Paska (Easter Bread)

1. Mix the milk, yeast and a little of the sugar and leave this starter in a warm place.

2. Add everything else and knead the dough, greasing your hands with oil.

3. After an hour, when the dough has risen, put it into the tins — less than a third full — and let it rise again in the tins.

4. Bake in the oven at 180 °C.

5. Brush with egg.

1. Put the yeast, a third of the sugar and half of the flour into the warm milk, mix well and leave until the starter has risen well and sunk back.

2. Whisk the whites until stiff; rub the rest of the sugar with the yolks.

3. Salt the dough, add vanilla, raisins, the yolks and the whites, mix well and start kneading, adding the rest of the flour. Once the dough comes together, add the butter and keep kneading.

4. Let the dough rise; when it has risen, divide it and put it into tins well greased with butter.

5. When it has risen in the tins, brush the tops with egg and bake at 160 °C.

6. Dust the finished paskas with icing sugar.