How to make Slovak Easter Bread

Make Paska during the Holiday Season

© Deborah Harding

Apr 1, 2009

Slovak Easter Bread is often called Paska (Ukrainian is sometimes called this too) and it comes in two parts. The first is a basic dough similar to a General Easter Bread Recipe. The other, whose recipe appears below is a cheese dough made with dry cottage cheese. Do not try to use regular cottage cheese at it has too much moisture. You can pick up dry cottage cheese in groceries around Easter time or go to a specialty store that carries it regularly. You have to make the basic dough first then the cheese part. They are combined to make the whole loaf. This is pretty complicated but delicious if you get it right.

Ingredients – Basic Dough

• 1 cake yeast
• 1 cup warm water
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 cups scalded milk
• ½ cup sugar
• ¼ pound butter
• 8 cups flour
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 3 eggs

Directions:

1. In a small bowl crumble yeast in ½ cup of the water combined with 1 tablespoon sugar.
2. Set aside for 5 minutes.
3. In another large bowl pour scalded milk over sugar and butter and add rest of warm water.
4. Cool to lukewarm (about 120 to 130 degrees).
5. Sift flour into bowl along with salt, eggs, and milk mixture.
6. Add yeast mixture
7. Knead dough in the bowl until smooth and elastic.
8. Cover and let rise about 2 hours or until double.

Ingredients cheese dough

• 1 cake yeast (1 ounce)
• 1 cup warm milk (120-130 degrees)
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 pound dry cottage cheese
• 1 cup golden raisins
• 4 egg yolks
• ½ to 1 cup sugar (depending on taste)
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3 cups flour

Directions:

1. Crumble yeast into warm milk and 1 tablespoon of sugar.
2. Let stand 5 minutes.
3. In a bowl mix cottage cheese with a spoon until it becomes smooth.
4. Add raisins and yeast mixture.
5. Add unbeaten egg yolks, ½ cup of sugar, salt, lemon rind, baking powder and flour.
6. Knead well.
7. Set aside to rise until double, about 2 hours.

To assemble bread:

1. Take basic dough and turn out onto a lightly floured board.
2. Divide in 4 parts and let stand on board, covered for about 15 minutes.
3. Take one part of the dough and lightly punch around the edges so center is elevated.
4. Take cheese dough, divided in 4, and place around the elevated center , then lightly make an opening in the center. (It is easier to make a snake with the cheese dough and place it around the elevated center joining ends of the snake by pinching. Then reach inside the ring of cheese dough to make the opening and stretch the basic dough outward over the cheese dough ring to join with outside edges.)
5. Join the edges of the center with the outside edges pressing carefully so that the cheese dough is completely covered. (You are turning the whole thing inside out so the cheese dough is completely covered by the basic dough.)
6. Place in a 9 inch tube pan and let rise for 30 minutes.
7. Right before putting into oven brush top with egg yolk.
8. Bake in preheated 325 degree oven for 10 minutes then increase temperature to 350 degrees and bake 40 minutes.
9. This makes 4 paskas

Click below for recipes for

Italian or Greek Easter Bread

Ukrainian and Russian Easter Bread

or General Easter Bread.

Paska

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