The traditional Ukrainian paska–also known as kulich in Russia–is a sweet and fragrant Easter bread. This popular delicacy abounds in eggs and butter, and typically has a tall cylindrical shape with a rounded top. It is often enriched with citrus juice or zest, vanilla, rum, ginger, and occasionally saffron.
Some varieties of paska also might include raisins, candied fruit, or maraschino cherries. In the past, the surface of the bread was commonly decorated with festive ornaments, usually roses or crosses, but modern versions are often brightened with pristine egg-white glaze, colorful sprinkles, or poppy seeds.
The following is the traditional recipe for Ukrainian paska. This variant has no candied fruits, raisins, or nuts. Also, because the amount of butter is on the lower end, this paska will be a bit on the drier side. The top of the bread is adorned with swirls, braids, rosettes, and crosses.
The following recipe gives instructions on how to make a delicious and classic Ukrainian Eastern bread paska. The dough is rich, full of eggs, butter, and sour cream, and studded with raisins. The recipe makes for three loaves of bread which should be baked in large panettone molds and, once cooled, poured over with powdered sugar glaze and topped with colored sprinkles.
This recipe adapted from The Moscow Times gives instructions on how to make kulich, a Russian sweet bread traditionally served for Easter. The dough is proven three times, which requires an extra three hours. For baking, you can use paper baking molds, or appropriately sized tins, such as coffee or tomato tins.
This recipe accessed via Guardian.com is adapted from Mamushka: Recipes from Ukraine and Beyond by Olia Hercules. The potato startes needs to rest for 12 hours before use, so it's best you prepare it the night before and continue to make the kulich the following day.
This recipe accessed via www.historyextra.com is adapted from allrecipes.co.uk. The recipe suggests you make two breads, but if you decide to use smaller tins, you can make multiple ones. In that case, also fill the tins 1/3 full, but adjust the baking time, as the smaller kulich bakes faster.
The following is the traditional recipe for Ukrainian paska. This variant has no candied fruits, raisins, or nuts. Also, because the amount of butter is on the lower end, this paska will be a bit on the drier side. The top of the bread is adorned with swirls, braids, rosettes, and crosses.