This Braided Easter Bread has the softest crumb. It is laced with farmer cheese and studded with apricots and orange zest which gives the entire loaf amazing flavor and aroma. Make this Easter Bread your new Easter tradition. This brings a cheese Paska and Classic Kulich together into 1 impressive Easter bread! | natashaskitchen.com

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This Braided Easter Bread has the softest crumb that pulls away like cotton candy. It is laced with farmer cheese (learn how to make farmer cheese with 2 ingredients!) and studded with apricots and orange zest which gives the entire loaf amazing flavor and a tantalizing aroma. Make this Easter Bread your new Easter tradition!

My husband found this recipe on Olya’s Youtube Channel and requested that I re-create! He prefers this over classic Easter Kulich because the cheese gives it exciting flavor and texture. This brings a cheese Paska and Kulich together into 1 impressive Easter bread!

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Ingredients for Braided Easter Bread Recipe:

I love that there is a surprise inside this Easter Bread. The sweet-tart bites of apricot are such a treat and the ribbons of cheese make this almost danish-like. Also we used instant yeast here so you don’t have to wait all day for the dough to rise but the results are super soft and lovely. [See Print-Friendly Recipe Below]

Ingredients for Braided Easter Bread, How to make braided Easter Bread

*Cooks Tip: In baking, measuring ingredients correctly is crucial. See all of our tips and tricks for measuring correctly and you’ll be baking like a pro!

How to Make Braided Easter Bread with Cheese:

1. In a measuring cup, Combine 1/2 cup warm (not hot) milk,1 tsp sugar and 1 1/2 tsp yeast. Stir to dissolve sugar and let rest 10 minutes to proof.

Two photos of measuring cups with ingredients for Braided Easter Bread

2. In a small bowl, combine 1 egg with remaining 3 Tbsp sugar and 1/8 tsp salt and whisk together until blended. Whisk in melted warm butter (NOT HOT). Add proofed yeast mixture and whisk to combine.

Four photos of bowls with ingredients for Braided Easter Bread

3. In a large mixing bowl, add 2 1/4 cups flour and add wet ingredients. Stir with a spatula until combined then knead by hand 10 minutes. Dough will be soft and not sticky to the touch. Form dough into a ball then cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and let dough rise at room temperature 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until doubled in size.

Four photos of bowls with dough for Braided Easter Bread

How to Make Cheese Filling:

1. Meanwhile, make cheese filling: In a medium bowl crumble the farmer cheese with a fork. Add 1/4 cup sugar and 1 egg yolk. Use a spatula to blend until combined and somewhat creamy. Add 1/2 cup diced apricots and 2 tsp orange zest.

Four photos of bowls with ingredients for Braided Easter Bread

 How to Assemble Easter Bread Recipe:

5. Once dough has risen, punch it down and transfer to a lightly floured work surface. Roll the dough into a 12″x9″ rectangle, between 1/8″ and 1/4″ thick. Add cheese filling and spread evenly leaving 1/2″ of space at the edges.

Two photos of dough for Braided Easter bread one in a bowl and one rolled out

6. Roll the dough into a log starting from the long end. Pinch the edges to seal. Cut the roll in half to split it into 2 strands, leaving them attached at one end. Overlap the 2 strands starting at the connected end and moving towards the ends, pinching to seal at the end. Carefully transfer braid cut-side up to an oiled 9.25×5.25 loaf pan. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature 30-45 minutes or until visibly puffed up. Beat 1 egg with 1 tsp water with a fork and brush generously over risen loaf.

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7. Bake in center of oven at 350˚F for 35 to 40 minutes. Let rest 5 minutes in the form then transfer to wire rack to cool. Dust warm bread with powdered sugar. Once cooled to room temperature, slice the Easter bread and serve.

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How to Make Homemade Cheese (Tvorog/ Farmers Cheese):

All you need is 2 ingredients and a little patience! Here are 2 tutorials for making easy homemade farmers cheese:

Natasha's Kitchen Cookbook

Braided Easter Bread Recipe

4.94 from 31 votes
Author: Natasha of NatashasKitchen.com
This Braided Easter Bread has the softest crumb. It is laced with farmer cheese and studded with apricots and orange zest which gives the entire loaf amazing flavor and aroma. Make this Easter Bread your new Easter tradition. This brings a cheese Paska and Classic Kulich together into 1 impressive Easter bread! | natashaskitchen.com
Braided Easter Bread is soft and has a surprise inside! This Easter bread is laced with farmers cheese, apricots, and orange zest which give the loaf amazing flavor and aroma.
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Resting Time: 2 hours
Total Time: 3 hours 5 minutes

Ingredients 

Servings: 8 people

For the Paska Easter Bread Dough:

For the Farmer Cheese (Tvorog) Filling:

  • 8 1/2 oz farmers cheese, (1 3/4 cups packed)
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup dried apricots, chopped
  • 2 tsp orange zest , from 1 medium orange

For the Egg Wash:

