Paska (also known as Kulich) is a classic Easter Bread. It's a wonderful Easter tradition.

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Paska (also known as Kulich) is a classic Easter Bread. It’s a wonderful Easter tradition shared by Russian and Ukrainian people. This recipe comes from my aunt Tanya and cousin Lena; thank you so much!

Easter only comes once a year so don’t panic when I tell you how long it takes to make this. First I will tell you how soft and delicious it is. Then I’ll explain how you will feel like a domestic diva once you’ve got this under your belt. After that I’ll convince you that this bread makes for an incredible french toast (like really, really good!).

I’ll also mention that the active time for this recipe is about 30-45 minutes and the rest is oven/rising time. Then, and only then will I tell you that it takes basically half the day to rise. I made it a couple weeks early just so I could photograph it and share the recipe with you. I’m going to make it again for Easter. See, that means it was worth it.

Thank You Lena and Aunt Tanya for this wonderful recipe; It’s a keeper for sure. My parents and sister tried it and were raving about it.

Ingredients for the Kulich/Paska:

2 cups + 2 Tbsp warm milk (I used whole milk)
6 eggs, room temp
1 Tbsp active dry yeast
2 cups sugar
2 sticks unsalted butter, (1/2 lb or 226 grams), melted (if using salted butter, omit the salt)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla
9 cups all-purpose Canadian flour, divided ** (measured correctly)
1 to 1 1/2 cups raisins (white or brown)

**On Flour Substitutions:

Canadian flour is made in Canada has a higher gluten content and produces a softer bread than American all-purpose flour. It is available in Cash and Carry, Winco and Canada of course! Several readers have reported great results with American all-purpose flour but because Canadian flour has a higher gluten content, you often need to use more American all-purpose flour, so keep that in mind if you substitute. Read helpful review below:

One of my readers, Natalia, shared this amazing review with her flour substitutions:

“I want to thank you for this wonderful Paska recipe. My family loved it. I made a half of the recipe, That was enough to make two medium and two small breads. I used the King Arthur’s bread flour (4 cups) and 1/2 cup of a/p flour (I was running short on bread flour). It turned out amazing. I’ve never made Paskas before, and it was a success from the first time. Thank you!!!”

Paska (also known as Kulich) is a classic Easter Bread. It's a wonderful Easter tradition. This bread also makes for an incredible french toast.

For the Topping:

2 cups powdered Sugar
3 Tbsp Lemon Juice

What you’ll need:

3 Large Panettone Paper Molds (4.8″H x 6.75″ W); we purchased them on Amazon (you can also buy the mini ones and make baby paskas; I Imagine those would be adorable, but you’d need to adjust the baking times for sure). My husband actually discovered these molds and they were great!

Paska Easter Bread Recipe-2

How to Make Paska Easter Bread Recipe (Kulich):

1. In a large Mixing bowl, whisk together 2 cups + 2 Tbsp warm milk, 6 eggs, 1 Tbsp yeast, 2 cups sugar, 2 sticks melted butter (just warm, not hot!), 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 cup sour cream and 1 tsp vanilla. Whisk in 4 cups flour. Your batter will be thick like sour cream. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm place or a warm oven (about 100˚F) for 2 hours.

Note: Do not put the mixture in a hot oven or it will deactivate the yeast and it won’t rise; yep we learned this the hard way and an entire batch ended up in the garbage can. So either put it in a warm 100˚F oven or put it in a warm spot in the sun. 

Paska (also known as Kulich) is a classic Easter Bread. It's a wonderful Easter tradition.

Paska (also known as Kulich) is a classic Easter Bread. It's a wonderful Easter tradition.

Paska Easter Bread Recipe-5

Paska Easter Bread Recipe-6

2. Add 5 more cups of flour; one cup at a time or until the dough no longer sticks to your hands (it will still feel sticky but won’t stick to your fingers). I find it’s easiest to stir in the flour with a stiff silicone spatula. Dough should be soft. Stir in 1 to 1 1/2 cups raisins. Cover and let dough rise another 2 hours in a warm oven (100˚F).

Paska (also known as Kulich) is a classic Easter Bread. It's a wonderful Easter tradition. This bread also makes for an incredible french toast.

Paska (also known as Kulich) is a classic Easter Bread. It's a wonderful Easter tradition. This bread also makes for an incredible french toast.

3. Divide dough evenly into the three paper baking molds; try not to mix it or stomp it down too much. Let dough rise uncovered in a warm 100˚F oven for an additional 2 hours or until the molds are almost full. Remove from the oven and preheat oven to 350˚F.

