Korena in the Kitchen

  • Home
  • Recipes
  • About
  • Contact
You are here: Home / Recipes / Bread / Daring Bakers: Ukrainian Easter Paska

Daring Bakers: Ukrainian Easter Paska

April 27, 2014 By Korena in the Kitchen 41 Comments

Ukrainian Paska | Korena in the KitchenThe April Daring Baker’s Challenge was hosted by Wolf of Wolf’s Den. She challenged us to Spring into our kitchens and make Easter breads reflecting cultures around the world.

While I don’t personally celebrate Easter in a religious sense, I do look forward to any holiday that has a food tradition to go with it (see: Christmas baking). Paska, a special Eastern European Easter bread, is one such food tradition, and the egg-rich Ukrainian version with its intricately decorated top is one that I’ve been wanting to try for a while now. This month’s challenge was the perfect opportunity to do it.

Ukrainian Paska | Korena in the Kitchen

In pre-Christian times, paska was baked as an offering to the Pagan gods. It has since been adopted into Christianity, where it is taken to church in an Easter basket to be blessed by the priest. When looking for a recipe for this special bread, I did my usual, slightly obsessive, “must-scour-the-internet-for-the-best-version-ever” trick before choosing a Martha Stewart recipe which comes from a woman who is both curator of the Ukrainian Museum and Library and librarian at Saint Basil Seminary, a Ukrainian Catholic college in Connecticut. Quite the pedigree for a recipe!

Ukrainian Paska | Korena in the Kitchen

When I say paska is an egg-rich bread, I really mean it. This dough contains three whole eggs and eight egg yolks along with twelve cups of flour. Which is to say that unless you have an industrial-size mixer, you’ll be doing some hand kneading… 😉 I started off mixing the dough in my KitchenAid, then had to transfer it to the largest bowl in my kitchen to finish incorporating the flour. Luckily, the dough is soft and smooth and easy to work with by hand, and it’s very satisfying to knead a giant ball of dough. According to traditional Ukrainian paska legend (I’m not making this up!), there are several things to keep in mind when making paska. First, it’s important to have only positive thoughts when making it so that the positive energy can enter into the baking, otherwise it might not turn out. Second, you can’t sit down while the dough rises or it might go flat. And third, you have to make an incantation as you put the paska in the oven to insure it comes out looking as pretty as it did when it went in. (I’m not going to lie – I did none of these things, except for maybe the positive attitude bit!)

Ukrainian Paska | Korena in the Kitchen

The decorative ropes, twists, rosettes, and crosses on top of the paska each symbolize something different for the coming year. The ones I used were the twist around the outside symbolizing eternity, the four-sided cross originally meaning the four corners of the earth but now taken to represent the Christian cross, a sort-of sun motif without enough arms, and the flower or rosette symbolizing fertility for a good harvest. These decorations are held in place on top of the paska with toothpicks during baking, which helps keep everything pretty so that you don’t have to rely solely on your incantation 😉 Oh – and about the baking tins: you can use pretty much anything to bake paska in, from cake pans to coffee cans to I-don’t-know-what-else. I found three deep, round cake tins in descending sizes at the thrift store that were too perfect not to buy (plus it happened to be fifty-percent-off day, so they were practically free!), even though any of the pans I already owned would have worked fine, too 😉

Ukrainian Paska | Korena in the Kitchen

I loved making this paska. I couldn’t believe how beautiful it was coming out of the oven, and I was super pleased with how it turned out. The crumb is quite tight, almost more cake-like than anything, with a delicious citrusy-vanilla scent. To be honest, I found it a little bit dry on its own (surprising, considering how many eggs went into it), but it fully redeemed itself when spread with butter and apricot jam. It also made excellent toast and phenomenal french toast (with even more eggs!). The two larger loaves were well-received by family and friends, and I think in the future I will be adding paska to my Easter baking list along with hot cross buns.

