Easter Kulich with Fresh Yeast and Sour Cream

Baking and Desserts • Russian

Time 3 hours 30 minutes

Ingredients 11

Servings 12

Description

Treat all your family and friends and celebrate the holidays! Enjoy your meal!

Ingredients

Milk 10 fl oz
Sugar 5 oz
Dry yeast 0 oz
Chocolate eggs 5 pieces
Butter 5 oz
20% Sour Cream 10 oz
Vanilla salt 3 teaspoons
Wheat Flour 30 oz
Light Raisins, Seedless 5 oz
Vegetable Oil to taste
Powdered Sugar 1 cup

Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1

Take all the ingredients out of the refrigerator in advance, say, an hour to an hour and a half, so they reach room temperature, and the butter becomes soft but not melted. Rinse the raisins, sort them, and soak them in hot water to plump up. Ideally, the room should be warm and draft-free.

Step 2

Get into a good mindset, imagine how you will treat your loved ones with your delicious kulich, and with positive thoughts, start preparing the dough starter. Take a large pot or bowl (about 4-5 liters) where you will mix the dough (preferably with a rounded bottom for convenience), and pour in the warmed milk with one teaspoon of sugar (dip a very clean finger into the milk, and when you start to feel warmth, immediately remove it from the heat). In the bowl with the milk, add the fresh yeast that has reached room temperature and crumble it into the milk with your hand, dissolving it. It's okay if there are small lumps no larger than a grain of wheat—they will dissolve quickly. Cover with a clean cotton cloth and place in a warm spot for half an hour.

Step 3

While the starter is rising, with a clear mind and conscience, you can sift the flour into a large bowl. You may need more or less flour depending on its quality, so it's better to sift more.

Step 4

Remove the raisins from the water and squeeze out the excess moisture with your hands—this could interfere with the rising of the kulich. Place them on a clean towel and set aside until needed.

Step 5

About 20 minutes after placing the starter to rise, you can prepare the eggs with sugar. For this, use 2 whole eggs and 3 yolks (set aside 3 whites for the glaze) and all the sugar, adding the vanilla sugar. Whisk the eggs with the sugar until smooth.

Step 6

30 minutes have passed—our starter has risen! It has doubled in size and formed a dome. Now gently mix in the eggs with sugar (make sure they are not cold), using only your hands, no spoons or spatulas.

Step 7

Crush the softened butter in your hand and gradually add it to the starter with the eggs, mixing thoroughly but gently until the pieces and lumps are uniform.

Step 8

Add the sour cream, and again gently and lovingly mix the future dough with your hand.

Step 9

Gradually add the flour and start kneading the dough by hand directly in the bowl. At first, it will be easy, but as you add more flour, it will become harder to pull your hand out of the dough. When it gets heavy, it's time to add the raisins. Sprinkle them into the dough; you may not need to use all of them, depending on the circumstances. At this point, the dough should be thick enough not to spread.

Step 10

Continue kneading the dough, adding a handful of flour at a time. Knead it gently and lovingly. Lift it with your palms from the edge of the bowl, fold it inward, and gently press it with your fists (no aggression!). At this point, it will start to come off your hands. Knead a little more, then moisten your hand with odorless vegetable oil, smooth the oily hand over the surface of the dough, and continue kneading, occasionally wetting your hand with oil. When the dough no longer sticks to your hands, leave it in a warm place for another half hour, covering it with a towel.

Step 11

While waiting, you can wash the dirty dishes and prepare the work surface for further creativity.

Step 12

After half an hour, knead the dough again without adding anything. Very carefully and gently press the dough in the bowl with your hands, knead a little, and let it rise again for about half an hour.

Step 13

During these 30 minutes, prepare the molds by greasing them with vegetable oil, and whip the 'gogol-mogol'—combine a cup of powdered sugar with 3 egg whites using a mixer, but not on the surface where the dough is, so as not to disturb it. Whip the 'gogol-mogol' until thick. Check the readiness by dropping some glaze on a spoon—if it hardens after 5 minutes, everything is good.

Step 14

30 minutes have passed since the second kneading of the dough, and we turn the oven on to 210°F. Grease the work surface with vegetable oil and start filling the molds. Carefully separate pieces of dough about 1/3-1/2 the size of the molds and place them on the greased table. Cover loosely with your palm like a 'dome' or with both hands depending on the size of the molds, and with circular motions, roll them on the table to form balls, trying to 'roll' the protruding raisins inside. Place the formed ball in the mold, and repeat until all molds that fit on the oven rack are filled. Leave them to rise for about 10 minutes, then place them on the middle rack of the oven.

Step 15

During the next 10 minutes, get creative with decorating the kulich and consider your toppings. Then increase the oven temperature to 355°F and bake the kulich until done. If there is still dough left, form the next batch of kulich in the same manner. When the kulich in the oven rise and brown, you can check their readiness using the grandmother's method, which never fails: put on kitchen mitts, take one kulich (the tallest one), place it on your palm in the mitt, elbow against your body, hand horizontal, and with your other hand, gently clap the inside of your arm at the elbow—if the kulich jumps up, separating from the mitt, it is definitely ready.

Step 16

Remove the kulich from the oven and lay them on their sides on a flat surface so they don't collapse. Reduce the temperature back to 210°F and bake the second batch, if any, using the same method.

Step 17

While the kulich are warm, brush them with glaze and immediately decorate them so that the crumbs stick to the glaze.