Pascha Bread

Here's my Pascha Bread recipe. Sorry, vegan friends, I don't know if there's any hope for this one. But one vegan friend said she'd try to veganize it. We'll see!

One year I tried to turn it whole wheat. Paul said it tasted like a hearty, whole wheat bread masquerading as a sweet, light, fluffy nothing bread. I went back to plain old white from then on. We usually eat whole wheat....we can do with white once a year or so!

And yes, I'm spelling Pascha two different ways, as it's a Greek word and not exactly transcribed into the English. And it's a shameless ploy for more keywords. :-)

Paska Bread (from the Lenten cookbook Food for Paradise, adapted for home use)

2 packages dry yeast (or 4 teaspoons)
¼ cup lukewarm water
1 cup melted butter
¾ cup milk
5 cups unbleached white flour
½ cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
4 eggs
diluted egg

Dissolve yeast in water and set aside. Combine in a large bowl butter and milk. Sift together white flour, sugar, and salt. Add the yeast mixture to the cooled wet ingredients. Beat eggs and add alternately with the dry ingredients. Knead until smooth, adding flour as needed. Let rise until doubled in bulk; it rises quite quickly and high. Punch down, knead and put into prepared greased pans (use a big round pan, or a couple of smaller pans). Allow to rise until doubled in bulk. Decorate the tops with crosses made from rolled dough. Brush the tops with diluted egg. Bake in preheated 350 oven for about an hour. Remove from the pan while hot, running a knife around the edges if necessary. Gently tip loaves out onto towels and cool on racks. This traditionally is not frosted or baked with fruit.

Delicious slathered with the Pascha cheese I posted earlier!