Easter is a special holiday when all family members come together and enjoy Easter cake and eggs. Of course, you want everything to be perfect on this day and your Easter bread to taste delicious and look appetizing.
We want to help you that come true. We are glad to share the recipe for a traditional Easter cake, which Olha Nalyvaiko, Ukrainian ethnographer, shared on the Internet.
You know that the best recipes are always those that have been tried by generations of housewives. This recipe is the case. It is very old. It takes its roots since the time when our great-grandmothers were young.
Ukrainian Easter bread. Traditional cooking.
In Ukraine, the preparation of Easter bread has always been a ritual. Back then Ukrainians baked paska for three days. The first Easter cake was baked on Clean Thursday and was used to thank nature for a good harvest. The second Easter bread was prepared on Good Friday and was carried to the cemetery in order to honor the souls of the dead. And finally, the third Easter cake was baked on Saturday. It was specially prepared for the on-coming holiday on Sunday.
One of the secrets of the Ukrainian Easter cake is that it “loves” warmth and warm products. And when cooking it, it should be calm and quiet in the house. And no draughts! The dough was previously kneaded in a special oblong wooden wash tub. To still keep this tradition, some Ukrainians continue to make the dough in wooden dishes. By the way, all this is not without reason: earlier, babies were bathed in a wash tub – and wash tub is a symbol of new clean energy.
Recipe for the Old Ukrainian Easter cake
Ingredients:
- 0,5 l milk
- 5-6 eggs
- 250 g (1/2 lb) sugar
- 250 g (1/2 lb) dairy butter
- 250 g (1/2 lb) lard (pork fat)
- peel of one lemon
- flour – by eye
- raisins – optionally
Cooking
In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients carefully, slowly, and calmly. Knead the dough (add in flour by eye). Knead until the dough no longer sticks to hands and is soft and smooth.
Leave the dough rest for 2 hours in a warm place and let it rise. Then knead the dough again.
Arrange the dough into molds. Let the dough rise uncovered in a warm place.
Put Easter bread in the preheated oven and bake until the crust becomes golden brown.
A piece of advice
Listen to good calm music when you cook. It’ll be even better if you listen to folk songs or favorite family songs.
If you follow these simple rules, you’ll bake tasty, fluffy, and, what’s the main, magic cake that will bring luck, goodness and family warmth to your home!
Enjoy your meal!
Have you liked the recipe for the Old Ukrainian Easter cake?
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