Paska (also known as Kulich) is a classic Easter Bread. It's a wonderful Easter tradition. This bread also makes for an incredible french toast.

4. Bake at 350˚F for 30-35 minutes in the middle of the oven until the top is golden brown. Let cool to room temp or just warm and then tear off the wrapper.

Paska (also known as Kulich) is a classic Easter Bread. It's a wonderful Easter tradition.

5. Once the Breads are at room temperature and wrappers are off, get your frosting ready. In a medium bowl, whisk together 2 cups powdered sugar with 3 Tbsp lemon juice. Add a little water if it’s too thick or a little more powdered sugar if it’s too runny. Pour the glaze over each cooled Easter bread.

Top with sprinkles, which just make these seem so traditional and festive. I remember having lots of sprinkles growing up. I’ll put sprinkles on my next one and post it.

Paska (also known as Kulich) is a classic Easter Bread. It's a wonderful Easter tradition.

Paska (also known as Kulich) is a classic Easter Bread. It's a wonderful Easter tradition.

Paska Easter Bread Recipe (Kulich)

4.92 from 239 votes
Author: Natasha of NatashasKitchen.com
Traditional Paska Easter Bread Recipe a.k.a. Kulich has been made by our family for generations.
Prep Time: 6 hours 30 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 7 hours 5 minutes

Ingredients 

Servings: 3 large paska breads
  • 2 cups + 2 Tbsp warm milk, I used whole milk
  • 6 large eggs, room temp
  • 1 Tbsp active dry yeast
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 2 sticks unsalted butter, (1/2 lb or 226 gr), melted (if using salted butter, omit salt)
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 9 cups all-purpose Canadian flour, divided
  • 1 to 1 1/2 cups raisins, white or brown

For the Topping:

What you'll need:

  • 3 Large Panettone Paper Molds; we purchased them on Amazon

Instructions

  • In a large Mixing bowl, whisk together 2 cups + 2 Tbsp warm milk, 6 eggs, 1 Tbsp yeast, 2 cups sugar, 2 sticks melted butter (just warm, not hot!), 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 cup sour cream and 1 tsp vanilla. Whisk in 4 cups flour. Your batter will be thick like sour cream. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm place or a warm oven (about 100˚F) for 2 hours.
  • Add 5 more cups of flour; one cup at a time or until the dough no longer sticks to your hands (it will still feel sticky but wont' stick to your fingers). I find it's easiest to fold flour in with a silicone spatula. Dough should be soft. Stir in 1 to 1 1/2 cups raisins. Cover and let dough rise another 2 hours in a warm oven (100˚F).
  • Divide dough evenly into the three paper baking molds; try not to mix it or stomp it down too much. Let dough rise uncovered in a warm 100˚F oven for an additional 2 hours or until the molds are almost full. Remove from the oven and preheat oven to 350˚F.
  • Bake at 350˚F for 30-35 minutes in the middle of the oven until the top is golden brown. Let cool to room temp or just warm and then tear off the wrapper.
  • Once the Breads are at room temperature and wrappers are off, get your frosting ready. In a medium bowl, whisk together 2 cups powdered sugar with 3 Tbsp lemon juice. Add a little water if it's too thick or a little more powdered sugar if it's too runny. Pour the glaze over each cooled Easter bread. Traditionally, these are topped with colorful sprinkles before the glaze sets.
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Russian, Ukrainian
Keyword: Kulich, Paska Easter Bread
Skill Level: Medium
Cost to Make: $
Natasha's Kitchen Cookbook
4.92 from 239 votes (56 ratings without comment)

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Recipe Rating




Comments

  • Liubov Brooks
    April 12, 2017

    Hi, I’m wanting to make this this weekend. Am in the UK but have got the Canadian flour. I have always made one before in a large old coffee can/formula can. Do you think I can use this recipe and put it into one dish to make one – mine have been about 25 cms tall before?

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      April 12, 2017

      Hi Liubov, I haven’t tried this recipe in the cans before so I’m not sure about how the bake time would need to be modified if at all – If the cans are the same width as the molds in this recipe and you divide into 3 cans, I imagine it would be a similar bake time. I wish I had a better answer but I really haven’t tested it that way. You might line the cans with parchment paper so it comes out easier.

      Reply

  • T
    April 12, 2017

    Hi! I make this recipe every year for Easter and it always comes out wonderful. However I always remember that my oven doesn’t go below 170 degrees. Any advice on what to do?