  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp water

Instructions

  • In a measuring cup, Combine 1/2 cup warm milk (not hot),1 tsp sugar and 1 1/2 tsp yeast. Stir to combine and let sit 10 min to proof.
  • In a small bowl, add 1 egg, remaining 3 Tbsp sugar, 1/8 tsp salt and whisk together. Whisk in warm melted butter (NOT HOT). Lastly whisk in proofed yeast mixture.
  • In a large mixing bowl, add 2 1/4 cups flour then add wet ingredients. Combine dough with a spatula then knead by hand 10 min. Dough will be soft and not sticking to your hands. Form dough into a ball then cover bowl with plastic wrap, and let rise at room temperature 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until doubled in size.
  • Meanwhile, make cheese filling: In a medium bowl crumble farmers cheese with a fork. Add 1/4 cup sugar and 1 egg yolk. Use spatula to blend until combined and somewhat creamy. Add diced apricots and 2 tsp orange zest.
  • Once dough has risen, punch it down and transfer to lightly floured surface. Roll dough into 12"x9" rectangle, between 1/8" and 1/4" thick. Add cheese filling and spread evenly leaving a 1/2" border at the edges.
  • Roll dough into a log starting from the long end and pinch edges to seal. Cut the roll in half to split into 2 strands, keeping them attached at one end. Overlap the 2 strands starting at the connected end and weaving them together towards the ends. Pinch the ends to seal. Carefully transfer braid cut-side up to a greased loaf pan. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise/puff up at room temperature 30-45 min. Beat 1 egg with 1 tsp water and generously brush egg wash over risen loaf.
  • Bake in center of oven at 350˚F for 35 to 40 min, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let rest 5 minutes in pan then transfer to wire rack. Dust warm bread with powdered sugar. Once cooled to room temperature, slice and serve.

Nutrition Per Serving

300kcal Calories43g Carbs10g Protein9g Fat5g Saturated Fat87mg Cholesterol183mg Sodium175mg Potassium1g Fiber15g Sugar535IU Vitamin A0.7mg Vitamin C38mg Calcium2.1mg Iron
Nutrition Facts
Braided Easter Bread Recipe
Amount per Serving
Calories
300
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
9
g
14
%
Saturated Fat
 
5
g
31
%
Cholesterol
 
87
mg
29
%
Sodium
 
183
mg
8
%
Potassium
 
175
mg
5
%
Carbohydrates
 
43
g
14
%
Fiber
 
1
g
4
%
Sugar
 
15
g
17
%
Protein
 
10
g
20
%
Vitamin A
 
535
IU
11
%
Vitamin C
 
0.7
mg
1
%
Calcium
 
38
mg
4
%
Iron
 
2.1
mg
12
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Course: Bread, Dessert
Cuisine: Russian, Ukrainian
Keyword: Braided Easter Bread
Skill Level: Easy/Medium
Cost to Make: $$
Calories: 300

If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen

Looking for more traditional Easter Recipes?

We go big on Easter because it is a major holiday as it marks the resurrection of Jesus and the victory and life that we have in Him. We spend the morning in church and then have a big celebratory potluck dinner at church. The day is wrapped up with an egg hunt for all the kiddos in our family at my parent’s house which they really look forward to. I would love to hear about your Easter traditions in a comment below!

A group of young children sitting on grass holding baskets with Easter eggs

Have a happy and blessed Easter, my friends!

Natasha Kravchuk

Welcome to my kitchen! I am Natasha, the blogger behind Natasha's Kitchen (since 2009). My husband and I run this blog together and share only our best, family approved and tested recipes with YOU. Thanks for stopping by! We are so happy you're here.

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Comments

  • Olya
    April 11, 2023

    turned out so good!

    I cut the roll into small circles, kinda like cinamon rolls to make individual servings and it worked really well 🙂

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      April 11, 2023

      That’s wonderful, Olya!

      Reply

  • Eugenia
    April 22, 2022

    Natasha, i am making this bread now. I doubled all the ingredients as I wanted to make one bread with cheese and one with chocolate. Do you think it was right to double the ingredients or maybe I needed to add different portions of each ingredient? I also used the mixer instead of kneading with my hands (lazy mama), the dough seems slightly hard, maybe it is supposed to be this way. I will see after an hour and a half if it will rise. Do you make double portions?

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      April 23, 2022

      Hi Eugenia, especially when baking I recommend not making any adjustments to the process or ingredients, that may hinder the outcome. I hope it works out for you and the bread is delicious!

      Reply

      • Eugenia
        April 23, 2022

        Natasha,
        The bread came out spectacular, I made one with cheese and one with chocolate and I have to say, I am so amazed by how it came out. My husband couldn’t believe it either😁. Thank you so much for all the recipes. I will tag you on Facebook so you can see the pictures. Thank you again.

        Reply

        • NatashasKitchen.com
          April 23, 2022

          Hi Eugenia! So glad to hear that. Thank you for the excellent review. I would love to see a picture and will keep an eye out for it, thank you!

          Reply

  • Ilona
    April 16, 2022

    Hello,

    Would it be possible to use Canadian Flour in this recipe instead of All-Purpose Flour?

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      April 16, 2022

      I have not tested this to advise.

      Reply

  • Ellie
    April 15, 2022

    For anyone wondering, I made these with by hand with no mixer, and it worked! The glaze just takes patience with a hand whisk. But it is possible.
    I wish they were more flavorful, so maybe next time I would add a bit more ginger, or some honey, but they turned out good!!

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      April 15, 2022

      Thank you so much for sharing that with us, Ellie!

      Reply

  • John Sykora
    August 25, 2021

    Very close to an Estonian Kringle. I use these techniques to make a braided cinnamon swirl bread. Wonder if you have used the shaping technique with something other than brioche dough.

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      August 25, 2021

      Thank you so much for sharing that with me.

      Reply

  • Natalya
    April 6, 2021

    Looks delicious 😋 If I don’t have farmers cheese, but have plenty of cottage cheese. Can I use it instead, combining with cream cheese?

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      April 6, 2021

      Hi Natalya, I haven’t tested this but I think the next closest thing if you can’t find it and don’t have time to make it would be to use rinsed, drained and mashed cottage cheese. If you try that, let me know how you liked it

      Reply

  • Anastasia
    April 3, 2021

    Beautiful, delicious, and so soft and fluffy. Absolutely love this Easter recipe. 100% recommend for all to try.Thanks for sharing. 🙂

    Reply

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