Presenting, the Prodigious Paska

Paska is a traditional Easter sweet bread that is has been a staple of my family's Easter gatherings all of my life and before that with my mother's family and her mother's, my Baba's family.  I am not sure how much further back the tradition spans, but I am fairly certain it is a few more generations.  Paska is a gorgeous golden crusted sweet bread.  The word, Paska, translates to Easter Bread eaten in Eastern European countries which include the Ukraine, Romania, parts of Russia and Slovakia.  Some of the symbolism of Paska: the inside of the bread is a swirl of yellow and white. The white is said to represent the resurrection of Jesus and the white the Holy Spirit.  Additionally, the dough is traditionally weaved into symbolic shapes to form a crown of thorns or a cross.  

Even if you are not religious, I assure you that you may encounter a spiritual experience while consuming this bread.  This light, flaky bread has a rich buttery sweet flavor that delightfully disintegrates in your mouth much like cotton candy does.  I decided to try my hand at baking this long honored family bread following the recipe that my Baba and Mother have passed down. 

I won't lie, I was a bit apprehensive about baking it for the first time totally on my own.  It is a delicate recipe.  Adding ingredients at the precise time and temperature is an integral part of a successful outcome.  It is also a time consuming process with multiple rising times prior to baking.  In other words, it requires full focus.  One thing I knew I must not do....leave the kitchen!  No going down to "check the laundry real quick" or "scroll on Facebook for a minute".  None of that.  I essentially anchored my feet to the floor as though I was wearing gravity boots.  Trust me, I needed that metaphor on my mind while baking.  No time to wander about haphazardly today.  This was serious, time honored, family tradition business. 

Fortunately, and because I felt my Baba's divine direction the whole time and my ecstatic sisters cheering me on so enthusiastically it was like having cheerleaders in my kitchen, the outcome was ahhhmazing! The aroma of baking bread filtering through my home today is otherworldly.   I wish there was a way I could post a smell sample!  Instead, I will light up this page with photos and some fun video links for you to enjoy.  

Words fail me in describing how honored I feel to be able to carry on this bread baking tradition.  The aroma brings to life all the magical memories made in my Baba's kitchen.  They have become living animation in my mind.  I can hear her voice speaking with the Slovak accent and English to us, Slovak to my mother.  The details of her home are forever etched in my minds eye.  I can feel her approving smile on me today.  I called my mother, eager to get her critique.  It goes without saying that hearing my mother be overwhelmed with excitement seeing the outcomes of my first solo Paska baking day gives this girl the holy motherload of approval stamps! A successful day at Baba's Bake Shop, indeed.

P.S. Click here to check out my new website,  Baba's Bake Shop