Orthodox Easter bread
Description
Homemade pastries for tea. An essential attribute of Orthodox Easter is the kulich. Prepare it as follows: dissolve the yeast in warm milk, add half the flour, mix and leave the starter in a warm place for half an hour. Then add to the starter the egg yolks rubbed with sugar and vanilla, followed by softened butter, beaten egg whites, flour, and knead the dough. Leave it in a warm place to rise for an hour. Then add raisins, candied fruits, and almonds, mix well and let the dough rest for another 20 minutes. Fill baking molds halfway with the dough, cover with a towel and let rise for about 15 minutes. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes at 100°C, then increase the temperature to 180°C and continue baking for another 30–35 minutes. While still hot, glaze the kulichi with a mixture of powdered sugar and lemon juice, decorate, and let cool. Serve cooled or slightly warm.
Instructions
- 1
Step 1
Soak the raisins in hot water for 15 minutes, then drain the water, dry the raisins, and coat them in flour. Pour boiling water over the almonds and let them sit for 3 minutes, then remove the skins, dry the almonds in a dry skillet, and chop them with a knife.
- 2
Step 2
Dissolve the yeast in warm milk, add half of the flour, mix and let the starter sit in a warm place for half an hour.
- 3
Step 3
Rub the yolks with sugar and vanilla, and beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt into a foam. Add to the sponge mixture the yolks first, then the softened butter, and finally the egg whites. Mix the dough after adding each ingredient.
- 4
Step 4
Add the remaining flour in parts, kneading the dough until it reaches the desired consistency. Place it in a pot, cover with a lid, and let it rise for about an hour.
- 5
Step 5
Then add raisins, candied fruits, and almonds, mix well and let the dough rest for another 20 minutes.
- 6
Step 6
Grease the bottom of the molds with butter and line with a circle of greased parchment paper. Fill the molds with batter about halfway, cover with a towel, and let rise for about 15 minutes. Then bake in the oven for 10 minutes at 100°C, increase the temperature to 180°C, and bake for another 30–35 minutes. Glaze the hot loaves with icing made from powdered sugar and lemon juice, decorate, and let cool.