Pasca - Romanian Easter bread recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is Paska bread made of? ›

Paska is made with milk, butter, eggs, flour, and sugar, except for the Romanian pască where the recipe most commonly includes sweet cream, cottage cheese, and/or sour cream along with eggs, sugar, raisins, and rum. An egg and water mixture is used as a glaze.

The dough typically includes flour, sugar, eggs, butter, and milk, enriched with aromatic additions such as citrus zest, vanilla, anise, or almond extract. Italian Easter bread may also include optional additions such as raisins, candied fruit, nuts, or aromatic spices like cinnamon.

Easter is the only time most Romanians eat lamb. We think of it as seasonal meat and treasure it so much that nothing goes to waste. Drob is a lamb meatloaf which has hard-boiled eggs in the middle and is traditionally made with offal.

Cozonac is a sweet bread, into which milk, yeast, eggs, sugar, butter, and other ingredients are mixed together and allowed to rise before baking. In Bulgaria, the kozunak is prepared by adding lemon zest to the dough mixture, just as the Romanian version.

While they are both yeasted, sweet, enriched breads, paska tends to be wide and round with dough shaped on top to form religious symbols or decorative shapes. Ukrainian babka is a tall cylinder that sometimes contains raisins and/or citrus zest, and can have icing on top.

Paska can refer to: Paska (bread), a traditional Easter bread in Ukraine. Paska (singer), a Finnish a cappella rock singer.

Bread can become too dry if baked too long which can add to crumb issues. While one recipe may bake wonderfully at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 40 minutes in one oven, baking in a friend's oven may result in something different.

Ukrainian Bread

The kolach symbolizes good luck, eternity, prosperity and a bountiful life. Paska is a traditional Easter bread prepared with lots of eggs, making it much richer than ordinary sweet breads. The beautifully braided top will earn you many compliments.

Too much extra flour worked into the dough while folding and/or shaping can cause dense bread. Over mixing can cause a dense loaf by the weakening and breakdown of the gluten (not likely to happen if you fold dough or hand knead). The flour you used is a whole grain with coarse bits of bran and grain in it.

Romania's Easter holiday follows the Easter dates set by the Orthodox Christian Church. Many Orthodox churches base their Easter date on the Julian calendar, which differs from the Gregorian calendar that is used by many western countries.

What do you give a Romanian for Easter? ›

Some of the bestselling romanian easter gift available on Etsy are: Easter egg decorating kit, Ukrainian Easter egg, gift set, Easter egg making, art supplies, Easter eggs, beeswax, kistky. Personalised Orthodox Easter Candle Lambada Named Handmade Pascha Candle Christening Candle Traditional Lampada Paschalini.

Easter traditions in Romania

The first person who taps the egg has to say “Christ has resurrected” (in Romanian, 'Cristos a înviat'), while the second one goes “Indeed, he has resurrected” (in Romanian, 'Adevarat a înviat'). The belief is that the person whose eggs are unbroken will enjoy the longest life.

Whether you call it cozonac, kalacs/beigli, or babka, this sweet bread filled with ground nuts (usually walnuts), poppy seeds, raisins or even rahat/lokum (a gummy middle eastern candy known in the west as 'Turkish delight') is served at Easter and Christmas in many eastern European countries.

Romanian sweet walnut bread, otherwise known as cozonac, is often served during Easter, Christmas and other significant holidays. It is believed to have derived from an ancient Egyptian recipe that was adapted by the Slavs.

Preheat the oven to 375 °F. Glaze the bread very gently with egg wash and bake for 25 minutes. Lower the heat to 350 and bake for a further 20 minutes, covering with foil if the top browns too quickly. Cool the cozonac upside-down on a wire rack, to prevent the bottom from becoming soggy.

Kulich is a variant of paska Easter breads and represents not only Easter but also the spring. Easter is a very important celebration in Eastern European countries, even more important than Christmas.

Noun. paskuda m pers. (colloquial) scoundrel; repulsive person. (colloquial) someone who is very unattractive.