Ukrainian Easter paska: recipes and Easter dishes

Paska, the Ukrainian Easter bread, is the centrepiece of the Easter table. Here is a tried-and-tested recipe for yeasted paska, a simple no-bake cottage cheese paska, ideas for Easter dishes and desserts, and tips for avoiding common mistakes.

Flowers for the Easter table are in our flower baskets and tulips sections.

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How to bake paska: the stages

Yeasted paska recipe

For 3 medium loaves: 1 kg flour, 300 ml milk, 40 g fresh or 11–14 g dried yeast, 250 g sugar, 5 eggs plus 3 yolks, 200 g butter, a pinch of salt, vanilla sugar, 150 g raisins and, optionally, candied peel or lemon zest.

• Starter. Dissolve the yeast and a spoonful of sugar in warm milk, add 150 g flour and leave somewhere warm for 30 minutes.
• Dough. Beat the eggs and yolks with the sugar and add to the starter with the melted (not hot) butter, salt and vanilla. Gradually work in the sifted flour.
• Kneading. Knead for 10–15 minutes: the dough should be soft and slightly sticky.
• Rising. Cover and leave in a warm, draught-free place for 1.5–2 hours until doubled in size. Work in the washed and dried raisins.
• Tins. Fill greased tins a third full and let the dough rise again.
• Baking. Bake at 180 °C for 35–50 minutes depending on size. Test with a wooden skewer — it should come out dry.

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Glaze

Whisk an egg white with 100 g icing sugar and a pinch of citric acid until stiff and spread it on the completely cooled paska. Use fresh eggs for the glaze, or make an egg-free version from icing sugar and lemon juice.

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No-bake cottage cheese paska

You will need: 500 g full-fat dry cottage cheese (tvorog), 100 g butter, 100 g icing sugar, 100 g sour cream, 2 hard-boiled yolks, vanilla and 80 g raisins or candied fruit.

• Press the cottage cheese through a sieve for a smooth texture.
• Cream the butter with the icing sugar and yolks, then add the sour cream, vanilla, cottage cheese and raisins.
• Spoon the mixture into a paska mould lined with damp muslin, cover and weigh it down.
• Chill for 12 hours, then carefully turn it out of the mould.

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What else to make for the Easter table

• Krashanky — eggs dyed with natural colourings: onion skins, beetroot, turmeric.
• Roast meat — pork loin or ham with a mustard crust.
• Aspic — for example, eggs set in jelly with herbs.
• Horseradish with beetroot, homemade sausage, cheese and butter — the traditional contents of the Easter basket.

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Easter desserts

Besides paska, people bake berry pies, biscuits shaped like bunnies and eggs, iced gingerbread, cheesecake or carrot cake. Children love chocolate eggs and muffins with Easter decorations.

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Common mistakes

• Cold ingredients — butter and eggs should be at room temperature, or the dough will rise poorly.
• Too much flour — the paska will be dense and dry.
• Draughts and opening the oven sharply in the first 20 minutes — the paska may sink.
• Glazing a warm paska — the glaze will run.

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How to decorate the festive table is covered in "Easter decor with flowers", and the traditions of the holiday in "Easter traditions in Ukraine".

FAQ

Why is my paska dense?

Usually because of too much flour, cold ingredients or not enough rising time.

How long should paska bake?

At 180 °C, 35–50 minutes depending on the size of the tin; test with a skewer.

How long does cottage cheese paska keep?

3–5 days in the fridge.

Author: Maria Svitlovir

Graduated from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Institute of Biology and Medicine (2001). BSc in Biology, MSc in Horticulture. Writes about plants, works at a garden centre selecting and repotting plants, and contributes to plant reference guides.

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