Ukrainian Paska | Korena in the Kitchen

Thanks for the challenge Wolf! For more beautiful Easter breads from all over the world, check out the Daring Bakers.

Ukrainian Paska

Adapted from Martha Stewart. Yield is 2 large round loaves (each 9″ in diameter) or several smaller ones. Feel free to use whatever round baking tins you have available – mine were 8″, 6.5″, and 5″. I’ve given the ingredients in volume and by weight to make it easier to scale down the quantity, should you decide not to make paska to feed an army! For more decoration ideas, visit this page.

Sponge

In a large bowl, mix together:

4 1/2 tsp (16 g) active dry yeast

1 tbsp (12 g) all purpose flour

1 tbsp (16 g) granulated white sugar

3 tbsp (45 g) warm water

Let the mixture sit for 10 – 20 minutes until it is all foamy.

yeast, foaming

Stir in:

4 cups (544 g) sifted flour (if measuring by volume, sift first, then measure)

2 cups (455 g) warm milk

sponge ingredients

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the sponge rise in a warm spot for 30 minutes, until doubled in size.

sponge, risen

Dough

In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine:

3 whole eggs

8 egg yolks

2/3 cup (140 g) granulated white sugar

 3 whole, 8 yolks

Beat on high until pale and thickened.

pale and thickened

Add the risen sponge mixture and stir to combine.

sponge added

Mix in:

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

the grated zest of 1 orange and 1 lemon

3 tbsp (30 g) rum or brandy (or bourbon, if that’s all you have in your cupboard…)

1/2 cup (113 g) melted unsalted butter

1/2 cup (108 g) vegetable oil

 fat and flavour

Change out the paddle attachment for the dough hook and gradually (1 cup at a time) stir in:

up to 8 cups (1088 g) sifted all purpose flour (again, if measuring by volume, sift first)

 add flour

You will probably run out of room in your mixer before you add even half of the flour.

too full

Transfer the dough to a very large bowl and work in enough flour with your hands until you have a soft dough that doesn’t stick to the bowl (you may not need all the flour – but if you need more, that’s OK too).

giant bowl with dough

Turn out the dough onto a work surface and knead the dough, adding in any remaining flour as necessary, until it is very smooth, soft, and elastic (about 15 minutes).

soft, smooth, elastic

Oil your giant bowl and place the dough inside, turning it over to coat it lightly with oil.

ready to rise

Cover with a tea towel and let rise somewhere warm for 1 – 2 hours, until doubled in volume.

risen double

To Shape

Prepare your baking tins (two 9″ round springform pans would be perfect) by buttering the bottom and sides, then fold a piece of parchment paper in half lengthwise to make a collar around the inside of the tin. Press it to stick to the buttered sides of the tin.

prepared pans

Gently punch down the risen dough and reserve 1/3 of it for the decorations.

punched, divided

Portion off the remaining 2/3 of the dough (depending on how many tins you have) and form it into balls by pinching all the edges in towards the center. Poke the dough all over with a skewer  to remove any air pockets.

rolled and poked

Place the dough smooth side up in the prepared baking tins. Cover the formed dough and the reserved dough with a tea towel and let rise for about 30 minutes.

second rise

After 30 minutes, shape the reserved dough into decorations for the paska. Mix together an egg wash of 1 egg + 1 tbsp water and use it to glue on the decorations.

For each loaf, make a twisted rope around the edge by rolling out two long snakes of dough and twisting them together. Form the rope into a circle and lay it around the edge of the loaf.

eternity twist

To make the 4-cornered cross, roll out a log of dough with fat ends. Split each end of the log into two strands, then roll them into tapered lengths and coil up each one.

