Paska Buns

Paska (based on the Hebrew word for passover) is a rich, citrussy sweet bread...baked in loaves or rolls of all shapes and sizes and decorated with icing and sprinkles. It is a traditional Easter bread...baked by many generations before me. There are enough paska lovers in our family...that I think tradition that will carry on!

The Saturday before Easter was paska baking day in my childhood home.  It was mostly baked in loaf pans...and on Easter Sunday we enjoyed the nicely decorated fresh paska.  Though I still bake some in loaf form...we prefer paska buns over here.  They are easy to transport and share with friends and neighbours.  The following recipe uses instant yeast for simplicity.
 

• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 small lemon, zest and juice
• 1 small orange, zest and juice
• 4 eggs, well beaten
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons instant yeast *
• 7-7 1/2 cups flour , approximately

1. Scald milk and butter in microwave for about 2 minutes. Stir to melt butter.
2. Grate rind of lemon and orange. Then squeeze juice of each.
3. Combine all above ingredients in large bowl, together with beaten eggs, sugar and salt.  Mix well. 
4. Combine instant yeast with 4 cups flour and add to liquids.  Beat until smooth.
5. Continue adding flour, one cup at a time until the dough no longer sticky, but still quite soft.
6. Knead for several minutes.
7. Let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size.
8. Form small balls (the size of dinner rolls) and place on well greased pans.
9. Allow to rise once more until doubled in size about 1 1/2 hours. 
10. Bake at 325°F for about 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. 
11. Remove to wire racks to cool.
12. Frost with the icing of your choice...and top with sprinkles. 

Yield: 3 dozen paska buns

 * If you have active dry yeast, you might want to use Lovella's recipe, which is very similar to this one.

Yeast doughs that are heavy on milk, butter and eggs tend to rise a little slower.  Have patience!

 

Meyer Lemon Loaf

The Meyer lemon (named after Frank Meyer in 1908) originated in China...and is a cross between a lemon and a mandarin orange. It is rounder and more orange than the typical lemon and somewhat sweeter.  It has become very popular in recent years after being featured by the likes of Martha Stewart.  Though it was previously mostly a backyard fruit...it is now being grown commercially on a wide scale in California.  I'm working my way through a basket of Meyer lemons over here...and enjoying them every which way.  Here's a moist and yummy lemon loaf.

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 eggs
• 3 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• zest of 3 Meyer lemons
• 1/3 cup Meyer lemon juice *

1. Preheat oven to 350 °F.  Grease two loaf pans (abvout 4 x 8 inches each).
2. Cream butter and sugar with mixer until until light and fluffy.
3. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
4. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium sized bowl.
5. In a small bowl, combine buttermilk, lemon juice and zest.
6. With mixer on low, add flour mixture and liquids alternately in three additions.
7. Beat just until smooth.
8. Divide batter equally between the two loaf pans, spreading to smooth the top. 
9. Bake for 50 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
10. Cool for about 15 minutes, before removing from pan.
11. Allow cake to cool completely on a rack before glazing.

*Zest the lemons before extracting juice.
Glaze:

• 2 cups icing sugar
• 3-4 tablespoons Meyer lemon juice

1. Stir icing sugar and lemon juice until smooth.  Glaze should be pourable but not too thin.
2. Set rack with loaves over parchment paper and pour glaze over cakes, allowing it to run down the sides.

Maple Blueberry Granola Bars

It is maple syrup harvest season in some parts of our country.  Though I have never seen the syrup being harvested, I quite enjoy using it in various recipes.  Did you know that maple syrup and rolled oats team up nicely with blueberries in granola bars?  The original recipe called for frozen blueberries...but over here we prefer the bars with dried blueberries (or dried cranberries).

• 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1/3 cup chopped pecans
• 1/ 2 cup sunflower seeds
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 cup frozen blueberries (not thawed) or 3/4 cup dried blueberries

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9x12 inch pan with aluminum foil, leaving an inch overhang on all sides. Coat pan with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Combine oats, pecans and sunflower seeds with 2 tablespoons oil.  Spread on a baking sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes stirring several times.  Cool. 
3. Beat together 1/4 oil, brown sugar, maple syrup, egg, vanilla, cinnamon and salt.
4. Add flour and beat until smooth.
5. Stir in cooled oatmeal mixture until blended. 
6. Fold in blueberries.
7. Press mixture firmly into prepared pan.
8. Bake for about 25 minutes or until lightly browned.
9. Cool.  Remove from pan by lifting out the foil.
10. Cut into bars.
11. These freeze well.