paska party...

Every holiday comes with it's traditions and favorite foods...at Easter it's paska.


Paska (based on the Hebrew word for passover) is a rich, sweet bread...baked in loaves of all shapes and sizes and decorated with icing and sprinkles. It is a traditional Mennonite food...baked by all the mothers for many generations before me. There's enough paska lovers in our household, that it's a tradition that won't be dying out anytime soon!

Paska

1 1/2 cups potato stock

4 Tablespoons yeast
2 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups milk, scalded

1 cup butter

10 eggs, well beaten

1 lemon (rind and juice)

1 orange (rind and juice)

2 teaspoons salt

flour (about 12 cups)

Dissolve yeast in potato water with 2 tsp. sugar added.

Scald milk in microwave for 2 minutes...add butter and stir until butter is melted.

Grate rind of lemon & orange...squeeze juice of each.

Combine all above ingredients in large bowl, together with beaten eggs and sugar.

Mix well. Add flour to make a medium soft dough.

Let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size.

Place on well greased pans (form loaves or buns).

Allow to rise again until doubled.

Bake at 325 (about 25 minutes for loaves - 15 minutes for buns).

Spread with icing of your choice...top with sprinkles!

Notes:

~ I use a Bosch mixer, and therefore have no idea how long to knead...I just add flour until the dough is the right consistency. I forgot to measure, so I'm not sure how much I actually used...despite what the recipe says!

~I took a hint from Lovella's paska recipe, and threw my orange and lemon into a blender this year (worked great).

~It is really important to grease the pans well, as the bread tends to stick to the pan.

~I find the sweet dough takes much longer to rise than other breads...so have patience!

While the paska was still in the oven, I saw three grandchildren coming across the fields (I think they could smell it!). It was rather special, since this was the first time Ryder had walked the distance with his sisters (it's quite a trek for a two-year-old!).

No sooner were the paska buns out of the oven, than my helpers were busy decorating them. We had us a wonderful afternoon 'tea party'...

...Ryder decided he was quite OK with this Easter tradition (especially the icing part!). He was in need of a bath when his snack was done...and his glasses got a good cleaning. When our 'paska party' was over, they left for home with a take-home bag to share with mommy & daddy.

Traditional paska were baked in coffee tins and loaf pans of all shapes and sizes. I prefer paska buns...they're so much easier to serve. But I always do a few traditional loaves...because hubby's favorite is toasted paska.

Baking paska isn't something that happens in five minutes, but it's worth the effort! It's all about making memories and keeping a sweet tradition!