4-corner cross

For a sun-motif (sorta – it should have a few more arms), roll out a strand dough into a thin snake. Coil the ends in opposite directions and attach to the top of the paska. Repeat with another strand of dough (up to 4 strands total) and arrange on top of the paska so it overlaps the first one and the ends point in all four directions, like a compass.

sun motif

For the twisted strand, make two long thin stands of dough and twist them together, leaving several inches untwisted at each end. Coil up the ends. You could also make two of these and overlap them to make another 4-cornered cross symbol.

twist strand

To make a flower/rosette, roll out a long snake of dough, then flatten it with a rolling pin. Make little notches down one side with a knife, then roll it up from one end, letting the notched side fall open to form the petals. Pinch the closed end together to secure.

flowers for fertility

Secure all decorations with toothpicks so they stay put while rising and baking. Cover with a tea towel and let the decorated dough rise for about 30 minutes more, until it is a few inches from the top of the parchment paper collar. While the dough rises, preheat the oven to 350˚F (325˚F convection).

decorated, rising

Brush the risen dough with the remaining egg wash.

egg washed tops

Bake for 10 minutes in the preheated 350˚F (325˚F convection) oven, then reduce the heat to 325˚F (300˚F convection) and bake another 50 or so minutes, until well-browned on top and hollow-sounding when tapped. Leave in the tins until almost cool, then remove while still slightly warm and place on a rack. Carefully remove the toothpicks, and cool completely before slicing the paska into wedges.

baked and cooling

*     *     *

 This post has been YeastSpotted and submitted to Barbara and Sandra‘s Panissimo.

Share this:

  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)

Like this:

Like Loading...

Related

Filed Under: Bread, Daring Bakers / Daring Kitchen Challenges, Recipes Tagged With: baking, bread, Daring Bakers, Easter, paska, recipe, Ukrainian, yeast

« Porchetta-style Roast Pork Shoulder with Salsa Verde
Petite Strawberry Frangipane Tart »

Comments

  1. Louise says

    April 27, 2014 at 6:11 am

    Very pretty! Detailed work, Korina!

    Reply
  2. Rufus' Food and Spirits Guide says

    April 27, 2014 at 7:25 am

    Beautiful!

    Reply
  3. rise of the sourdough preacher says

    April 27, 2014 at 8:14 am

    Korena, what a beauty…you didn’t bake breads but true works of art!
    Lovely, simply lovely.
    I am truly in awe!
    Thank you for this gorgeous post, I saved it in my bookmarks and hope to be able to try next year.
    Have a lovely Sunday
    Lou

    Reply
    • Korena in the Kitchen says

      April 27, 2014 at 10:01 am

      Thanks Lou 🙂

      Reply
  4. wendyjv says

    April 27, 2014 at 8:24 am

    You are truly inspiring, Korena! 🙂

    Reply
  5. Jelena says

    April 27, 2014 at 8:35 am

    I have out word for you, outstanding!

    Reply
  6. bakingfever says

    April 27, 2014 at 10:24 am

    Your Paskas look so beautiful…am sure you must have had a gala time baking these 🙂

    Reply
  7. Julia says

    April 27, 2014 at 11:58 am

    OK, WOW! So beautiful! Great job shaping those breads! 🙂

    Reply
  8. christinajane says

    April 27, 2014 at 4:32 pm

    Never heard of or seen such a thing! I learn SO much from your Daring Bakers challenges. These are outstanding.

    Reply
    • Korena in the Kitchen says

      April 27, 2014 at 5:37 pm

      I learn a lot too – it forces me to do some research and leads to interesting finds 🙂

      Reply
  9. Rebecca says

    April 27, 2014 at 4:40 pm

    Wow, wow, wow! You blow me away, Kiorena! I think Paska will have to go on my short list.

    Reply
    • Rebecca says

      April 27, 2014 at 4:40 pm

      Sorry, mistyped your name Korena!

      Reply
      • Korena in the Kitchen says

        April 27, 2014 at 5:36 pm

        No worries 🙂 I hope the paska goes well for you – it was a beautiful dough to work with!

