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Easter Bread, or Ukrainian Babka, is one of my household’s most beloved Easter traditions. I come from a Ukrainian family, and both of my grandmothers would make Babka every Easter. When my Grandma wasn’t around to make it, my Mom would then take over. I have been making Easter Bread since I had my own children and have taught them the tradition as well. This post was updated on March 20, 2018, to include some new photos and a how-to video! I have left my old step-by-step photos in the post, as they are very important and helpful!
Ukrainian Babka Recipe
It isn’t Easter in my household until we eat this bread for 4-5 days until we have our fill, then are sated for yet another year. This recipe is called Babka by mainly Canadian Prairie Ukrainian settlers, as it has been argued ( as you can read in the comments!) that this is Paska. Now, here on the Prairies my Mom and Baba swore up and down that actual Paska is not a sweet bread, is braided and has no raisins. Here on the Prairies we tend to actually have our own little culture when it comes to being Ukrainians. We pronounce kielbasa as ” koooo-basa” – which is the ONLY place that it’s pronounced like that! Isn’t that strange? It’s a uniquely Canadian prairie version of saying the word, however with our very large population of Ukrainian settlers it’s no less authentic, just as calling this Babka is no less authentic. Ways and words were changed when my ancestors arrived here and adapted to a new life.
Also on another interesting note, it’s unique to the Edmonton area that we spell it “perogy” instead of pierogi. We have a Perogy House here, it’s just how we spell it sometimes!
What is Easter Bread or Ukrainian Babka?
It is a light, buttery yet slightly sweet yeast bread with raisins, baked in coffee tins and is so fantastic toasted with some butter on it. Or plain with margarine. Or toasted with anything on top. It is also a labor of love and takes a few hours.
Ingredients Needed:
- 1 cup of butter
- 2 cups of milk
- 3/4 cup of white sugar
- 1 cup of cold water
- 1/2 cup of warm water
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 tbsp of traditional yeast
- 6 large egg yolks
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 2 tsp of salt
- 8-9 cups of flour
- 2 cups of raisins
- 7 small coffee tins
- One beaten egg to brush the tops with
Now, I put the butter, milk and 3/4 cup of white sugar in a pot and brought it to a near boil, you want to slightly scald the milk.
Then I called my mother, and during that conversation, she mentioned that she throws it all into the microwave and nukes it until it’s incredibly hot.
Now, that is certainly not how my predecessors did it. However, this modern woman on her second batch used the microwave.
And it works like a charm!
Now, you have to let the mixture cool, and adding that cup of water certainly helps; thus, we leave it until the end here.
Mix the warm water and 1 tsp of sugar in your yeast thoroughly and let it start bubbling away.
Beat your egg yolks and turmeric. The turmeric gives the bread its lovely color. You can also use three whole eggs instead of the six egg yolks but the yolks make a richer bread. So three eggs OR 6 yolks, folks.
Add it to the cooled milk mixture.
Then add the yeast.
I use the mixer for this now because it is one heck of a job. Mix the salt into the flour, add the first four cups of flour, then your raisins. Then, slowly add another 4-5 cups until the dough is slightly sticky.
My dough always climbs the hook eventually, so I used the mixer to combine it and kneaded as much as possible, then removed it and kneaded it on the counter for a while.
Once that’s done, it needs to rise. Put it into a bowl(s) in a nice warm place.
Cover it of course.
Once it’s doubled in size, it’s time to punch it down and put it in the tins to rise again. You want to fill the tins only halfway with punched-down dough; this dough rises like you wouldn’t believe!
Grease the heck out of those coffee tins. I only had six this year, so you can also use a loaf pan. This would make a perfect seven tins.
It’s time to let it rise again. I had a nice warm stove from banana bread, so they sat on there. Let them rise until they are almost at the top. They will rise in the oven as well when they start baking, which is why you want them only to rise barely to the top of the tin.
Remove all the oven racks except the bottom one. Kick the tires and light the fires to 325 degrees.
Bake for 30-40 minutes on the very bottom rack. The tops will get very golden brown but don’t fear. The inner part has to cook, and the tops will get and stay brown.
Cool very slightly in the tins, then remove to ensure the bread doesn’t sweat, and the bottoms don’t get soggy!
Happy Baking,, you guys! I am so happy to share this recipe with you. It’s our family tradition, and I’m thrilled that you can bake it as well!
