Kulich Recipes

KULICH (RUSSIAN PANETTONE)

Steps:

• Combine golden raisins and rum in a small bowl and let soak.
• Dissolve yeast and 1/2 teaspoon sugar in 1/2 cup milk in a bowl. Let stand until yeast softens and begins to form a creamy foam, about 10 minutes.
• Mix remaining 1 cup milk and 1 cup flour together in a bowl. Add yeast mixture and stir well. Cover and let stand in a warm place for 30 minutes.
• Beat 5 egg whites and salt in a glass, metal, or ceramic bowl until stiff peaks form.
• Combine remaining sugar and egg yolks in a large bowl; beat with an electric mixer until fluffy and pale, about 5 minutes. Beat in vanilla extract. Drain raisins and add rum to egg mixture. Add to yeast mixture and mix well. Fold in egg whites gently. Add remaining flour in small batches, mixing well after each addition, until dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl.
• Turn out dough onto a floured work surface and knead for about 10 minutes, adding more flour as needed. Start rubbing in 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons butter, 1/4 cup at a time, once dough seems pliable and soft. Knead for 2 more minutes and form into a ball.
• Transfer to a clean, lightly oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and a clean dish towel. Allow to rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 90 minutes.
• Turn dough out onto a floured work surface and knead for 2 minutes. Sprinkle flour over raisins. Scatter raisins, almonds, and mixed peel in a circle around the dough. Keep kneading dough to incorporate fruits and nuts evenly.
• Line 2 large metal coffee tins with parchment paper. Divide dough in half and transfer to the tins. Cover with a clean dish towel. Allow to rise in a warm place until dough has risen to the top, 30 minutes to 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Bake kulich in the preheated oven until top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, about 1 hour. Carefully tip loaves out of the tins onto a work surface and let cool, about 2 hours.
• Combine confectioners' sugar, 1 egg white, and lemon juice in a small bowl. Brush over the the tops of the kulich loaves, allowing icing to run down the sides.

KULICH (RUSSIAN EASTER CAKE)

Steps:

• Place golden raisins into a bowl, drizzle with vodka, and allow raisins to soften overnight.
• Mix 1 teaspoon sugar into lukewarm water in a bowl until sugar dissolves. Stir yeast into the water and let stand until the yeast mixture is frothy, about 10 minutes.
• Heat milk in a saucepan over medium-low heat until very warm but not simmering. Stir in saffron threads and cardamom, remove from heat, and let the milk mixture stand until lukewarm.
• Transfer yeast mixture into a large mixing bowl. Stir milk mixture, 1/2 cup sugar, and 1 cup flour into the yeast mixture, beating until the batter is smooth. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm place for 1 hour.
• Mix melted butter, 1/2 cup sugar, orange blossom honey, lemon zest, vanilla extract, and salt together in a bowl. Beat butter mixture into the batter, then beat in eggs and egg yolk.
• Mix 2 1/2 cups of flour into the dough. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup flour onto a work surface and knead dough until it holds together, about 5 minutes; knead soaked golden raisins and 1/2 cup almonds into the dough until well distributed.
• Form dough into a ball and place into an oiled bowl; turn dough around in the bowl several times to coat outside of dough. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 1/2 hours.
• Punch down dough, knead a few times, and divide dough into 4 pieces. Coat inside of clean 14-ounce cans with butter. Line cans with parchment paper. Roll each piece of dough into a ball, place into a can, and press dough lightly against the inside bottom of can.
• Cover cans with a cloth and allow dough to rise to the top of the cans, about 45 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Place a baking sheet into the oven; place the cans of dough upright into oven on baking sheet. Bake until kulich are risen and lightly browned, 45 to 50 minutes.
• Let kulich cool in the cans for about 15 minutes before gently removing from cans to finish cooling on racks.
• Beat egg white in a bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until frothy; beat in confectioners' sugar until the mixture holds stiff peaks. Beat lemon juice into frosting.
• Frost the tops of the kulich and sprinkle tops with 2 tablespoons toasted sliced almonds. Refrigerate leftovers.

PASKA EASTER BREAD RECIPE (KULICH)

Steps:

• 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.

KULICH

Steps:

• Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup warm water. Let it rest for 15 minutes. Scald the milk. Combine 1 cup sugar and 1 1/2 cups flour, and pour in hot milk, stirring until the mixture acquires the texture of sour cream. If it is too thick add an extra 1/2 cup milk. Allow mixture to cool slightly and add yeast. Beat egg yolks with remaining suagr until light. Add melted butter to yeast mixture, and then egg yolks with sugar. Gradually beat in the remaining flour. The dough will be soft, elastic, and should not stick to hands. Add candied fruit, raisins, almonds, rum, vanilla, lemon peel and salt, and knead very well, about 30 minutes. Allow dough to rise for at least 3 hours in a warm place, free from drafts, covered by a kitchen towel. After the dough has risen, place in greased and floured kulich tins or coffee cans. (Greased tins may be lined with greased brown paper.) Be sure not to fill the tin or can more than 1/3 full. Allow the kulich to rise another 30-45 minutes. Bake for about 1-1 1/2 hours at 250 to 300 degrees until puffed and golden.

RUSSIAN KULICH BREAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine yeast, water, 1/4 cup of sugar and milk, mixing until yeast and sugar have dissolved. Stir in 1 cup flour until well blended. Cover and let stand in a warm place for 1 hour.
• In a bowl, combine butter, 1/2 cup sugar and egg yolks. Add the yeast-flour mixture from step 1, stirring well. Add vanilla, cardamom, salt and enough of the 3-3 1/2 cups flour to make a soft dough. Stir in raisind, almonds and orange rind.
• In a small bowl, beat 2 egg whites untill stiff. Fold them into th dough made in step 2. Knead until asmooth and elastic dough forms. Place in a greased bowl, cover with greased plastic wrap and let to rise until doubled in size.
• Coat a kulich pan with cooking spray. Punch down the dough and knead for a few times. Place it in the prepared pan, cover with greased plastic wrap and leave to rise until the dough reaches the top of the pan.
• Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Place pan on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes Reduce the heat to 350 degrees and bake for another 35 to 40 minutes or until tester comes out clean.
• While Kulich is baking, prepare glaze by combining in a small bowl the confectioners' sugar, lemon juice, almond extract and enough water to make a smooth, runny glaze.
• Remove Kulich from oven and let to cool for 10 minutes. Unmold from pan and cool on a wire rack. While still slightly warm, drizzle glaze over the top. To serve, cut of the crown and slice base into rounds. T keep any leftovers moist, replace the crown.