Cooking, Crafting, Mommy life : Sweet Easter Bread

Traditional Russian/Ukrainian Sweet Easter Bread

These are traditionally made very tall baked in an a tin can from something like either canned beans or something similar that’s sold in large sizes for like restaurants then washed out really well to get rid of the smell and when they are prepared for them to be baked in they are lined with parchment paper that’s oiled really well and sprinkled with flour but I don’t have any of those tins so I just used a bunt cake pan for mine. (also a lot of Russian woman say that this bread will not come out right if you make it any time other then the week of or before Easter but I don’t know I didn’t test out that theory)

Ingredients:

800g Flour (by weight)

2 sticks butter melted

200g sugar

1 cup milk hot not boiling

5 large eggs seporated

50g fresh yeast (make sure the yeast is fresh or it will take way too long to rise)

200g raisins (I use less I don’t like raisins)

Pinch of salt

For the Glaze:

3 egg whites

1 ½ cup sugar

1tsp lemon juice (optional)

Prep:

Mix the milk and butter together, add sugar and salt mix and let cool to just a little warm.

Meanwhile take about ¼ cup warm milk and mix it with the yeast and let rise.

When milk and butter mixture cooled to just warm add the flour and the yeast

mix really well make a ball of dough and place in a warm place to rise

when the dough rises beat the egg whites to stiff peaks, add the egg yolks and the egg whites to the dough and mix in really well to form the dough and now add the raisins the dough should be smooth and will be sticky

spray the pan or pans with baking spray or spread generously with butter and sprinkle some flour inside

place the dough in to pans half way smooth evenly and let rise till the dough reaches the top of pans

Pre-heat the oven to 350F place the pans in the oven if your making them small like little bunt cakes bake for about 25-35mins just check by inserting a knife or a wooden stick if it come out clean it’s ready,
For the large pan it will take about 40-45mins test same with a knife or wooden stick

Take pans out of the oven and let the bread cool.

For the Glaze:

Mix the sugar and egg whites then place over a double boiler and whisk until all sugar is melted, then with a mixer with a whisk attachment and beat until doubled in size but still runny add the lemon juice mix in really well.