Mar 23 • 🏆 Show Off Your Bakes
Paska Recipes
YEAST VERSION
Paska
Paska is a traditional Easter bread from Ukraine and eastern Europe. In Russia, this sweet, eggy bread is called Kulich. It’s most often made in the spring to celebrate Easter. The word Paska translates to “Easter” in most eastern European cultures.
Ingredients
1 cup (240 ml) whole milk, warmed to 110 degrees F
2¼ teaspoons (2.25 teaspoons) instant yeast, 0.25-ounce packet
½ cup (99 g) granulated sugar
¼ cup (57 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
2 eggs
1½ teaspoons (1.5 teaspoons) vanilla extract
520g all-purpose flour ( more if necessary)
½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) salt
1 cup (160 g) golden raisins, chocolate chips, candied orange optional
For the Egg Wash:
1 egg
2 tablespoons water
Coarse sugar, for sprinkling, optional
Instructions
• Warm the milk to between 100 to 110 degrees F (usually 30 seconds in the microwave does the trick!) and pour into a mixing bowl. Sprinkle the yeast over top and let sit for 5 to 10 minutes, until foamy.
• Add the sugar, butter, eggs, and vanilla extract, and stir to combine.
• Add the flour and the salt and stir with a wooden spoon until a shaggy dough forms. Add the golden raisins then, using the dough hook, knead on medium-low speed until a smooth, shiny ball of dough is formed, 3 to 6 minutes, adding additional flour as necessary. (You can also knead by hand until smooth ball is formed.) Place the dough in a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Place in a warm, draft-free spot until doubled in size, 1 to 2 hours (rise time will depend on temperature and humidity in your kitchen).
• Punch dough down and remove from the bowl to a clean work area. Remove one-quarter of the dough and set aside. Form the large piece of dough into a ball and place in a 9-inch round cake pan or springform pan.
• Divide the remaining piece of dough into three pieces and roll them each out into a 20-inch strand. Braid the three strands together for one long braid. Divide the braid in half and use it to form a cross over the top of the large ball of dough in the pan. (Alternately, you can wrap the braid in one length around the inside edge of the pan.) See video
• Cover lightly with plastic wrap and let rise until puffy and nearly doubled in size, 45 to 60 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 370 degrees F.
• Whisk together the egg and water, then brush evenly all over the top of the dough and sprinkle with sugar, if desired.
• Bake for 30-45 minutes, until golden brown and an instant-read thermometer registers 190 degrees F. You can tent the pan with aluminum foil if it is browning too quickly. Remove from the oven, turn the bread out of the pan, and place it on a wire rack to cool completely.
Bakers notes
This recipe was taken off line and not something we designed. We made a few changes to the method and they are listed below.
We personally didn't melt the butter and kneaded it in after some gluten had been developed. You may need to rest the dough 15 minutes before adding butter.
This recipe uses a lot of sugar and your dough will be quite tacky. Dont stress. Use bench flour as needed.
We chose to remove 1/4 (250 g) of my dough before I added the inclusions to unsure my decorative pieces wouldn't have inclusions.
We also added my inclusions out if the mixer. Flour the bench well, spread out the dough, and add inclusions. Knead them in gently but distribute them well.
SOURDOUGH VERSION
Sourdough Paska (Enriched Easter Bread)
✨ Flavor profile
Lightly sweet, buttery, soft crumb with hints of citrus and vanilla.
⸻
🧾 Ingredients
Sweet Stiff Starter (Levain)
• 60g sourdough starter
• 60g flour
• 30g milk
• 20g sugar
👉 Let rise 4–6 hours until doubled
⸻
Main Dough
• 400g bread flour
• 120g milk (warm)
• 2 eggs (≈100g)
• 80g sugar
• All of the levain
• 80g unsalted butter (softened)
• 6g salt
• 1 tsp vanilla
• Zest of 1 lemon or orange
⸻
Optional Add-ins
• 80–120g raisins or golden raisins
• Soaked in warm water or citrus juice
⸻
🥣 Instructions
1. Mix
• Combine flour, milk, eggs, sugar, and levain
• Mix until shaggy, rest 20–30 min (autolyse-style)
⸻
2. Add butter & salt
• Knead in butter gradually
• Add salt, vanilla, and zest
• Knead until smooth, elastic, slightly tacky
👉 This is a rich dough—kneading takes patience (10–15 min by hand)
⸻
3. Bulk Fermentation
• Cover and rise 4–6 hours at warm room temp (75–78°F / 24–26°C)
• Perform 2–3 gentle stretch-and-folds early on
👉 Dough should puff and feel airy, not necessarily double
⸻
4. Add-ins & Shape
• Fold in raisins if using
• Shape options:
• Round loaf (traditional tall paska)
• Braided top
• Cross design on top
Place in:
• Tall round pan, coffee can, or loaf pan
⸻
5. Final Proof
• 3–5 hours at room temp
OR
• Overnight in fridge (better flavor)
👉 Ready when puffy and slowly springs back when pressed
⸻
🔥 Bake
• 350°F (175°C)
• 30–40 minutes (longer if tall loaf)
• Internal temp: ~190–195°F (88–90°C)
👉 Tent with foil if browning too fast
⸻
✨ Finish
Brush with:
• Melted butter for soft crust
OR
• Egg wash before baking for shine
Optional glaze:
• Powdered sugar + milk + vanilla drizzle
⸻
💡 Tips for Best Texture
• Use bread flour for structure (enriched dough needs strength)
• Don’t rush fermentation—this dough is slow because of butter/sugar
• If dough feels too slack → chill briefly before shaping
⸻
🌼 Traditional Touches
Paska is often associated with Easter, symbolizing celebration and abundance. Decorative tops (braids or crosses) are classic and meaningful.
12
62 comments
Paska Recipes
powered by
skool.com/crust-crumb-academy-7621
#1 Rated Bread Community on Skool
Coaching, not judgment. Sourdough, yeasted, enriched & every bread in between.
✔ ProveWorth Certified ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Suggested communities
Powered by