Love,
Karlynn
Easter Bread, or Ukrainian Babka
- Prep Time
- 2 hours
- Cook Time
- 20 minutes
- Total Time
- 2 hours 20 minutes
- Course
- Breakfast
- Cuisine
- bread
- Servings
- 10
- Calories
- 741
- Author
- Karlynn Johnston
Ingredients
- 1 cup of butter
- 2 cups of milk
- 3/4 cup of white sugar
- 1 cup of cold water ( I add ice)
- 1/2 cup of warm water
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 2 tablespoons of traditional yeast
- 6 large egg yolks
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric (or saffron)
- 2 teaspoons of salt
- 8-9 cups of flour
- 2 cups of raisins
- 7 small coffee tins
- One beaten egg to brush the tops with
Instructions
- Place the butter, milk and 3/4 cup of white sugar in a pot and bring it to a near boil, you want to slightly scald the milk. You can also heat it in the microwave as well to the point of scalded (near boil).
- Add in the cup of cold water and let the mixture cool.
- Take the 1/2 cup of warm water and 1 tsp of white sugar, mix in your yeast thoroughly and let it start bubbling away.
- Beat your egg yolks and turmeric (or saffron if you want traditional). The turmeric gives the bread it’s lovely color. (You can also use 3 whole eggs instead of the 6 egg yolks but the yolks make a richer bread. So 3 eggs OR 6 yolks)
- Add the egg mixture to the warm milk mixture. You need to let the saffon dissolve in the warm mixture before you move on, if you use saffron!
- Then add the yeast mixture to the bowl.
- I used the mixer for this now because it is one heck of a job. Mix the salt into your flour then add in the first four cups of flour, then your raisins. Then slowly add another 4-5 cups until the dough is slightly sticky. The dough should stick to your hand very slightly, but be a nice elastic dough.
- My dough always climbs the hook eventually so I used the mixer to get it combined and kneaded as much as possible then removed it and kneaded it on the counter for a while.
- Once that’s done it needs to rise. Put it into a bowl(s) in a nice warm place and cover it with a damp tea towel.
- Once it’s doubled in size, it’s time to punch it down and put it in the tins to rise again. You want to fill the tins only half way with punched down dough, this dough rises like you wouldn’t believe!
- Grease the ever lovin’ heck out of those coffee tins. (I use the medium size, the 13-16 oz coffee tins, NOT the large ones!) This would make a perfect 7 tins. You can also make it in a loaf pan.
- Time to let it rise again, Let the dough rise until it is almost at the top of the can. They will rise in the oven as well when they start baking, which is why you want them only to rise barely to the top of the tin.
- Remove all the oven racks except the bottom one. Kick the tires and light the fires to 325 degrees.
- Bake for 30-40 minutes on the very bottom rack, the tops get very golden brown but don’t fear, the inner part has to cook and the tops get brown and stay brown.
- Once they are nearly done, brush with the beaten egg and cook until the bread is finished.
- The bread will sound hollow on top when tapped & be a lovely brown.
- Cool very slightly in the tins then remove to make sure the bread doesn’t sweat and the bottoms don’t get soggy.
- If they stick slightly in the tins, twist and shake gently at the same time, they will pop right out.
- If they stick in the loaf pans, run a knife along the edge to free the bread then remove safely.
- Cool on racks for a couple of hours … if you can wait!
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
Nutrition Information
All calories and info are based on a third party calculator and are only an estimate. Actual nutritional info will vary with brands used, your measuring methods, portion sizes and more.
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joanne says
How many loaf pans would be needed for this recipe if cans are not available?
Katrena says
My Baba settled in Brisbane, Australia and sausage was also koobasa, never kielbasa. We also call pierogi, varenyky. When my husband and I went to Europe, I literally had no idea what pierogi were until we were in Poland and we walked past a store making them.
Dianne L Singleton says
This recipe is so similar to our Polish Easter Bread recipe. Our egg count is 4 whole eggs and NO tumeric, no ice water. I let mine rise twice before I put in pans to rise the third time. makes huge difference. The second rising I add just a but more flour to feed it more to rise more. My question to you is – You don;t shape the dough? you just throw it in the pans?
Alexis says
I made this but I didn’t get the classic poof on the top. What do you think went wrong? Did I not wait long enough the second round of rising?
Sharon says
714 calories per slice?
Aimee says
Is it possible to use the large tomato cans? Or would they be to small I’d really like to try the canned method but have no coffee tins.
Margo Haynes says
Sort of disappointed because I had to use loaf pans! Here in the U.S. I haven’t seen coffee in a can in about 20 years.
Recipe really rates more than 5 stars! thanks for sharing!
Karlynn says
The metal Coffee cans are so hard to find now!
Nancy Dykman says
I used large tins from tomatoes (28oz) as I like to gift the loaves to single friends.
Angela says
I like vex baba bread. Thank you so much for your post the bread looks delicious. I use parchment paper in my tins. The bread goes straight up instead of ballooning over the tin & I have never had a problem with the bread sticking in the ridges. Also I cut out a circle for the bottom.
