Easter Paska Bread

Turn your oven on and let the oven begin to heat up for 3 or 4 minutes then turn the heat off. Warming the oven this way will give your dough excellent conditions for rising.

In a small pot over medium-high heat, scald the milk. Scalding milk requires you to heat the milk until the point just before boiling. Some experts believe that scalding is an unnecessary step, however, let’s keep with tradition here. Once scalded, add 1/4 cup sugar and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Remove the pot from the heat and set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, add water, remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar, and yeast. Stir gently until yeast is combined and then let mixture sit for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, your yeast mixture should have grown and become frothy. If it has not grown, your yeast is dead and you must start over with either a new batch of yeast or perhaps your water temperature was too hot and it accidentally killed the yeast.

In a small bowl, slightly whisk 2 eggs. Add oil and melted butter and mix until combined. Add the egg mixture to the milk mixture.

To the yeast mixture, add 4 cups of flour and the salt. Turn the mixer, fitted with the dough attachment, on low and slowly pour in milk/egg mixture. Increase speed to medium and mix until dough is well combined. Continue mixing for several minutes. Your dough should begin to pull away from the sides of the bowl. If the dough is too sticky and does not pull away from the sides, add an additional 1/4 cup of flour at a time until it begins to pull away.

Transfer the dough to a large bowl, slightly coated with oil. Cover the bowl with a tea towel and place in the preheated oven. Do not turn the oven back on. Insert a wooden spoon or similar object in the oven door to prevent it from closing all the way. This will allow a small amount of the heat to escape. You don’t want to cook the dough yet, just warm it enough for it to rise. Let the dough rise for 45 minutes or until it has doubled in size. Once it has risen, punch it down, and cover it with a tea towel and place it back in the oven to repeat the process.

Once the dough has risen a second time, punch the dough back down. Cut off four golfball-sized pieces and use those to make the braids. Using slightly floured hands, roll each ball into a strip about 10 inches in length. Cross 2 strips over each other and pinch at the top and bottom to form a braid. Repeat with the other two strips.

Transfer the reserved ball of dough to a well-greased Dutch oven or oven safe pot. Place one of the braids over the dough ball, tucking the ends under the ball, pinching if necessary. Place the second braid in a cross pattern over the first, tucking and pinching if necessary. Cover the dough with a tea towel and let it rise and rest for 15 to 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

While dough is resting, whisk together remaining egg and 1 tablespoon of water to make an egg wash. Once dough has rested, use a pastry brush to brush the top of the dough with the egg wash. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until the bread is golden brown and your kitchen smells like heaven. Remove from the oven and let cool before removing it from the pan.

This is just one version of paska and there are many, many more versions to try. I love eating my version the next day, toasted and smothered in fresh butter and jam alongside my morning coffee. Enjoy!