        Reply
  10. Joanne T Ferguson says

    April 27, 2014 at 6:42 pm

    G’day! Your breads are GORGEOUS Korena and what a true inspiration for me! GREAT photos and recipe! Well done at completing the Daring Kitchens Bakers Challenge this month too!
    Cheers! Joanne

    Reply
  11. Chaya says

    April 27, 2014 at 7:56 pm

    Wow! This is incredible! It’s projects like these, with artful decorations and long instructions list that simultaneously scare and excite me, but you did this so well!

    Reply
    • Korena in the Kitchen says

      April 27, 2014 at 9:48 pm

      I feel the same way sometimes! Thank you 🙂

      Reply
  12. Lara says

    April 28, 2014 at 1:46 am

    I already noticed your breads right away on the Daring Bakers, they look fantastic!!!! The recipe, all the info you gave about the tradition, the decoration (fabulous!!)… they are already on my list for next year Easter 🙂 Incredible!!! Congratulations!!! Lara – Alicante, Spain

    Reply
    • Korena in the Kitchen says

      April 28, 2014 at 6:43 am

      Thank you Lara!

      Reply
  13. frugalfeeding says

    April 28, 2014 at 5:19 am

    I am seriously impressed – they look out of this world, Korena!

    Reply
  14. chef mimi says

    April 28, 2014 at 5:52 am

    Beautiful! You’re so talented!!!

    Reply
  15. Sibella at bakingwithsibella.com says

    April 28, 2014 at 8:38 am

    Wow Korena, you have outdone yourself once again! 🙂 BEAUTIFUL! I think the name Paska comes from Latin “Pascha” which means Easter (Italian = Pasqua).

    Reply
  16. Lady Lilith says

    April 28, 2014 at 10:32 am

    They came out looking amazing. It is like a real work of art. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
  17. Agos says

    April 28, 2014 at 3:19 pm

    Omg Korena, can your bread get any more gorgeous?? Even the crumb looks perfect!

    Reply
  18. Crumbs of Love says

    April 28, 2014 at 8:10 pm

    Wowee, wow, wow! I can only imagine the look on your face when you pulled these out of the oven. Amazing works of art!!!

    Reply
  19. Kathryn and Ross says

    April 28, 2014 at 9:00 pm

    Really happy to see the pictures of those beautiful breads. We were one of the lucky recipients, and we devoured it so quickly I realized I didn’t take a photo. The decorated tops were stunning, and the colour was so rich. Good to see the pics of how you did the decorations too, as I did wonder at all the swirls and sticky out bits. The ones that Gunnar kept picking off. Irresistible to a five year old boys fingers. Wonderful next day as French Toast, yes more eggs tasted fine. Wouldn’t they look stunning on an Easter Brunch table? Thank-you Korena!

    Reply
  20. ohmysweetiepie says

    May 1, 2014 at 3:54 am

    This is absolutely beautiful!! And it looks delicious!

    Reply
  21. Nina says

    May 3, 2014 at 12:10 pm

    Looks really great! I’ve never heard about paskas with zest or vegetable oil though (I’m ukrainian). But it is common to add loads of raisins or candied fruits, and actually even more egg yolks – up to 30 per kilo of flour! And again, yours looks very delicious!

    Reply
    • Korena in the Kitchen says

      May 3, 2014 at 8:12 pm

      More egg yolks?! Oh man. Interesting, someone else mentioned that they were expecting raisins and dried fruit in the paska – I wonder if it’s a regional thing? I found several recipes like this, with citrus zest, and a few others with dried/candied fruit. Anyway, thanks for chiming in 🙂

      Reply
      • Jenna M says

        July 8, 2019 at 10:17 am

        I can verify—my grandmother was ukrainian and she always made her paska with a little bit of lemon or orange zest! It might indeed be a regional thing!
        Unfortunately I did not get her full paska recipe before she passed on… so I am trying this recipe right now. Im hoping it turns out!

        Reply
        • Korena in the Kitchen says

          July 8, 2019 at 10:43 am

          I hope this recipe lives up to your memories!

          Reply
  22. Marisa says

    May 6, 2014 at 2:56 pm

    Woah. You’ve got mad skills! And yet you make this sound *almost* approachable!!

