Russian Easter Bread (Kulich)

Steps

• 
  
  

  1. Carefully weigh out all ingredients and put them on the working surface immediately for convenience. Perhaps the amount of flour will have to be adjusted a little in the process. In a convenient bowl let’s connect the third part of the sifted flour and all dry yeast.
• 
  
  

  2. Add 80 g of sugar and mix everything.
• 
  
  

  3. Let's melt butter.
• 
  
  

  4. Pour in warm milk.
• 
  
  

  5. Then pour in warm melted butter. Previously mix everything.
• 
  
  

  6. Carefully separate two yolks from egg whites.
• 
  
  

  7. In a bowl let’s put yolks and 20 g of sugar, mix everything actively with wire whisk.
• 
  
  

  8. In a bowl with egg whites, lower the mixer turned on at full capacity. Whip egg whites to stablepeaks.
• 
  
  

  9. In a bowl with the dough first put yolks mass and mix it with the main dough. And then add whipped egg whites and very carefully knead them into the dough. Dough should be of quite loose and plastery consistence. Now let’s start kneading: add in small parts the sifted flour and thicken the dough until it becomes very soft and almost/slightly sticking to the hands. Once we have achieved the desired result, immediately put the bowl with the dough in a warm place to rise up.
• 
  
  

  10. After about an hour our dough will become very spongy, light and increase in volume significantly.
• 
  
  

  11. Divide the total mass into three more or less identical balls.
• 
  
  

  12. With each dough ball we will do the same thing: roll thin in the form of a rectangle, on which we will evenly put the third part of the total amount of raisins.
• 
  
  

  13. All three rectangles with raisins make in the form of roll, so we will have three rolls.
• 
  
  

  14. With each of these rolls we will do the same: cut it along - two ends are obtained. Bring together the obtained ends of the rolls, as in the photo, in the form of two "snails."
• 
  
  

  15. Lay one such "snail" on the second - it is the preparation of our Easter bread, which, in turn, put in a paper form. Grease the surface of each kulich with a mixture of yolk and water (1 tbsp.), because we have another egg left. Send three similarly filled forms with future Easter breads to the hot oven.
• 
  
  

  16. And after 35-40 minutes of baking at 180 degrees our golden Easter breads can be put on the kitchen table.
• 
  
  

  17. You need only to remove the paper form and slightly dust the surface of pastry with sugar powder. Gentle, fragrant and incredibly soft Easter bread is ready.
• 
  
  

  18. Bon Appetite!