Paska Bread Recipes

PASKA EASTER BREAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar in 1 cup warm water. Let stand for 5 minutes. Add remaining water. Beat in the milk powder and 5 cups flour until smooth. Cover and let rise in a warm place until bubbly, about 20 minutes. Add eggs, butter, salt and remaining sugar; mix well. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 8-10 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour., Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide in half and set 1 portion aside. Divide remaining portion in half; press each portion into a well-greased 10-in. springform pan. Divide reserved dough into 6 balls. Shape each ball into a 30-in. rope; make 2 braids of 3 ropes each. Place a braid around the edge of each pan, forming a circle. Trim ends of braids, reserving dough scraps. Pinch ends of braids to seal. Shape scraps into 2 long thin ropes; form into rosettes or crosses. Place 1 decoration on the center of each loaf. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour. , In a small bowl, beat egg and water; brush over dough. Bake at 350° for 50-60 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool.

PASKA BREAD

Steps:

• Proof the yeast in 1/2 cup warm water in a large bowl until slightly frothy.
• In the meantime, dissolve 1/2 cup sugar in the warm milk; allow to cool to lukewarm. Once cooled, add the milk mixture to the yeast mixture along with 4 cups of flour. Mix well with a wooden spoon. Cover and put in a dark, warm place until the mixture is bubbly and doubled in size, about 2 hours.
• Stir in the beaten eggs, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 cup butter, salt, and lemon peel. Stir well to blend. Begin adding the remaining flour a cup at a time to form a very soft dough.
• Knead the dough on a floured board until soft and elastic, about 10 minutes. Place the dough in a greased bowl, turning to coat all sides. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm place until doubled, about 2 hours. Punch dough down, and allow to rise again for 30 minutes.
• Divide dough into three parts (see Cook's Note). Shape into slightly rounded loaves, and place on greased baking sheets. Let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Beat 1 egg with 1 tablespoon water; brush onto loaves.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Bake in preheated oven until loaves are deep brown, 45 to 50 minutes. Once they are done, brush the tops with melted butter for a soft crust.

UKRAINIAN EASTER PASKA

Steps:

• Cover the pan with greased plastic wrap and let rise until almost doubled.
• Bake 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350 F and bake an additional 40 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer registers 190 F. If necessary, cover the top of the bread with aluminum foil to prevent over-browning.

EASTER PASKA

Steps:

• In a large bowl, stir together yeast, 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon sugar, and warm water; let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Add 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour, high-gluten flour, and milk; stir to combine. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand in a warm place until bubbles form, about 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in the 5-quart bowl of a professional-size 10-speed mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together eggs, 6 egg yolks, and remaining 1/2 cup sugar on high speed. Slowly add canola oil and mix until pale and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add vanilla, lemon zest, and rum; mix to combine.
• Attach the dough hook attachment to mixer. Add salt, 4 2/3 cups all-purpose flour, and yeast mixture. Mix on low speed until dough comes together. Slowly add butter; continue mixing until dough is no longer sticky, 10 to 15 minutes, adding remaining 2/3 cup all-purpose flour, a tablespoon at a time, to prevent sticking. Alternatively, you can knead dough by hand until smooth, 20 to 30 minutes. Transfer to a large lightly-oiled bowl; shape into a ball and lightly coat top with oil. Cover with a clean kitchen towel, followed by a layer of plastic wrap, and then a second clean kitchen towel; let stand in a warm place until doubled in size, about 2 hours.
• Line the bottom of two 6-quart ovenproof saucepans with waxed paper rounds. Line sides with waxed paper, leaving an overhang of 3 inches; spray paper with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
• Weight out two 1 1/2-pound pieces of dough; pinch and shape each piece into a flat disk and transfer to prepared saucepans. Using a toothpick, pierce the dough to remove air bubbles. Cover with a clean kitchen towel; let stand in a warm place while preparing decorations.
• Form remaining dough into suns, cross shapes, and fertility symbols for decoration. Brush tops of each loaf with egg white and top with decorative dough; secure using toothpicks. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let loaves stand in a warm place until dough comes to top of pan, about 2 hours.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a small bowl, whisk together remaining 2 egg yolks with 2 teaspoons water. Brush tops of loaves with egg yolk mixture and transfer to oven; bake until tops are golden brown, about 1 hour. If paska begins to brown too quickly, cover with parchment paper-lined aluminum foil.
• Remove paska from oven. Immediately remove from pans and gently remove toothpicks from bread. Transfer to clean kitchen towel and cover with a second clean kitchen towel to cool. Paska can be frozen for up to 6 months.

