Paska/ Easter Bread

How to Make Paska:

• Scald the milk and cool it down to about 120 ℉/ 50° C.
• Whisk the flour with yeast and sugar, and mix it with the cooled milk and warm water. It should be about the consistency of pancake batter.
• Add more flour if necessary.
• Beat well, cover, and leave to sit in a warm place until it rises and feels light and bubbly.
• Beat the egg yolks and whole eggs together with the salt; gradually add 1 cup of sugar and continue beating until thick and light.
• Beat in the butter, vanilla, lemon zest, orange zest and juice, brandy, buckwheat honey, nutmeg, cinnamon, and milk powder.
• Combine the mixture with the risen sponge mix and again mix well.
• Stir in enough flour to make a very soft dough and knead it in the bowl by working the dough over and up continually for about 10 minutes.
• Thorough kneading is essential to develop the elasticity. When raisins are used, they should be added after the dough is kneaded.
• Cover and leave to rise in a warm place until it doubles in bulk. Punch down, knead a few more times, and let it rise again.
• Prepare 4, 46 oz. (1.3 L) juice cans and line them with parchment paper. Large tube pans may also be used, but the traditional paska is always baked in a tall, cylindrical pan. Fill the pans one-third full.
• Cover and leave the dough in a warm place to rise until it reaches the top of the pan. It should triple in bulk.
• Brush the loaves with beaten egg diluted with 2 tbs of milk or water.
• Do this after the loaves have started to bake for about 20 minutes otherwise you risk deflating them if you try to brush them when uncooked.
• Bake in a moderate oven, 360 ℉/182° C, for about 10 minutes, then lower the temperature to 320 ℉/ 160° C and bake for about 30 minutes; then again lower the temperature to 275 ℉/ 135° C and continue baking for another 15 to 20 minutes.
• The baking period depends on the size of the loaves. If necessary, cover with aluminum foil to prevent scorching.
• Paska dough is very delicate and temperamental.
• It should be baked at a moderately high temperature at first to puff up and form a firm crust (which is when you can use the egg glaze).
• Afterwards, the temperature should be lowered,as the dough is very rich and scorches easil
• Remove the baked loaves from the oven and leave them in the pans on a rack for 5 to 10 minutes.
• Tip each loaf gently from the pan onto a cloth covered pillow.
• Gently remove the parchment paper. Do not cool the loaves on a hard surface.
• Careless handling of the baked paska may cause it to fall or settle.
• As the loaves are cooling, change their position very gently a few times to prevent settling.
• If desired, the cooled loaves may be iced or glazed and decorated with bakers’ confetti. This is an old custom.
  
• Paska is always sliced in rounds across the loaf. The sliced bottom crust serves as a protective cover, and it is replaced to prevent the loaf from drying out.