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      April 12, 2017

      My previous oven was that way, so I do have a few things I could suggest. Does your oven show the temperature as it is climbing up? If it does, you can shut it off before it goes above 100. If it does not, you can heat it to 170 then turn the oven off and prop the door open for a few minutes, set the pan in the oven over a towel so they don’t get too hot from the baking rack, then prop the door open with a wooden spoon and let them rise in the warm oven.

      Reply

      • T
        April 15, 2017

        Thank you! That was very helpful!

        One last question. Should I leave it propped the whole two hours?

        Reply

        • Natasha
          natashaskitchen
          April 15, 2017

          No problem! Once the oven is just warm (no longer hot and at about 100˚F), you can close the oven door to keep the heat in better.

          Reply

  • Olya
    April 11, 2017

    Hi Natasha, i was wondering if you tried making this recipe with poppy seeds instead of raisins? thank you !

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      April 11, 2017

      Hi Olya, I love the raisins and the little tangy sweet pop of flavor that they add but I think you could make it work with dry poppy seeds maybe mixed in with the flour.

      Reply

  • PeachLily
    April 11, 2017

    Hi- I just wanted to know how to tell if the bread is ready when using different size pans- does the toothpick test work? I really want to avoid over baking!

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      April 11, 2017

      The toothpick test does not really work when making bread. You will have to make a judgment call based on the size of the pan and bake longer if the bread is thicker and bake less for smaller sizes. There have been readers that have written in with various sizes and baking times over the years, so it may help to search through the comments.

      Reply

  • Carol- Ann
    April 10, 2017

    Ok I followed the recipe to the letter the only difference is I used coffee cans lined with parchment. It came out raw in the middle any suggestions? The cooked parts taste amazing.

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      April 11, 2017

      Hi Carol, I wonder if you just need to bake a little longer if it is in the coffee cans vs in the paper molds. Depending on how raw it was, try adding maybe 10 minutes to your baking time.

      Reply

  • Mary Ann Hoffman
    April 10, 2017

    I don’t have time to order the paper you use to bake the Paska. Have you baked them in regular loaf pans? (I **hope** so!) I really want to surprise my family this year, and make my own.

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      April 10, 2017

      I think that’s a great idea! I haven’t tried baking these in loaf pans but one of my readers reported great results baking in 4 loaf pans. The bake time might be slightly less since you’re dividing into 4.

      Reply

  • Lisa Becka
    April 10, 2017

    Regarding your recipe for Paska/Kulich, I didn’t see any instructions for kneading the dough. Does this dough rise without kneading?

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      April 10, 2017

      Hi Lisa, yes once the flour is all well incorporated, it rises without kneading.

      Reply

  • Terri
    April 9, 2017

    Would it be possible to make mini-paskas? in cupcake cups?

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      April 10, 2017

      Hi Terri, there were several people that reported great results making mini paska breads. One reader said she made 24 mini Paska with culinary parchment tulip cups and recommended baking at 350 for 15-20 min. Another reader said her larger 12-count mini breads were done at 17 minutes. Note they will probably not become the same deep golden brown since they won’t be in the oven as long – don’t overbake or they will be dry. You might check one of them for doneness.

      Reply

  • Amber Taylor
    April 9, 2017

    My first year in an Alaskan village and the Russian Orthodox people love their kulich! I baked this recipe substituting Greek yogurt for the sour cream (because that’s what I had on hand) and it turned out beautifully! I baked it in two cleaned out coffee cans. One for our family and one for my girls’ teacher. Thank you for your wonderful recipe: a new annual tradition!

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      April 9, 2017

      Amber, thank you so much for sharing that with us, I’m so glad you liked the recipe 😀

      Reply

  • Andrea
    April 8, 2017

    Hi Natasha!
    Thanks for this recipe! I made it last year and will make it again this year. I even made it into French toast afterwards 🙂
    I have one correction to make, the amount of time it takes is wrong on the “recipe card”. You have 6 hours 5 minutes for the total time but there is 6 hours of rising time and 30 minutes of baking time plus prep. I think it took me close to 8 hours last year.

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      April 8, 2017

      I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for bringing that to my attention – I completely miscalculated. Thanks again! 🙂

      Reply

  • Tania
    April 4, 2017

    Hi Natasha,
    Thank you for amazing recipe!
    l made your Pasha last year and it’s was really good.
    l have a question. Do you think l can make it without sugar or reduce amount of it? Or maybe Swerve or coconut sugar? l know yeast need sugar.
    Also can you post please ingredients in gramms? It will help a lot.
    Thank you.

