Favorite Easter Paska

Traditionally, my Oma, Mother and Aunties would make Paska every year for Easter. I have continued making this Easter bread and experimented with many recipes to find my favorite. Most good recipes are large and yield a large number of loaves; this gives me the opportunity to share them with many friends who don’t bake with yeast. This recipe is not in my cookbook From Oma’s Kitchen.

4 Tbsp / 60 ml granular yeast

1 cup / 250 ml warm water

2 tsp / 10 ml sugar

15 eggs, at room temperature

4 cups / 1 L sugar

1 cup / 250 ml butter, melted

3 cups / 750 ml milk, warm (half - potato water if available)

Zest and juice from 1 orange and 1 lemon.

12 drops lemon oil (optional)

1 Tbsp / 15 ml salt

20 cups / 5 L all-purpose flour

Combine first three ingredients and set aside to soften. In a large bowl, beat eggs until light and fluffy, gradually add sugar. Add melted butter, warmed milk, citrus zest and juice, salt and lemon oil when available.

Place 5 cups / 1.250 L flour in a very large mixing bowl. Make a well in flour and pour egg mixture onto flour. Add yeast mixture and beat together with a wooden spoon. Add 5 cups / 1.250 ml flour three times to make soft dough. (total 20 cups / 5 L) Set aside to rest for 20- 30 minutes.

Knead dough to make it smooth. Place dough in a large bowl, cover and let rise to double in a warm place. Punch down and let rise again.

Shape into balls or place into Bundt pans; let rise to double and bake.

Bake @ 325F/ 160C for approximately 40 minutes. Allow to cool on cooling racks. Ice when still slightly warm.

Drizzle with soft icing made with icing sugar and orange juice and decorate with colored sprinkles. Enjoy! Loaves can be frozen with or without icing.

Makes 10 loaves.

Paska Buns

Traditionally, Paska or Easter bread was baked in large coffee tins and odd shaped pans. Recently however, small and large loaf pans are being used to form these sweet and tasty loaves. I have opted to make this citrus, sweet dough into buns, which are conveniently served and can be easily distributed to family and friends. This recipe is not in the From Oma's Kitchen Cookbook.

3 Tbsp / 45 ml granular yeast

2 tsp / 10 ml sugar

1 cup / 250 ml potato water, warmed

1 ½ cups / 375 ml sugar

1 cup / 250 ml potato water

1 cup / 250 ml milk

¾ cup / 175 ml butter, melted

1 Tbsp / 15 ml salt

5 eggs, beaten

1 lemon, juice & zest

1 orange, juice & zest

9-10 cups/ 2.25-2.50 L all-purpose flour

Combine first three ingredients in a small bowl to rise. In a medium bowl, combine remaining ingredients including lemon and orange zest and juice. This mixture should be warm. Pour into a large bowl, add yeast and gradually beat in flour to make soft dough. Set aside to rest for 15 minutes; knead to make smooth dough. Cover with plastic and set in warm place to rise until double in bulk. Punch down and shape into buns. Place buns on parchment cover cookie sheets. Let rise until light.

Bake @ 350F / 180C for 20 minutes.

Ice with a runny icing and decorate with sprinkles. Makes about 60 buns.