Ukrainian Easter Bread, aka paska, is a delicious, traditional bread made for Easter. To me, Easter is all about baking and enjoying the home-cooked feast. So, this paska recipe hits the spot and remains a family favorite.
The recipe is simple to make and uses pantry staples like milk, flour, yeast, butter, eggs, and sugar. For a soft and airy, subtly sweet Easter bread, I add raisins, orange and lemon zest to a simple, milk-based yeasted dough and give it plenty of time to rise. I use instant yeast in this recipe to keep the dough-making process quick and easy. Eggs and butter add richness to the dough, and an egg wash gives the paska a beautiful golden-brown sheen once baked. As for decoration, I opt for a simple two-strand braid for this bread. But it’s totally optional.
To make the Ukrainian Easter Bread, you will need the following ingredients:
To a saucepan, add 1 cup milk and heat over medium heat until scalded, 180 °F, and remove from the heat. Add in 1 cup raisins and set aside.
In a bowl of a stand mixer, mix together 4 cups all-purpose flour, ¼ cup sugar, 2 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast, and 1 teaspoon salt.
Add in the milk with raisins, 2 eggs, and ¼ cup melted butter. Add 1 teaspoon each of orange and lemon zest. Use the dough attachment to knead the dough for about 5-8 minutes until a soft and pliable dough forms.
Shape the dough into a ball and place it into a lightly greased large bowl.
Cover and let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
Punch the dough down and cut off about 250 grams of dough for decorations if you wish. Grease a round baking dish, about 8 inches wide and 4 inches deep. Form the larger piece of the dough into a ball and place it into the dish. Divide the remaining dough into two pieces. Shape each piece into a long 25-inch rope. Twist the ropes together.
Lay the dough braid on top of the paska. Cover and let the dough rise for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350 °F.
Whisk together egg and water and brush the dough gently. Bake for 35-40 minutes. Cover with foil if the top gets too brown.
Once baked, remove from the oven and let cool in the pan. Once it's cool enough to handle, remove it from the pan. Cool completely on a wire cooling rack.
Slice and enjoy!
This Ukrainian Easter Bread is commonly eaten in Ukraine on Easter day. Delicately sweet, packed with raisins and citrus zest, this paska is perfect for a holiday table. If you give this recipe a go, please share a photo of your results. We'd love to see them!
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