Make this rich, slightly sweet homemade paska – a traditional Slovak Easter bread, and one of my favorite childhood traditions.
And for a perfect Easter dessert, try these popular filled lemon cupcakes!
First off, let me apologize for the relative dearth of recipe activity around here recently. Random stomach bugs, sniffles, and a bout of the chicken pox knocked us flat the past couple weeks. Between the germs and random school in-service days, I’ve barely strung together two “normal” days in a row!
And now the kids are on Easter break, which in Belgium stretches for TWO FULL WEEKS. Aaaaah.
But on the plus side, that means it is Easter! And, for me, if it’s Easter, it’s time to make this amazing bread. Paska.
Traditional Slovak Easter Bread
Growing up in a family rich with Slovak traditions, I came early to love paska as a traditional yeasted Easter bread. I believe it’s also common in other eastern European traditions. I know it based on my Slovak heritage.
My Dad is 100% Slovak. (Is it possible to be 110% Slovak? Because if so I’m pretty sure he fits the bill. :)) And while my Mom is not herself Slovak, she got all of my paternal grandmother’s recipes and has been making them for years. And of the whole lot, paska is one of my absolute favorites.
My family’s recipe for paska yields a pretty traditional yeasted bread, enriched with a bit of butter, eggs, and sugar for a sweet, brioche-like flavor perfectly suited to an Easter celebration.
For the most part, my Mom would make this as a simple round loaf. I don’t blame her one bit, especially because she was usually baking a small army of loaves. But, as I am usually making just one for our little family, the last couple of years I’ve made it with a traditional braided cross on top, and really love the special touch that it adds.
How To Make Homemade Paska
This recipe is so simple for a yeasted bread.
- Mix all the ingredients together, let it rise, then turn out the puffy dough onto a lightly floured work surface (photo 1 below).
- If you want to make the braid, pull off a small amount of the dough at this point (photo 2). I did about a third of it this year, and wished I had done a smaller proportion. I’ve reflected that suggested change in the recipe card below.
- Now you’ll divide that small piece of dough in thirds, and roll each one out into a long string (3).
- Braid those together (4).
- Cut in half, and lay them on top of the larger dough ball in a round baking pan (5).
- Don’t worry if there’s a lot of space around the edges–you’ll let the dough rise again, and as you can see it will fill out very nicely (6).
Now bake, and voila! A beautiful golden loaf is ready to go.
Let it cool completely, then remove from the pan, cut, and devour!
On a completely random side note, how adorable is this sweet egg holder with the bunny from Guess How Much I Love You?
We did dye eggs this year, but not until several days after I took these photos. 🙂
I’ve made this several years in a row now — and proudly texted my Mom a photo of it every time — and am really excited to be carrying this tradition forward for my own little family. Based on the fact that my almost-three-year-old was determined to eat only this bread for dinner several nights in a row, I think we’re off to a good start in the “sharing love for traditions” department!
Whether paska is a treasured childhood memory for you, or simply interests you as a new recipe, I hope you try this recipe and enjoy it as much as we do!
More Bread and Rolls:
- The Best Flour Tortillas From Scratch
- Homemade Whole Wheat Pita Bread
- Rosemary Cheddar Buttermilk Biscuits
- Divine 1-Hour Breadsticks
- Caraway Irish Soda Bread Muffins
If you’ve tried this bread or any other recipe on the blog, please remember to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. I love hearing from you, and other readers will benefit from your experience!
Homemade Paska - Slovak Easter Bread
Ingredients
Bread
- 5 cups (602 grams) all-purpose flour
- 2 1/4 teaspoons (1 packet) instant dry yeast
- 1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
- 2 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 cup lukewarm water
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons, 57 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
Topping
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
Instructions
- Using a stand mixer or wooden spoon, mix and knead all of the dough ingredients — flour through butter — until it comes together into a soft, smooth ball. The dough should be pliable, not very sticky, and bounce back when poked lightly with your finger.
- Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl and set aside on the counter. Allow it to rise for 60-90 minutes, until nearly doubled in size. Meanwhile, lightly grease a 9-inch round pan and set aside. (I love using a springform pan for this, but a cake pan also works well.)
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Pull off about a quarter of it — you'll use this to form the braids. Shape the remaining large piece of dough into a smooth ball, and place in the center of the prepared pan.
- Divide the reserved piece of dough into three equal pieces, and roll each one out into a strand about 18"-20". Use these three strands to create one long braid. (See photos in post for a visual.)