UKRAINIAN EASTER BREAD (PASKA)

Steps:

• In a small saucepan over low heat, heat the milk and 1 tablespoon of the sugar until very warm (120 to 130 F). Pour into a large mixing bowl, and sprinkle over the yeast. Allow to stand until foamy, about 15 minutes.
• Sift 1 cup of the flour over the yeast mixture and with a wooden spoon, stir until a batter forms. Cover the bowl with a clean dish towel and leave in a warm place (80 F to 85 F) until mixture looks puffy and spongy, about 1/2 hour.
• In another bowl or a 4 cup measure whisk the eggs and egg yolks together with the vanilla extract, grated lemon zest, and salt.
• Sift another 2 cups of flour over the risen yeast flour mixture, and make a well in the center. Pour in the egg mixture, and stir with a wooden spoon until the mixture becomes a soft, sticky dough; the dough should be as soft as possible, so do not add more flour unless it is very wet.
• Using your hand, spread the butter over the dough and work into the dough, folding it over itself and kneading into the dough until the butter is completely incorporated. Cover with the dish towel and leave to rise again in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 3 hours.
• Butter a 2 pound coffee can. Line the bottom with nonstick baking parchment, and butter again.
• Punch down the dough and turn onto a lightly floured surface. Sprinkle the raisins, golden raisins over the dough, and knead until evenly distributed throughout the dough.
• Form the dough into a ball shape, and ease into the coffee can. Cover and leave to rise again until the dough reaches the top of the can, about 1 1/2 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 400°F Brush the top of the dough with a little milk and if you like sprinkle with about a tablespoon of sugar. Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 350°F and bake about 1/2 hour longer; if the paska browns too quickly, cover with foil. Remove to a wire rack to cool in the can for about 5 minutes, then carefully unmold, top side up, to cool completely. Makes 1 loaf.

GLUTEN-FREE PASKA

Steps:

• Combine 3/4 cup of milk and 1/4 cup of bread flour blend in a saucepan, and heat on medium, whisking periodically until thickened; approximately 5 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly.
• Heat 3/4 cup of whole milk until it is approximately 110 F (I use my microwave). Dissolve 3 1/2 tsp granulated sugar in the milk, and sprinkle the yeast on top. Allow the yeast to proof. While waiting for the yeast the proof, prepare the dough mixture.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine 3 cups of bread flour blend, 1/3 cup of granulated sugar, potato flakes,** psyllium husk powder, and 1 1/2 tsp salt. Whisk by hand to fully combine.
• Add the eggs, tangzhong (roux), and butter to the stand mixer bowl. In the yeast mixture, add the ascorbic acid and amylase enzyme (if using), and juice/zest of the citrus. Give it a quick stir. Then pour into stand mixer bowl.
• With the paddle attachment, slowly begin mixing until everything is fairly incorporated. Then increase speed to medium high, and mix for about 5 minutes. The dough will be extremely sticky, not like a "normal" dough. But it will be much thicker than typical gluten free "batter" dough.
• With a rubber spatula, scrape down the sides of the bowl until the dough is a ball in the centre of the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit in a warmish place until doubled (might take 1-2 hours, depending on temperature).
• After dough is doubled, place in the refrigerator for 4 hours *minimum,* preferably overnight. This helps the dough to be more firm and workable. Alternatively, you can place the dough in the freezer for approximately 20-30 minutes. After dough has rested in the fridge, oil or butter a 8.5 x 4.5 bread pan (if it is not non-stick). Then sprinkle some bread flour blend on the countertop, and empty dough from the bowl on top of the flour blend on the counter. Sprinkle more bread flour blend on top of the dough, and begin to work the flour into the dough. You will be kneading the dough to make it smooth and less sticky (not to activate the gluten; because there is no gluten).
• After the dough is smooth and not as sticky (there will still be some stickiness), carefully flatten the dough out to be the length of the pan, fold the dough over in a rolling motion (sealing the edges each time), until you get a dough log. Seal the final edges at the bottom. Flip the dough log over so the seam is at the bottom, and place in the bread pan. Cover and let rise. A helpful tip for rising -- I turn on the oven to the lowest possible temperature (170 F on my oven), and then let it heat up somewhat around 100 F (not to 170 F) and turn the oven off. Then I place the loaf in the oven to rise. Let the loaf rise so that it is crested about 1-2" above the top of the pan.
• When the loaf has finished rising, take it out of the oven (if you let it rise in the oven), and heat the oven to 375°F Then throw several ice cubes into the bottom of the oven and place the loaf on the middle rack (do this quickly; do not keep the oven door open for long). Immediately lower the temperature to 325°F You may need to cover with foil after about 20 minutes to keep the crust from getting too dark. Bake for a total of 45-50 minutes. After the loaf is finished baking, remove it from the oven, and let it sit in the pan to cool for approximately 10 minutes. Then remove from the pan and let cool completely on a wire rack. Alternatively, if you make buns, let the buns rise to double the size, and bake for approximately 25-30 minutes.
• For the frosting, cream the cream cheese and butter together, then add the powdered sugar, then the milk or heavy cream. When the loaf is fully cooled, top with the frosting, and cover in sprinkles.
• **Note: If you wish to omit the potato flakes but use potato water instead, reduce milk (for yeast mixture) to 1/2 cup, and use 1/4 cup potato water instead. To make potato water, peel and chop (into large chunks) a medium potato, and boil in water until tender. Drain water from the potato, reserving 1/4 cup of the potato water.