Paska Easter bread is a favorite in my house for both the religious symbols it provides and simply because it is delicious bread.
We make this traditional Ukrainian Easter bread recipe every Easter holiday around Good Friday and use any leftovers to make the most delicious french toast which makes a delicious breakfast for Easter morning.
Paska, traditional Easter bread, is always part of the Easter recipes I make each year and this year we will enjoy my new Easter cocktail. But before Easter comes Shrove Tuesday and on that day we make Fastnachts from the German side of my heritage. As you can tell we love a family recipe with lots of carbs in my house!
There is nothing like breathing in the familiar smells of warm rising dough full of yeast, butter and eggs to take me back to the Easters of my childhood. I will treasure memories of sitting in front of a plate of freshly sliced Paska with full access to the whipped butter to slather across the slice and no adult to tell me to stop. Even if this is your first time making any kind of sweet bread, it will be sure to transport you to a state of childlike happiness.
Thank you to Yahoo! for including this recipe in their article on Ukrainian family recipes.
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🧈 Paska Ingredients:
- sugar - white sugar
- water - luke warm
- yeast - instant dry
- whole milk - scalded and cooled
- flour - all-purpose, divided. Read about why the type of flour can make a difference in my baking definitions post.
- eggs - beaten
- butter - melted
- Sugar - yes, more white sugar
- salt
- egg, for brushing over bread
🥣 How to make Paska bread:
- In a medium bowl combine yeast, sugar, and warm water with a wooden spoon and allow to sit for about 10 minutes until the yeast becomes soft and starts to bloom.
- Combine the yeast mixture with the cooled scalded milk and 5 cups all-purpose flour.
- Cover and allow to rise in a warm place until light and bubbly.
- Once you have reached the light and bubbly stage it is time to add:
- melted butter
- 6 beaten eggs
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 Tablespoon salt
- Stir to combine.
- Add enough flour to make the dough come together. It should not be too sticky or too stiff. Don't be afraid of using too much flour, this could be up to an additional 10 cups of flour. YES this makes A LOT!
- Transfer dough to a large pot or large mixing bowl, cover, and allow to rise in a warm spot until double in size.
- After the rise, punch the soft dough down and work it into a smooth ball, adding additional flour if needed.
- Divide the bread dough into rounds, or braid it or shape it for small loaf pans.
- Cover and let the dough rise a second time.
- Whisk together the egg (both the egg yolks and the egg whites included) with about a tablespoon of water to make an egg wash. Brush the egg wash over the dough for a shiny finish when the bread comes out of the oven. (This is where you would add any desired toppings like dried fruits, we like to add golden raisins on occasion)
- Score the dough if you are looking for a bit of decoration, I recommend crosshatches or decorative shapes.
- Bake at 400 F for 15 minutes.
- Lower the temperature in the oven to 350 (but don't remove the bread or open the oven door). Cover the bread with foil to prevent over-browning.
- Bake for an additional 25 minutes at 350.
- Cool completely and store wrapped in plastic wrap or a zip-top bag to keep it fresh.
Paska Recipe. Ukrainian Tradition.
One of my favorite memories of Easter is my Grandmother making traditional paska bread, an Easter bread for us each year and this is the original recipe that she used. My Grandmother didn't make it the traditional Ukrainian paska with red-dyed, hard-boiled whole eggs tucked into the braids, but she did make a nice braid out of the dough. I have opted to go a little more modern and forgo the braiding altogether and opt for a loaf or round pans. This traditional bread is full of eggs and butter. It is rich, thick and makes AMAZING french toast if you can keep it around for more than a few hours.
❓ Frequently asked questions, answers and tips:
I tell you to cool the scalded milk because if the milk is too hot (120 F or higher) then it starts to kill the yeast. The optimal temperature is about 100F.
Depending on how warm your warm place will be this could take an hour or so.
We love to serve fresh, warm Paska bread with butter or butter and jam. It is wonderful dunked in your favorite soup or sliced thick to make french toast.
Just know that this is not a quick process and you should allow at least 4 hours for the entire process if you are making a single recipe. Recently my sister and I made three batches and it took us just over 6 hours. Trust me, the time is well worth it!
