Kulich Recipe

A friend at church shared her Kulich recipe with us. It's a very easy recipe but it is made with two ten-pound tin cans. I cut the recipe in half so that it can be made with three 32 oz. cans (which are the size of a large can of fruit, and easily found at any store). I also changed some of the ingredients without much change to the overall recipe - for instance I used regular raisins rather than golden raisins soaked in rum, and I left out the candied fruit and nuts entirely. You can add them in as it suits your taste.

Ingredients

• 4 1/2 Tbsp. raisins
• 3/4 Tbsp. lemon or orange zest
• 1/2 c. lukewarm milk
• 1/2 tsp. sugar
• 3 1/4 tsp. + 1/8 tsp. yeast
• 1 1/8 c. powdered sugar
• 3 1/4 c. flour 
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 5 egg yolks
• 1/2 c. + 1 Tbsp. butter, softened, cut in pieces
• 2 1/4 c. powdered sugar - for icing
• juice of one lemon - for icing 

Directions

Soak raisins in boiling water to cover and let sit for 10 minutes. Drain and let dry on a paper towel.

Mix lukewarm milk with sugar and yeast and allow to sit 5 minutes until foamy. 

Sift powdered sugar, 2 1/4 cups of flour, and salt into a large bowl, stirring to combine. Make a well in the center and pour in the yeast mixture along with vanilla extract, egg yolks, and citrus zest. Work into a smooth dough using a wooden spoon. Work in the softened butter. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and kneed, slowly adding remaining cup of flour until dough no longer sticks. Knead 10 more minutes until dough is smooth, shiny and elastic. Grease a bowl with softened butter. Place in lightly floured dough. Cover and let rise 1 hour or until doubled.

Work in raisins and divide dough into thirds. Place dough in cans lined bottom and sides with parchment paper, cover and let rise 30 minutes.

Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, then lower temperature to 350 and bake another 20 minutes.

Remove from oven. Slide kulich out of the cans and remove paper. Allow to cool.

To make the icing combine powdered sugar and lemon juice. Drizzle over kulich letting some icing run down the sides. You can decorate with dried fruits, nuts or candies. It is traditional to form the letters XB (meaning Christ is Risen) on top and to place a candle in the top when being taken to be blessed on Pascha. 

The dough will look shiny after kneading it for 10 minutes. 

Dough with raisins in parchment paper lined cans. 

Kulich cooling after coming out of the oven.

When serving, turn the kulich on its side and cut round slices, which can then be cut into semi-circles.

Blessed Pascha to you all!