B says
I would be careful what cans are used, most cans have a coating on the inside that really wouldn’t be good to bake in. BHT, BPA, BHA are all readily found in the coating inside of cans…the lining reduces a metallic taste amongst other things. Cooking in a can that has a plastic coatingnis a really bad idea, a really bad, toxic idea. So just be aware of the can you use!
The bread is beautiful! I love the history of my Canadian heritage! I had no idea that the spelling of “perogy” was anything but “perogy”!!! So fun to learn something new!
Thank you!
Kathy says
This is an amazing paska recipe! Every Easter I would look forward to my baba’s paska. Now, at 101 years old, my baba has passed this yearly task on to me. While my baba’s recipe is great, I find her method a little too labour intensive and have tried several other recipes, none of which compare to my baba’s. I have to say that this recipe, while not only easy and straightforward, produces paska that is as good as (if not better) than my baba’s. When I shared a loaf with my baba, she was very impressed with the flavour and texture….you know a recipe is good when it is “baba approved!” Thank you, for sharing this recipe!!
Sherry Scott says
I followed your very detailed recipe, step by step, and made paska bread for the very first time. It turned out great and I think it will be a new family tradition. Thank you for the recipe and great details!
Alvin Knoll says
Hello and Happy Easter, just read your recipe and must comment, we are from Saskatchewan, Canada and there are lots of Germans out here, We also make this easter bread and call it PASKA. A little different take is that we soak our raisins in rum overnight and this gives it a little extra flavour. Other wise looks the same as we make, can’t beat the Easter Bread.
Lindsey says
Any thoughts on doing one of the rides overnight in the fridge?
Elmer Gawryletz says
I cut your recipe in half because of not having enough cans and turned out super good, will be baking more and I also line my cans with parchment paper, the loaves slide right out nicely, not sure if the parchment would affect the baking or not. Very good recipe, thank you !!
Michael says
Moved from Chicago to Philadelphia in 1994. Havent had proper (my mom’s) babka since then. Unfortunately she passed away in 2014, and did not leave recipe, but seeing that you baked the babka in a coffee can like she did, that’s one plus for you. Another is correct pronunciation of kielbasa (koo ba sa, take note people!!). Third plus, i have Ukrainian friends from Winnipeg, so i know i can trust you when you speak of Canadian Ukrainians on the prairie. Looking forward to trying your recipe!
Karlynn says
Well, I was born in Winnipeg, so I have some ‘Peg Street cred lol. Both sides of my family hail from Dauphin, Manitoba. This is absolutely a traditional Babka recipe and I hope it’s really close to your Mom’s!
I
Kooooonasa for the win!
Happy Easter!
Vicky Brooks says
My son’s girlfriend is Ukrainian and I would like to try and make this for her. I’ve made bread before in the past and didn’t do well. Is this recipe hard for a beginner like me and can I cut this recipe in half.
Thanks
Vicky
Karlynn Johnston says
This is a pretty easy and forgiving bread recipe and yes, you can cut it in half!
Erin | Dinners,Dishes and Dessert says
My family definitely love this!
Katerina @ diethood .com says
I have made something similar to this and it tastes amaaazing!!
Jacque Hastert says
Thanks for sharing this recipes. I will have to attempt to make it for Easter!
Paula - bell'alimento says
Love having this toasted! SO good.
Nutmeg Nanny says
Perfect for Easter! Thanks for this!
Krista says
This looks so good! I am going to have to try it this Easter!
Mary P Hoffman says
A woman in my building bakes babka as a fundraiser for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society – at Easter and Christmas. They’re great!
The Kitchen Magpie says
It’s my favourite bread!
Cathy Wehage says
OH this is my favourite bread, my mom still makes it. Mmmmm
Jodi Flatt says
OMG, toasted with warm peanut butter. ….it’s my Easter breakfast treat….
The Kitchen Magpie says
Yes! Toasted is the best!
Jodi-Marie Lockyer says
One of the very few traditional recipes I make every year for Easter! I use saffron instead of turmeric and no raisins.
Gloria Duggan says
OMG I so remember my mom and baba doing this!!
Carol Turton says
I really am going to try to make this Babka, hope it turns out just like yours Karlyn.
Saylor McLennan says
You know, the sad thing is, those metal cans are really difficult to come across now… Unfortunate because they’re useful for so many things; including cooking.
The Kitchen Magpie says
Oh yes, we hoard them if we find them!
Highlander1 says
I am intewrested in all Ukrainian recipes.
Louise Mabey says
Where is it. I want some
Diane Sironovic-Dye says
Looks so good.