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      April 5, 2017

      Hi Tania, I’m so glad you liked it! I really haven’t tested this with less sugar or using any kind of sweetener substitute so you may have to experiment. Yeast definitely does need sugar but you could probably cut it down some and still have the yeast function properly. I’m just not sure what to suggest without testing that myself.

      Reply

  • Ruth
    March 31, 2017

    Hi Natasha.

    Thank you for sharing this recipe! I have 2 questions:

    1) Regarding Step 2: when mixing in the additional cups of flour, are we mixing with our hands from the get-go? Or mixing with the whisk first, and then switching to hands?

    2) After letting the dough rise the second time, do we keep the bread inside the oven and then raise the oven temperature to 350 degrees?

    Thank you! I’m planning on making this for my church for Easter Sunday. Fingers crossed it’ll end up okay!

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      April 1, 2017

      Hi Ruth, Both great questions and I just updated the recipe to clarify. In Step 2: I usually mix with a spatula at that point – I use a firm silicone spatula because it doesn’t stick to the spatula and is less messy but you can use your hands or a kitchenaid dough hook if you prefer. After the bread is done rising, remove from the oven and preheat oven to 350˚F.

      Reply

      • Ruth
        April 10, 2017

        Oh, I didn’t receive a notification that you replied! Thank you for clarifying 🙂

        Reply

        • Natasha's Kitchen
          April 11, 2017

          Of course!

          Reply

  • Diane M.
    March 28, 2017

    While I have never made this Paska recipe, I have made my mothers recipe for 35 years. I always bake ahead and freeze it, removing it from the freezer on Holy Saturday to defrost. I usually pop it into the oven to warm it for Easter breakfast. The recipe I use does not have the glaze, but I don’t see why you couldn’t freeze it un-glazed and glaze when you’re ready. Also, I always make in round casserole dishes. The loaves are larger but not as tall. The paper molds are very cool…might have to try them! 😀

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      March 28, 2017

      Thank you so much for sharing! 🙂

      Reply

  • maria keeton
    March 28, 2017

    well, i’m just wondering how anyone can possibly find time to make this during Holy Week. Do most people freeze it then thaw on Saturday afternoon? if so, are there any tips about freezing & thawing?
    Looks like a wonderful recipe! Thank you for sharing it!

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      March 28, 2017

      Hi Maria, I haven’t tried freezing but I think that would work. Maybe someone else has insight into freezing kulich?…

      Reply

    • Natalia
      March 28, 2017

      Hi Maria,
      I know Holy week is absolutely packed with liturgies . I never froze it. I usually dedicate the Holy Saturday for baking it.
      I know our priest froze it and it was fine.
      Here is a picture from last year, my girls and I used Natasha’s recipe.

      Reply

      • Natasha
        natashaskitchen
        March 28, 2017

        Thank you so much for sharing that!! 🙂

        Reply

  • iIrina
    March 20, 2017

    Hi Natasha!

    Never ever in my life I even attempted to make a Kulich but your recipe does not look complicated so I decided to give it a try this year. I have a question regarding flour. I do not have Canadian floor, instead I have bread flour and whole wheat pastry flour. What would be the best way to substitute Canadian flour?

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      March 20, 2017

      I have tried with various recipes to substitute over the years and nothing is quite like it – I’ve tried bread flour and cake flour and all purpose flour with corn starch and I haven’t had success replicating it exactly. Your best bet is probably a bread flour since it does have a slightly higher gluten content than all-purpose flour and Canadian flour does have a higher gluten content from what I’ve read. The measurements of flour will likely be slightly different so follow the instructions per step #2 adding flour: “until the dough no longer sticks to your hands (it will still feel sticky but wont’ stick to your fingers). Dough should be soft.”

      Reply

      • Alla
        March 28, 2017

        How about self rising flour? I always making this recipe with self rising flour, or higher sort of flour from Russian store…

        Reply

        • Natasha
          natashaskitchen
          March 28, 2017

          Hi Alla, I haven’t experimented with that so I can’t say for sure. If you test it out, let me know. I checked the comments on this recipe and no one else has reported using it either. Sorry I can’t be more help!