- Cut the braid in half, then place in a cross on top of the larger piece of dough in the pan. (Alternatively, you could wrap the braid in one length around the inside edge of the pan.)
- Cover the loaf and let rise for about 45 minutes, until approximately doubled in size. Near the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (180 C) and place a rack in the lower-middle.
- When the bread has risen, make the topping. Beat the egg and water together with a fork in a small bowl, and brush the mixture gently over the loaf. Sprinkle with additional sugar, as desired.
- Bake bread for 35 to 45 minutes, until the top is a rich golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool completely before cutting and serving.
Notes
- If well-wrapped, leftovers will keep for 3-4 days. Even once the bread begins to go slightly stale, it makes excellent toast if cut into thick slices, especially spread with jam. Or, for a real treat, homemade lemon curd!
- Adapted from a family recipe with a little help from King Arthur Flour, specifically to help convert a ratio of cakes to instant dry yeast.
Nutrition Estimate
John says
April 27, 2019 at 11:03 amThis paska is awesome! I don’t bake at all, yet this recipe worked out perfect. Thanks!
Monica | Nourish + Fete says
April 27, 2019 at 8:23 pmThat’s wonderful, I’m so happy to hear it! Thank you for taking the time to leave this feedback, I really appreciate it!
Jane Klein says
April 20, 2019 at 4:39 pmMy Grandmother, always made paska when I was growing up. I loved it so much, she always made one just for me. It had a touch of sweetness almost like King’s Hawaiian Bread, but sweeter. I wish I could find a recipe like hers. Our Family is all Slovak. She could bake with no recipes, and if she ever wrote them down, we never found them, when she passed away. I will have to try this. She also made excellent poppy seed, nut, and apricot rolls. I would love to find a recipe for those. Thanks so much for the recipe. Hope it turns out like my Grandmother’s. I take after her, and my Mother never baked. I would love to keep the tradition alive, for my Children.
Jan Lysak Ruiz says
April 18, 2019 at 11:10 pmJust like my babicka would make for Easter. She too, would make it the day before so she could take it to church Easter morn to be blessed with other symbolic foods in her beautiful basket with hand embroidered linen that spelled out, “Christos Voskres” ( Christ is risen). That phrase was also how we treated one another on Easter. My babi used raisins in her bread and topped it with a cross that was clipped to look like thorns on the cross.
Sandra says
April 10, 2019 at 10:14 amMy “Baba” would make this early (like still dark early) on Holy Saturday so it could be taken “fresh” to be blessed at church later in the day.
Donna says
April 2, 2018 at 1:16 amI made this wonderful bread for Easter Sunday. It was so easy and delicious! We will definitely make this again and again!
Monica | Nourish and Fete says
April 2, 2018 at 8:51 pmThank you so much for taking the time to leave this feedback, Donna, I really appreciate it, and am so glad you guys enjoyed the paska!
Chris says
March 30, 2018 at 9:50 pmOoo I’ve never tried this before! Your gorgeous photos have made me instantly fall in love though, will have to give it a go! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Dana says
March 30, 2018 at 9:16 pmHoly crap, this is some seriously gorgeous bread! I love the braid! I’m tempted to try that with my next bread. Fingers crossed!
I’ve never had this type—it looks soso fluffy!
Hayley | The Simple Supper says
March 30, 2018 at 8:18 pmThis bread looks so beautiful. I love your detailed instructions and the history behind this instruction. I will definitely have to make this bread for my family!
Monica | Nourish and Fete says
March 30, 2018 at 8:57 pmThank you so much, Hayley, for your kind words!
Katie | Healthy Seasonal Recipes says
March 30, 2018 at 8:09 pmI just printed the recipe! This looks perfect. I hope to make it tomorrow after we dye our eggs. Happy Easter!
Monica | Nourish and Fete says
March 30, 2018 at 8:57 pmThat’s wonderful, Katie – I hope you enjoy it, and would love to hear how it turns out for you! Happy Easter!
Traci says
March 30, 2018 at 7:47 pmOmgosh, I’m sitting here looking at my computer screen thinking “wow! this is some design!” You really have it down! I used to bake bread and can appreciate the form and final design of bread, and of course the whole process, which you make seem very approachable. Thanks for the inspiration…and Happy Easter!
Monica | Nourish and Fete says
March 30, 2018 at 8:03 pmTraci, you are too kind! I wish I could take credit – but I’m all about embracing these “old world” traditions and making them seem approachable for the modern cook! Thank you so much for the kind words, and happy Easter to you, too!