Bukovynska Dora (буковинська дора, Bukovyna Easter bread)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Tall 18cm round paska tin or deep cake tin
• •Large mixing bowl
• •Pastry brush
• •Bench scraper or small knife for shaping ornaments

Instructions

1. 1

   Wake the yeast

   Stir the yeast into the warm milk with a spoonful of the sugar and two spoonfuls of the flour. Leave it until the surface looks foamy and smells alive, like sweet beer and warm bread. If it sits there flat and silent, start again; Easter bread needs yeast that wants the job.

   Warm means body-warm. If the milk feels hot to your finger, it is too hot for the yeast.
2. 2

   Start the dough

   Beat the yolks, whole egg, remaining sugar, salt, vanilla and lemon zest until glossy. Add the foamy yeast mixture, then work in most of the flour. Knead until the dough gathers itself from sticky scraps into one soft piece. It will look messy before it becomes bread. Let it.

3. 3

   Work in butter

   Add the soft butter a little at a time, kneading well after each addition, then knead in the smetana. At first the dough will slip and complain under your hands, then it will tighten, shine and stretch without tearing. This is the sigh. When it starts to feel elastic and warm from your palms, fold in the drained raisins.

4. 4

   Let it rise

   Cover the dough and leave it somewhere warm until it is doubled, domed, and full of small bubbles under the surface. Do not bully it with heat. Enriched dough moves slowly because it is carrying butter, eggs and sugar, and that slow rise is what gives the loaf its tender crumb.

5. 5

   Shape the loaf

   Grease a tall 18cm round tin or paska mould and line the base. Cut off about one quarter of the dough for decoration. Shape the larger piece into a tight round and set it in the tin, smooth side up. It should fill about half the height, because dora needs room to climb.

6. 6

   Make the ornaments

   Divide the reserved dough into thin ropes for braids, a small cross, and little flowers or leaves. Keep the pieces delicate; heavy decoration can pull the top down. Brush the loaf lightly with water where the ornaments will sit, then press them on gently so they grip without sinking.

   If your kitchen is warm and the decoration dough gets too soft, chill it for a few minutes. A cool rope braids more cleanly.
7. 7

   Prove again

   Cover loosely and let the shaped dora rise until the dough looks puffed and the decorations have settled into it rather than sitting stiffly on top. Touch the side with a floured finger: the dent should come back slowly, not spring shut at once.

8. 8

   Glaze and bake

   Brush carefully with the egg yolk and milk glaze, getting around the braids without flooding them. Bake at 180C until the crust is deep golden chestnut, the loaf feels light for its size, and the bottom sounds hollow when tapped. If the top darkens before the middle is ready, cover it loosely with foil and let the inside catch up.

9. 9

   Cool before cutting

   Let the dora cool in the tin until it can stand without slumping, then lift it out and cool completely before slicing. I know. The smell will test your character. Cut too early and the crumb turns damp and tight; wait, and it slices into soft yellow ribbons.

Chef Tips

• •Use strong white flour if you can. The dough carries eggs, butter, sugar and decoration, so it needs enough strength to rise tall instead of spreading sideways.
• •The first rise is the step that does not forgive rushing. The decorations are generous and forgiving; if your flowers look more like comedy stars, they will still taste like Easter.
• •Raisins are common, but some Bukovynian households leave the crumb plain and let the decoration do the talking. That is a bit more restrained, not wrong.
• •Cool the loaf fully before wrapping. Once cold, keep it in a clean cloth or paper bag for two days, then toast slices with butter if any survives.

Advance Preparation

• •Soak the raisins in warm tea or a little rum for at least 30 minutes, then drain well so they do not wet the dough.
• •The loaf can be baked the day before Easter. Cool it completely, wrap in a clean cloth, and glaze with nothing else; the egg shine is enough.
• •For an easier morning, measure the dry ingredients and bring the eggs and butter to room temperature the night before.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 85g)