    Reply
    • Korena in the Kitchen says

      May 6, 2014 at 5:05 pm

      I promise it wasn’t actually that hard! Just looks impressive 😉

      Reply
  23. steve says

    March 31, 2019 at 3:39 pm

    don’t pull the tooth picks out- twist them out – rolling them between your thumb and fore finger.

    Reply
  24. steve says

    March 31, 2019 at 3:44 pm

    bread – ins-read thermometer – @ 190 -200 degrees should be done and not over baked and dry

    Reply
    • Shelley says

      May 23, 2020 at 10:13 am

      This is very helpful, Steve – thank you!
      I just tried the recipe and I am very pleased with it – but it was just a “shade” dry.
      Could this also be related to the type of oil?

      Reply
      • Korena in the Kitchen says

        May 26, 2020 at 5:10 pm

        Shelley, I don’t think the type of oil would make a difference? But the internal temperature might – so Steve’s tip is a good one!

        Reply
  25. Wayne Levandoski says

    April 4, 2020 at 5:12 pm

    Made my first ever Paska, So happy the way it turned out, I can only get better with the more I make.. I halved the recipe. one Dutch oven and small loaf, Wish I could post a picture.

    Reply
    • Korena in the Kitchen says

      April 5, 2020 at 4:39 pm

      Wonderful, I’m so happy to hear the recipe worked well for you! Happy Easter 🙂

      Reply
  26. Sue Helm says

    April 11, 2021 at 4:53 pm

    I grew up making this bread since a young girl by looking at your bread, the amount of time you baked them and the consistency of your dough, the reason it seemed dry which it shouldn’t is 1. Baked to long 2. Too much flour it’s is a wetter dough 3. Use potato water that the one main ingredient I use in mine your not which makes the bread very moist!! Just thought I would share a few pointers! I have a recipe I used that’s been passed down over 10 generations! I have recently taught my daughters!

    Reply
    • Korena in the Kitchen says

      April 17, 2021 at 6:41 pm

      Thanks for your tips Sue!

      Reply
    • Shelley says

      April 17, 2021 at 9:13 pm

      Great to get that advice! Thank you!!

      Reply

Leave a ReplyCancel reply

Welcome to my kitchen!

I'm Korena: cook, baker, dirty-dishes-maker. My favourite things include flour, butter, sugar, and chocolate. Read More…

  • Bloglovin
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS

Subscribe by Email!

Top Posts

Greek Kataifi
Daring Bakers: Ukrainian Easter Paska
Daring Bakers: Asian Coconut Custard Buns
Daring Bakers: Sfogliatelle Ricci and Lobster Tail Pastries
Cream Cheese Swiss Meringue Buttercream Frosting, Take 2: Success!
10 Years! {Nigella Lawson's Coffee and Walnut Layer Cake}

Search

Categories

Archives

Blogs I Like

  • 101 Cookbooks
  • Baking with Sibella
  • Bitter Baker
  • Bread and Companatico
  • Chocolate & Zucchini
  • Chocolate & Zucchini
  • De La Casa
  • Dinner With Julie
  • Dinner: A Love Story
  • Food in Jars
  • FrugalFeeding
  • Homesick Texan
  • Joy the Baker
  • Poires au Chocolat
  • Rufus' Food and Spirits Guide
  • Simple Bites
  • Simply Recipes
  • smitten kitchen
  • Steamy Kitchen
  • Tartelette
  • Tea & Cookies
  • The Pioneer Woman Cooks
  • The Wednesday Chef
  • Venison for Dinner
  • Bloglovin
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS

Subscribe by Email!

Search

Home | Recipes About | Contact |

All content © Korena Vezerian and Korena in the Kitchen, 2011 – 2021. Please contact me before duplicating any content, including pictures. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Korena Vezerian and Korena in the Kitchen with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Copyright © 2025 · Foodie Pro Theme On Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

 

Loading Comments...
 

    %d