Paska | Ukrainian Easter Bread With Apricots and Marzipan

Is it a fruit-studded French Brioche? Is it an Italian Panettone? Nobody can resist this beautifully fluffy, buttery Paska! Paska is a traditional Ukrainian Easter Bread, versions of which are enjoyed all across Eastern Europe. We've made an egg, milk and butter enriched dough, studded it with sultanas, dried apricots and marzipan to make it even more special and baked it in a round cake tin just as Ukrainians do! 

Jump to:

• How Is Our Paska Different?
• Ingredient Notes
• Step-By-Step Method
• Storage and Leftovers
• Reader Review
• Other Easter Cakes and Bakes
• Paska | Ukrainian Easter Bread With Apricots and Marzipan

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We were saving this recipe for Easter, but simply could not wait much longer, and had to post it as soon as possible! Easter, of course, is still more than a month away, but we believe today is the right time to make this delicious Ukrainian sweet bread and enjoy it ahead of time!

Sourdough baker? Try our Sourdough Paska instead!

Loving marzipan? Try our Sourdough Stollen and French Couronne with Dried Fruit next!

How Is Our Paska Different?

Traditional Paska bread is a sweet yeast bread made with either raisins or by simply adding some vanilla essence.  However, we decided to put our own little spin on it (and maybe made it a little more British, in a way) by adding little cubes of marzipan (that is a reference to Simnel Cake) and some dried apricots (that we heavily use in our Easter Bakes!). Delicious bread for Easter morning!

Ingredient Notes

• flour: since Paska is more of a bread than it is a cake, we recommend using strong bread flour in this recipe. You can even use Canadian flour (a.k.a. extra-strong bread flour). 
• fast-action yeast: alternatively, you can use in-active dry yeast, but make sure to activate it in warm milk first. 
• sugar: caster sugar or white granulated sugar. 
• milk: paska works best with dairy milk. Make sure to have an extra splash for egg wash. 
• eggs: medium in the UK, or large eggs in the US. You will need 2 whole eggs for paska plus we use egg yolks for egg wash. 
• butter: unsalted softened butter is needed here. Make sure you have some extra for greasing the tin. 
• cardamom: optional, but recommended. 
• sultanas: can be substituted with raisins. 
• dried apricots: generally, use any dried fruit you like (golden raisins, dried cranberries, currants etc) but we think that the apricot and marzipan combination is a winner! Some traditional recipes also use lemon zest and orange zest.
• marzipan: white and golden will work here. 

Step-By-Step Method

1. In a bowl of a stand mixer, mix together strong flour, yeast, sugar and a pinch of salt. Make a well in the middle and add the eggs and milk. Start running your mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment on medium-low speed until the ingredients are combined. Increase the speed to medium and keep kneading until the dough starts to look cohesive -  about 5 minutes.

2. Cut your room temperature butter into thin slivers. With the mixer running, add one sliver of butter at a time and carry on until the butter is fully incorporated and the bread dough looks glossy. This will take about 10 minutes. Your dough will be sticky, but it should gather around the dough hook. 

3. Grease a large mixing bowl with some butter or brush it with oil and pop a ball of dough into it. Cover with a tea towel or plastic wrap and leave to proof in a warm place until it doubles in size, for approx. 2 hours (note that rising time will depend on the temperature). 

4. Whilst the dough rises, grease an 18cm (7in) springform pan with butter and then line the bottom with baking parchment. Cut a long strip of baking parchment and line the sides, so the parchment paper sticks upwards from the tin by at least 10 cm. Use good quality, sturdy baking parchment.

You may use a larger tin for a wider, but less tall bake, if you wish. I wouldn't suggest using a tin larger than 23cm (9in) in diameter. You can equally successfully make this traditional Easter bread in a panettone mould. 

5. In a small bowl, mix the sultanas, cut up dried apricots and marzipan cubes. 

6. Once doubled, cut about ¼ of the dough off and set aside. Stretch the remaining risen dough into a rectangle on a lightly floured surface and scatter half of the sultana, dried apricot and marzipan mix. Roll it up and knead gently, then stretch it out again and scatter the rest of the fruit and marzipan. Roll the dough up again and knead it into a ball. Place it into a prepared cake pan and using your hands press it down to cover the whole base in even thickness.  

7. Take the reserved dough and divide it into two. On a lightly floured work surface, with the palms of your hands, roll both pieces into 54cm (21in) long ropes  (or the length of the circumference of your tin). Interweave the two strings like a rope, then place it in a circle alongside the inner edge of the cake tin on top of the dough already in it. 

8. Place the tin in a plastic bag (to stop it drying out), make sure it is loosely covered, and leave it in a warm spot for 1.5 hours until it doubles in size (this process is known as the second rise). 

9. Preheat the oven to 180° C Fan. In a small bowl, mix egg yolk and a tablespoon of milk. Gently brush your Easter Bread with the egg wash and place in the preheated oven for 40-45 min. Check the bread after 35 minutes to make sure it is not browning too quickly. Once baked, the internal temperature of the Ukrainian Easter Bread should be around 88°C and the exterior should be golden brown. 

10. Leave the bread to firm up for 10 minutes, before unmoulding and transferring to a wire rack to cool down. 

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Storage and Leftovers

Short-term storage: Store your cooled Paska in an airtight container for up to 3 days. This will help prevent it from drying out.

Freezing: Ukrainian Easter Paska is a great recipe for freezing! Wrap the cooled Paska tightly in plastic wrap, then place it in a freezer bag. Or slice it into individual slices and wrap each individually (for convenience).  Freeze for up to 3 months.

Thawing: Thaw it at room temperature for a few hours. 

Other Easter Cakes and Bakes

We hope you like this traditional Ukrainian bread with a twist. For other sweet recipes for your Easter table, have a look at some of our favourites below. Oh, and we have a new obsession - Lemon Poppy Seed Hot Cross Buns!

• Simnel Pinwheels for Easter | Fruit & Marzipan Pastry Rolls
• Carrot Cake with Coconut, Pecans and Sultanas
• Lithuanian Fourteen-Layer Honey Cake
• Sourdough Hot Cross Buns