Alexandrian dough for kulich
Description
The recipe won’t take much time. The dough is very easy to work with. You can spread the process over two days. In the evening, make the sponge, and the next day finish kneading and bake the goods. Soak the dried fruit in cognac or orange juice in good time. Serve cool or slightly warm.
Instructions
- 1
Step 1
Prepare the ingredients for the sponge starter. It’s easiest to make it the evening before. You can use dry yeast by reducing the amount to one-third—in other words, 10–11 grams is enough. Soak the dried fruit in cognac or orange juice ahead of time.
- 2
Step 2
In a bowl, combine the eggs and sugar. Stir the mixture with a whisk or mixer until the sugar dissolves.
- 3
Step 3
Warm the scalded milk in the microwave for 30–60 seconds, until it reaches a temperature comfortable for activating the yeast. Pour the warm milk over the yeast and stir until the yeast is fully dissolved.
- 4
Step 4
Take the butter out of the refrigerator in advance, cut it up, and add it to the egg mixture.
- 5
Step 5
Fold the butter into the egg mixture.
- 6
Step 6
Add the yeast dissolved in scalded milk.
- 7
Step 7
Mix the sponge thoroughly, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and leave at room temperature for 8 hours.
- 8
Step 8
After 8–10 hours, fermentation will be taking place under the oily layer of the sponge. At this stage, you can continue kneading the dough.
- 9
Step 9
Prepare the ingredients for kneading the dough. Drain the dried fruit, previously soaked in cognac, in a sieve so excess liquid can run off, or pat dry on paper towels.
- 10
Step 10
Sift the flour through a fine sieve, add vanillin, salt, and zest. Mix the dry ingredients.
- 11
Step 11
Mix the liquid and dry ingredients together and knead the dough by hand or with a stand mixer. Knead for 7–10 minutes.
- 12
Step 12
Fold the prepared dried fruit into the finished dough.
- 13
Step 13
Cover the dough container with a kitchen towel and leave to rise for 1.5 hours. After that, you can divide it among baking pans.
- 14
Step 14
From this amount of dough you get 10 small kulich, 150 grams each.
- 15
Step 15
The dough contains citrus zest and dried fruit steeped in cognac, which gives the Easter kulich a distinctive aroma and freshness.
- 16
Step 16
Easter kulich cakes baked with Alexandrian dough stay fresh and soft for several days. That makes them popular gifts and sweets for the Easter holidays.