Very soft Easter kulich
Description
The recipe won't take much time. The upside is that you can bake the kulich whenever it suits you. It's best to knead the dough with a mixer, because hand kneading will need roughly twice as long to develop the gluten. If you like, you can add other spices—cinnamon, cardamom, and lemon zest work very well. Along with candied peel, add raisins, chopped dried apricots, nuts, or dried cherries. You can use a different glaze; you'll find ideas on our website.
Instructions
- 1
Step 1
Prepare all the necessary ingredients for making a moist and very soft Easter kulich.
- 2
Step 2
In a bowl, mix the flour with the spices.
- 3
Step 3
Combine cold milk with compressed yeast, salt, and sugar, and mix until smooth.
- 4
Step 4
Pour the dairy mixture into a deep bowl and beat in the eggs. Mix everything thoroughly until smooth. You can use a mixer on low speed for this.
- 5
Step 5
Sift the flour with the spices into a bowl and knead the dough in a mixer on low speed for at least 6–7 minutes. The dough will be sticky and will cling to the beaters.
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Step 6
Cut the cold but soft butter into small pieces and, while continuing to beat the dough, add it to the bowl a little at a time. Knead the dough for 8–10 minutes.
- 7
Step 7
During this time the dough will change structure, become denser and begin to pull away from the sides of the bowl, but will still stick slightly to your hands.
- 8
Step 8
Cover the bowl with the dough and place it in a warm spot to rise for 1.5–2 hours.
- 9
Step 9
Once the dough has risen, punch it down well, shape into a ball, and place it back in the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours to three days.
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Step 10
My dough had been in the refrigerator for almost a full day, it rose well, and it didn’t smell of yeast at all.
- 11
Step 11
Cut the candied fruit into pieces, add them to the dough, and knead the dough together with them.
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Step 12
Place the dough in kulich molds to one-third of their height, shaping each portion into a ball.
- 13
Step 13
Cover the dough-filled molds with a clean towel and place them in a warm spot to rise. The dough should double in size; this will take about 1.5–2 hours. The exact time will depend on the proofing temperature.
- 14
Step 14
15–20 minutes before the end of rising, turn on the oven and preheat it to 180 °C. Put the pans with the kulich on a baking sheet and place in the hot oven. Bake for 20 minutes, then, so the top does not burn, cover the top with foil and bake for another 10–20 minutes, until done.
- 15
Step 15
While the kulich are baking, prepare the icing. To do this, add a pinch of salt to the egg white and whisk until light foam forms. While whisking, add the icing sugar in parts and whisk until thick. Pour in the lemon juice and whisk for another 10–20 seconds.
- 16
Step 16
Take the finished kulich out of the oven and immediately spread on the prepared glaze. Decorate the top as you like and leave until completely cool.
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Step 17
Happy holiday and