Easter Bread and Buns

With Easter coming up I have been getting the baking itch even more then usual.

In particular I wanted to tackle the Traditional Ukrainian Bread - Paska, and making Hot Cross Buns.

I remember having Paska at easter as a kid but our family hasn't had it in years, and I only learnt what a hot cross bun was when I was a teenager and I worked in a bakery and made them there.

At the Bakery I made Paska and Hot Cross buns but I had never tackled them on my own.

My Mom also told me that my Dad remembers having Hot Cross Buns as a kid that his Grandmother would make but hadn't had one since. That being said that made me even more excited to get underway with my easter breads.

On Sunday I spent the day with my Mom and it being Palm Sunday meaning only a week until Easter it was a good time to tackle my easter bread. I made the Paska and My Mom assisted me with the Hot Cross Buns. We also made dinner together for the family. It was a great day, good quality time with flour flying, and Mom's company.

I started with the Paska, I used a recipe from thekitchenmagpie. It seemed really simple that is why I chose this one after searching through a few others online. It was going to make too much Paska for what I needed so I cut the recipe in half.

Paska/Babka (thekitchenmagpie)

1 tbsp active dry yeast

1/2 cup margarine

1 cup milk

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup + 2 tbsp sugar

2 tsp salt

3 egg yolks

1 cup raisins

1/4 tsp tumeric

4-5 cups of flour

Heat up your milk, sugar and butter in a sauce pan or in the microwave.

Once heated and butter is melted pour in the water and let cool. Do not cool completely but should be warm to the touch. Once cooled, pour in your yeast and stir around a little. Let it sit for a few minutes so the yeast can activate.

In a bowl beat your eggs and tumeric. 

Once the yeast has activated pour the mixture in with the eggs.

Pour in half of your flour and mix until combined with a wooden spoon. 

Add in the raisins.

Now you can either continue trying to mix in the remaining flour or remove dough from bowl onto a floured surface. 

Knead the dough and continue adding the rest of the flour until it is only slightly sticky.

When dough is done being kneaded it will be only slightly sticky, smooth and spring back when poked.

Put the Paska dough in a bowl to rise. You can either cover it and leave it in a warm place.

or something new my Mom and I tried was making a proofer in the oven!

How you make your oven a proofer is: (littlehouseinthesuburbs)

Boil water and put it in a pan on the bottom rack. Put the dough in a bowl on the rack above.

Turn your oven to 400 degrees F for exactly 1 minute. Then turn it off. Do not open the oven door.

Let the dough sit in the oven for the appropriate amount of time, in our case for about an hour or until doubled in size. 

Once the dough has risen separate it into the how many loaves you are going to make.
I made on in a can and one in a 6" spring form pan.
The can needs to be greased really well for it to be able to come out in the end. I used pam on both the pan and the can.
Fill each only half way as the dough is going to rise a lot.
I put them back in the oven for proofing for about 30 minutes or until the tops have risen out of the pans.
Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F.
(If proofing in the oven remember to take out your loaves before preheating the oven.)

While my Paska was rising I prepared the dough for my Hot Cross Buns which I will discuss a little further down. You can see it tucked in behind the Paska.

Brush the tops of your Paska with an egg wash before putting in the oven.

Bake fore 30-40 minutes on the bottom rack. The tops will get very dark but that is suppose to happen.

Let them cool slightly and then remove and let cool completely on wire racks.

Hot Cross Buns:

from Anna Olson

3/4 cup milk

4 tsp instant dry yeast

1/3 cup sugar

3 large eggs

1/2 cup vegetable oil

3 3/4 cup flour

1 tsp lemon zest

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 ground cloves

1/3 cup raisins

1/4 mixed diced peel

Warm the milk to until warm to the touch. 

Pour in all the ingredients in to a bowl except for the raisins and peel.

Mix with a wooden spoon until combined and dough started to form.

On a lightly floured surface place the dough and knead for about 5 minutes until smooth.

Add your raisins and peels and knead the dough for another few minutes.

Place your dough in a bowl and cover. let rise for 75-90 minutes or until doubled in size.

Once the dough has doubled remove the dough from its bowl onto a floured surface. 

Form the dough into twelve buns. (Using both hands continue rounding and tucking until smooth.)

Place the buns on a 9 X 13" pan with space for them to rise. Cover and let rise for 45 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 350 degreed F.

Bake the buns for 25-30 minutes until brown on top.

While the buns are cooking prepare your glaze.

Glaze:

1/2 cup sugar,

3 tbsp water 

1 tsp vanilla.

-Heat in sauce pan until sugar is dissolved.

Remove the buns from oven and cover with glaze while still on the pan.

Let the glaze set then remove the buns to a wire rack to cool completely.

Prepare Icing (3/4 cup icing sugar, 1 tbsp milk) and pipe crosses on to eat bun.

I'm really pleased with how everything turned out. My Grandma came over for dinner that evening and could not believe I made the Hot Cross Buns. She kept telling my Mom that she was lying. My Grandma loves baking too, and so does my Mom so I guess it in our genes.