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The Kulich is an Easter bread from Eastern Europe and may be prepared a day in
advance,
kept tightly wrapped and chilled and served with Pashka.
4 cups of plain flour
1 cup of sugar
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup of melted unsalted butter
1/2 cup of luke warm milk
1 packet of dry yeast
1/2 of almond flakes, crushed
1/2 cup of finely chopped candied lemon and orange
1 tbsp Rum
1/2 cup of raisins
1/2 cup of sultanas
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
grated rind of 1 lemon
a few strands of Saffron
pinch of salt Icing:
1 cup of powder sugar
Rum left from the soaked fruit
enough egg white to mix into a smooth paste
- Soak the raisons and sultanas in the
Rum
- proof the yeast in a large bowl with 1 tsp. of the granulated sugar
in 1/4 cup lukewarm water for 10 minutes or until it foams up
- heat the milk over moderate heat, stir
in the saffron, and let the mixture cool to lukewarm
- add the milk mixture to the yeast mixture
- then the remaining half cup of granulated and one cup of the
flour
- mix it well cover the bowl with cling
film and let it rise in a warm place for at least an hour
- Stir in the butter, the whole eggs, the yolks, the salt, the raisins, the almonds and the 2 cups
of the remaining flour, enough flour to form a dough.
- turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead it, kneading in enough
of the rest of the flour to keep it from sticking until it's smooth and elastic and
shiny
- place the dough into a buttered bowl, turn it to coat it all over
with the butter, and let it rise, covered with plastic wrap, in a
warm place for an hour and a half or until it's doubled in bulk.
- while the dough is rising, butter the inside of a 2-pound coffee
can and line the sides and bottom of can with greased wax paper,
making sure for the paper is at least twice the height of the can
- knead the dough again and put
the dough into the can
- let the dough rise again in a warm
placer for 45 minutes to an hour or until it has risen to the top of the can.
- bake the kulich in a pre-heated 200 C
( 390F ) degrees oven for 15 minutes, reduce the heat to 180C ( 350F
) degrees and continue to bake for another 30 to 35 minutes
- let the Kulich cool a little then
carefully remove from the can and leave to cool more standing
upright on
- whisk together the powder sugar (sifted) the
Rum, and egg whites in a bowl.
- place the kulich on a plate and gently
pour the glaze over it, letting the glaze drip down the sides
and leave the glaze to set
To serve the Kulich carefully
slice them crosswise into disks, cut to wedges and serve spread with
Pashka.
Serve this with freshly-brewed coffee.
Bon Appétit
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