Classic Easter Bread – Yeast Holiday Cake

Ingredients:

• Flour — 1 kg
• Milk — 400 ml (warm, 35–37 °C, not hot)
• Butter — 200 g
• Sugar — 300–400 g
• Fresh yeast — 50 g (or dry — 16 g)
• Eggs — 8 pcs
• Vanilla sugar — 2 packets (optional)
• Lemon or orange zest — 2 tsp (optional)
• Raisins, candied fruits, nuts — 300 g (soak in hot water, not boiling)

Instructions:

1. Starter:
   Warm the milk to 35–37 °C. Add yeast and 2–3 tbsp sugar, mix. Add 200 g flour and mix.
   
   
   Tip: Yeast loves sugar and warmth, but hates heat. Too hot milk will kill the yeast!
   
   Cover with a towel and leave for 30–60 minutes until it doubles in volume and bubbles appear.
   
   
2. Dough preparation:
   Beat eggs with sugar (and vanilla sugar if used) until fluffy. Add melted butter and mix.
   
   Pour in the starter, gradually adding the remaining flour, mixing until soft and slightly sticky.
   
   
3. First rise:
   Cover the dough and leave in a warm place for 1 hour until doubled in size.
   
   
4. Add raisins, candied fruits, and nuts:
   Soak raisins and candied fruits in hot water for 10–15 minutes. Gently add to the dough at the last stage to distribute evenly.
   
   
5. Shaping and second rise:
   Place dough into molds, not more than half full. Cover with a towel and leave 30–40 minutes until nearly reaching the top.
   
   
6. Baking:
   Preheat oven to 180 °C. Bake 40–50 minutes. If the tops brown too fast, cover with foil. Check with a skewer — it should come out dry.
   
   
7. Glaze and decoration:
   Beat egg whites with powdered sugar and lemon juice until thick white. Spread over cooled cakes and decorate with sprinkles or candied fruits.
   
   
8. Cooling:
   Let the cakes cool completely before serving.
   
   

Enjoy! ❤️