastes good but rises like it has lost an argument.
5. 5

   Fold and rise

   Fold in the drained raisins if you're using them, gently enough that they don't tear the dough to pieces. Set the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and leave it until almost doubled, domed, and soft. Press a floured finger into the side: the dent should fill slowly, like it is thinking about it. Your kitchen decides the time.

6. 6

   Shape the loaves

   Turn the dough onto a lightly oiled surface and divide it in two. Pull each piece into a tight round, tucking the edges underneath so the top is smooth and stretched. Set each loaf seam-side down in its tin; the dough should fill about one third to one half of the height, because paska needs room to climb.

7. 7

   Make the crown

   Mix the decoration flour, water, salt, and teaspoon of sunflower oil into a firm dough. Roll thin ropes for braids, a cross, and small sun rosettes, keeping the pieces covered so they don't dry out. This lean dough holds its shape better than the rich dough, so your crown stays a crown.

8. 8

   Proof and decorate

   Leave the shaped loaves covered until they rise close to the rim and wobble softly when you nudge the tins. Brush the tops with the egg yolk and milk glaze, lay on the cross, braids, and sun signs without pressing hard, then brush the decoration too. Let it sit on the bread, not sink into it.

9. 9

   Bake until proud

   Bake at 180C for the first fifteen minutes, then lower to 165C and continue until the loaves are deep golden, the sides feel set, and a skewer pushed into the centre comes out without wet dough. Tap the tin and listen: it should sound right, hollow but not dry. If the top races ahead, cover it loosely with foil.

10. 10

    Cool before cutting

    Rest the loaves in their tins for ten minutes, then ease them out and cool fully on a towel, turning tall loaves gently from side to side if they feel delicate. Aunt Nadia wrote, "lay them like babies," and for once she gave enough instruction. Do not cut while hot; the crumb is still setting, and the Easter basket deserves a whole loaf.

Chef Tips

• •Do not chase a dry dough with flour. Paska dough should be soft, rich, and a little clingy; too much flour gives you a tight crumb when you wanted a tall, tender slice.
• •Room-temperature eggs and soft butter matter because cold fat hardens in the dough and slows the rise. If you forgot, put the eggs in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes and breathe.
• •Raisins are common, but a plain loaf is not lesser. Candied citrus peel is a bit more modern and very good if your table likes it.
• •A tall tin is not decoration, it is structure. Paper panettone molds work beautifully in a modern kitchen and save you from wrestling the loaf out at the end.
• •The dough forgives waiting better than rushing. If your kitchen is cold, put the covered bowl in a turned-off oven with a mug of hot water beside it, then watch the dough, not the clock.

Advance Preparation

• •Soak the raisins the night before if you want them especially plump; drain and dry them before adding to the dough.
• •Paska is best baked the day before Easter blessing, once fully cooled and wrapped in a clean cloth. Do not refrigerate it; the crumb firms too quickly.
• •The finished loaves keep well for 3 days wrapped at room temperature. Leftover slices make very good toast with butter and a little honey.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 130g)