Paska Recipe
- Bread:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 4 1/2 teaspoons yeast
- 1/2 cup warm water (about 100 degrees F/38 degrees C)
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 3 eggs
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup scalded milk
- 3 tablespoons butter, softened
- 1/2 lemon, zested
- 1/2 orange, zested
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons orange juice
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, or as needed
- Icing:
- 4 cups icing sugar
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 8 tablespoons milk, or as needed
- Coloured sprinkles
- Stir together 2 cups flour and the salt in a large bowl. Set aside.
- Stir yeast into water; add 2 tsp sugar and stir until dissolved. Let mixture stand for 10 minutes until doubled in volume.
- Meanwhile, beat eggs with electric mixer. Gradually beat in 3/4 cup sugar.
- Make a well in the flour mixture and pour in scalded milk. Add egg mixture; beat well. Add butter, and lemon and orange rinds and juices, and yeast; beat until combined. Add 1 cup flour at a time, until dough is soft and holds its shape. Knead on a flour-covered surface until elastic and no longer sticky.
- Place dough in a large bowl. Cover with a piece of plastic wrap that has been rubbed with a little oil. Let dough rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 to 1-1/2 hours. Punch down and let rise again until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
- Divide dough in half; form each half into a loaf shape and place into a lightly greased 9 x 5-inch (23 x 12 cm) loaf pan. Let rise until doubled in bulk, about an hour.
- Bake in a preheated 325 degrees F (160 degrees C) oven until golden brown, about 25 to 30 minutes.
- Remove from oven, let cool for a few minutes, then remove loaves from pans and finish cooling on a wire rack.
- Ice just before serving. For each loaf, stir together 2 cups icing sugar with 1 tsp lemon juice and enough milk (approximately 4 tbsp/60 mL) to make a smooth icing that can be spooned over loaf. Decorate with sprinkles.