          Reply

  • Natalia Mendlik
    March 10, 2017

    Hi Natasha!
    I used this recipe for two years in the row and will be using it again this year for Easter.
    Thank you, I love your website!
    Natalia

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      March 10, 2017

      You’re welcome Natalia! Thank you so much for following! 😀

      Reply

  • Nadya
    February 28, 2017

    Natasha, can these be made a few days ahead? We won’t be home from a trip till Easter morning, but I would really love to have one of them on Sunday. Thank you!

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      February 28, 2017

      Hi Nadya, yes these can be made ahead but as with any bread, they won’t be as soft as fresh. The closer you can make it to the time you’re going to enjoy it, the better 🙂

      Reply

  • Alfreda Caudle
    February 27, 2017

    Hello,I’m going to try this for the 1st time for Easter,I ordered the Canadian flour and, some large panettone molds.Do the molds need to be oiled? also it says to rise the dough in the oven at 100 degrees but, the lowest my oven will go is 170 degrees what do I do I live in Alaska will that make a difference on how it will come out.I also seen on here that people are saying that there bread is not cooking all the way,what do I do for that.Thank you

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      February 27, 2017

      Hi Alfreda, If you use the same size and number of pannetone molds, you should not have an issue with the bread not cooking all the way. If you are concerned, you can bake an extra 5 minutes. I always try to troubleshoot with readers to try to figure out why something like that would happen but not everyone responds so I’m not sure why they would have that experience besides the wrong sized mold, baking on convection setting, .. it could be a number of things. You do not have to oil the bread. If your oven shows you the temperature that it is rising to, turn it off at 100˚F then put the bread in. If you have to heat it to 170˚F, turn off the oven, open the door for a few minutes, then put the bread inside with the door propped open with a wooden spoon. I hope that helps!

      Reply

    • Nadya
      February 28, 2017

      I am in Alaska too 🙂 What kind of Canadian flour did you get, and where from? Thank you!

      Reply

      • Natasha
        natashaskitchen
        February 28, 2017

        Hi Nadya, the package just has to say “made in Canada” – I think their flour has a higher gluten content so it works a little differently than US flour. You can find it online also. I found mine at Cash and Carry.

        Reply

        • Alfreda Caudle
          February 28, 2017

          Can you order the Canadian flour from cash and carry online?

          Reply

          • Natasha
            natashaskitchen
            February 28, 2017

            I’m not sure…

        • Susanna S.
          March 8, 2017

          I have made this recipe several times now (BEST Paska ever!!) and tried it with both Gold Medal All-Purpose unbleached flour and King Arthur’s bread flour. Came out great with both!

          Reply

          • Natasha's Kitchen
            March 9, 2017

            Thank you for sharing Susanna! 🙂

      • Alfreda Caudle
        February 28, 2017

        Hi,I got a 10 lb bag from a place called My Brands for $9.97 a bag I don’t remember where they are located. It is the Robin Hood brand. the the shipping was out of this world it was Almost $ 53.00 for the bag and shipping.Was cash and carry cheaper and, where are they located?I’m not a baker but,I love these breads,had them all my life but, never learned how to bake them,I want them to turn out good. It is so hard for people to give up there recipes here in Juneau.

        Reply

        • Rosemary
          April 6, 2017

          Hello Alfreda:
          If your local store doesn’t carry a canadian flour, just use your regular brand and buy a bag of ‘bread flour’, if available,which has a high gluten content and add a portion of that to the mix.
          If I were in your situation, I’d used whatever was available locally. It’s sure to turn out very well.
          Best regards,
          Rosemary

          Reply

  • Lana
    February 10, 2017

    I made Paska bread last year with your recipe. So good and so many compliments from my Orthodox Church people! The large one ended up not cooked all the way inside, so this year I will let it cook a bit longer and maybe test it with toothpick. Thanks!

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      February 11, 2017

      Thank you for sharing your review Lana!

      Reply

  • Sonya Moyer
    May 4, 2016

    Is their an alternative item to cook the Kulich
    I Don’t have a tin item to cook it in and I dont have any molds
    please let me know what i could cook it in

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      May 4, 2016

      Hi Sonya, one of my readers, Elli, wrote that they used a nine inch cake pan, and 12 cup bundt pan stating “I did grease them very well! I think it was exactly 35 min for both, though my circled “paska” came out a little darker than my perfectly golden “bundt” paska, but thats ok because i just covered it up with the glaze and way too many sprinkles lol”

      Reply

    • Susanna S.
      March 8, 2017

      I have made this before in both a glass and a metal (aluminum) loaf pan. Worked great!

      Reply

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