Paska Bread
There is more to a recipe than just the recipe card. Frequently Asked Questions within the blog post that you may find helpful. Simply scroll back up to read them!
HELPFUL KITCHEN TOOLS
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 cup water (luke warm)
- 2 ½ t. dry yeast
- 3 cups whole milk (scalded and cooled)
- 15 cups all purpose flour (divided)
- 6 Eggs (beaten)
- 1 cup sugar
- ⅔ cup butter (melted)
- 1 Tablespoon Salt
- 1 Egg (for brushing over bread)
Instructions
- Combine the sugar, warm water and yeast and allow to sit for about 10 minutes until the yeast becomes soft and starts to bloom.1 teaspoon sugar, 1 cup water, 2 ½ t. dry yeast
- Combine the yeast mixture with the cooled scalded milk and 5 cups flour.3 cups whole milk, 15 cups all purpose flour
- Cover and allow to rise in a warm place until light and bubbly. Depending on how warm your warm place will be this could take an hour or so.
- Once you have reached the light and bubbly stage it is time to add the melted butter, 6 beaten eggs, 1 cup sugar, 1 Tablespoon salt and Stir to combine.6 Eggs, 1 cup sugar, ⅔ cup butter, 1 Tablespoon Salt
- Add enough flour to make the dough come together. It should not be too sticky or too stiff. This could be up to 10 cups of additional flour
- Place the dough in a large pot or bowl, cover and allow to rise in a warm place until double in size.
- After the rise, punch the dough down and work it into a smooth ball adding additional flour if needed.
- Divide the dough into rounds, or braid it or shape it for small loaf pans. Make sure the dough is tight and well worked before you place it on a pan.
- Cover and allow the dough to rise ONE MORE TIME! Yes, this is the FINAL rise.
- Whisk together the egg with about a tablespoon of water to make an egg wash.1 Egg
- Brush the egg wash over the dough for a shiny finish when the bread comes out of the oven. Score the dough if you are looking for a bit of decoration.
- Bake at 400 F for 15 minutes.
- Lower the temperature in the oven to 350 (but don't remove the bread). Cover the bread with foil to prevent over browning.
- Bake an additional 25 minutes at 350.
- Cool completely and store wrapped in plastic wrap or a zip top bag to keep it fresh.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclosure
Nutritional facts are estimates and are provided as a courtesy to the reader. Please utilize your own brand nutritional values to double check against our estimates. Nutritional values are calculated via a third party. Changing ingredients, amounts or cooking technique will alter the estimated nutritional calculations.
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originally published Mar 22, 2016
Joyce G
I wonder about the size of the pans and how many pans or loaves does it make. 15 c of flour is a lot! It would be helpful to know
T
What size loaf pans do you use.
Alexia
Such a good recipe! Brings back memories.It IS a long time from start to finish but well worth it.
AJ
Just like my grandmother use to make! memories.....
Karla
THANK YOU! This reminds me so much of my childhood at my grandmothers house!
Reesa Lewandowski
I have never had or heard of Paska! It's a beautiful bread! Look how pretty it looks in the pan rising!
Megan
I have a recipe for paska that is a family favorite. My recipe is slightly different than yours--the biggest difference is that my recipe has quite a bit more butter in it. :) My favorite ways to use the dough are for what my mom called crescent rolls and tea ring. For the crescent rolls I roll the dough into a circle, cut it into triangles (like cutting a pizza) then roll each one up. They're not like flaky croissants, but have the same shape. The tea ring is started by rolling dough into a rectangle. Then I spread softened butter on it and sprinkle cinnamon, brown sugar, and raisins on top (and sometimes cardamom). Then I roll it into a log shape, then put that into a circle. I use kitchen scissors to cut most of the way through (from the inside) then flip each section out. Sorry if that doesn't make sense--I'd post pictures if I knew how to do that in a blog comment. :) After it bakes, I drizzle a simple powdered sugar glaze (with almond or vanilla flavoring) over the top.
Doreen Pendgracs
I am of Ukrainian Canadian heritage and love Paska. But the one I love the most has raisins and a touch of saffron in it. The saffron really adds that something special. Happy Easter to you!