Dough for kulich in the oven
Description
Perfect with tea and coffee. Yeast dough is always very tasty and tender, staying soft for a long time. In such cakes you can add not only raisins but also candied fruit, dried apricots, chocolate crumbs. Try and experiment. Serve warm or chilled. Perfect with tea.
Instructions
- 1
Step 1
Prepare all the necessary ingredients. Note that all ingredients for the kulich should be at room temperature.
- 2
Step 2
First, you need to check the quality of the yeast. In a small bowl, mix the yeast, 100 ml of milk and 1 Tbsp sugar.
- 3
Step 3
Mix well and let it sit in a warm place for 10-15 minutes.
- 4
Step 4
After a while, a fluffy yeast cap will appear on the surface, indicating that the yeast has started working.
- 5
Step 5
We start preparing the starter. In a large bowl pour the milk, add about 150–200 g of sifted flour, mix well until you get a mass with a consistency similar to pancake batter.
- 6
Step 6
Then add the yeast mixture, stir, and let it sit in a warm place for 30–40 minutes; you can leave it a little longer.
- 7
Step 7
In just 35 minutes, the pre‑ferment has doubled in volume and is slowly beginning to collapse. Now is the perfect time to start kneading the dough.
- 8
Step 8
Separate the yolks into a separate bowl, add sugar.
- 9
Step 9
Whisk with a mixer until the mixture increases in volume and becomes lighter.
- 10
Step 10
Add the egg‑sugar mixture, vanilla sugar, melted butter, and vegetable oil to the pre‑ferment. Mix.
- 11
Step 11
Now start adding the sifted flour and mix the dough with a whisk or spatula.
- 12
Step 12
Add raisins; I don’t soak them beforehand, I just rinse and dry them.
- 13
Step 13
Continue adding flour and knead a soft dough. If the dough is already perfect in consistency but still sticks to your hands, grease your hands with vegetable oil, which will make kneading the dough more convenient.
- 14
Step 14
Place the dough in a warm spot for 60 minutes, covering it with a clean towel. When it has doubled in volume, punch down the dough and let it rise again for 40–60 minutes. Now the dough will rise faster and will increase to almost three times its size.
- 15
Step 15
The dough is ready. Prepare the pans; if you have metal pans, grease them with vegetable oil. I have paper pans, which require nothing; they are ready to use immediately. Cut off the required piece of dough, shape it, and place it into the cake pan. The dough should occupy about one‑third of the pan’s volume, maybe a little more.
- 16
Step 16
Leave the pans with the dough for 15 minutes in a warm place, and meanwhile preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
- 17
Step 17
Bake the kulichs in the oven at 180 °C for 30–50 minutes. If the oven is baking too fast, reduce the temperature. Check the doneness of the kulichs with a wooden skewer.
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Step 18
When the finished kulichs have cooled, cover them with icing and decorate with sprinkles or dried fruits. Happy Easter!