Spring kulich
Description
Perfectly pairs with tea and coffee. The brightest Christian holiday, Easter, falls in the spring season. Baking Easter bread (kulich) is probably the main tradition in many Orthodox countries. To prepare the spring kulich, make a rich dough with the addition of nuts and dried fruits. Besides raisins, you can also add candied fruits or dried apricots. Serve warm or chilled. Ideal with tea.
Instructions
- 1
Step 1
First, prepare the sponge. Dissolve the yeast in warm milk with a tablespoon of flour and sugar.
- 2
Step 2
Separate the egg whites from the yolks. Rub the yolks with sugar and add them to the starter dough.
- 3
Step 3
Stir until smooth.
- 4
Step 4
Also add melted butter and flour. Also add salt.
- 5
Step 5
Beat the separated egg whites until a white foam forms. Gently add them to the dough. Knead the dough once again. Let it rise.
- 6
Step 6
If the dough has risen, knead it again.
- 7
Step 7
The dough will start rising again, and while that's happening, soak the raisins in boiling water and chop the nuts. If you have cardamom in seeds, grind it. Knead the dough one last time, then add the dried fruits, nuts, and cardamom to it.
- 8
Step 8
The recipe yields a lot of dough, so there will be many kuliches. Divide the dough into paper baking molds (or any other molds you have on hand), filling each mold one-third full. Preheat the oven to 160-170°C. When the dough in the molds has risen three-quarters of the way, brush the tops with egg and place them in the oven. Bake the kuliches for 50-60 minutes, or until done. Once ready, you can glaze the kuliches with whipped egg whites or icing, and sprinkle them with ready-made Easter sprinkles.
- 9
Step 9
Here's the spring kulich I ended up with; I had a large but not very tall mold.