This recipe from the recipe book “From a Monastery Kitchen” is a classic Pascha basket recipe – a delicious, rich bread topped with a sweet glaze. Often, people in my parish put their Paschal candles in the top of the bread.
Kulich
Ingredients
- 1 cup warm milk
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 1 pkg dry yeast
- 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 eggs 2
- 1 cup sugar additional
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/3 package golden raisins
- 3 1/2-3 3/4 cup flour additional
- Powdered sugar glaze
Instructions
- Dissolve yeast in warm milk, add 2 1/2 cups flour and mix by hand. . Let rise 45-60 minutes.
- Beat together 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter (softened) and 1 cup sugar until soft.
- Beat together 3 eggs and 1 cup sugar.
- Beat together 1 tsp salt, golden raisins, 1 tsp vanilla, and 3 1/2- 3 3/4 cup flour.
- Add all above mixtures and ingredients to the yeast mixture and mix on low speed in mixer for 15-20 minutes, scraping sides occasionally.
- Let rise 2 hours
- Put carefully in forms (coffee cans, juice cans, or paper pannetonne molds (line coffee cans or juice cans with parchment paper).
- Let rise about 1 hour.
- Base in 250 degree oven for 40-55 minutes until golden brown (not too dar).
- Let cool in forms for 10 minutes, then carefully remove and let it cool on sides, turning occasionally to prevent "flat" sides. Wrap when totally cool and freeze if saving for a later date.
- Before you bring the bread to the Pascha service, drizzle with a powdered sugar glaze and decorate!
