h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

At the risk of using these journals as a sort of clippings folder for recipes, I've had a first go at making kulich today, the Russian panacotta-esque bread they make for Easter. It being Orthodox Easter tomorrow, of course. Yes, that is a month after British Easter. Luckily Russians don't go in much for chocolate eggs.

Anyway, I am making the kulich so that the menfolk could go and get them blessed when they go and do alterboy duty this afternoon, this being another Russian tradition. The blessing of the kulich, I mean, not the alterboy bit. Never volunteer is what I say (ha!).

Unfortunately all the recipes I found use dried yeast, rather than fast action yeast, which is all I have time for (note to self, next year, start yesterday). So I am busking a bit.

This rarely works.

750g plain flour
250g butter

Rub the butter intothe flour.

Add I forget how much sugar and the fast action yeast and a pinch of salt.

Separate 5 eggs. Beat the whites until they form stiff peaks. Add to the yolks the rum (I used brandy) which you soaked the raisins I forgot to mention earlier in. Supposedly 100g raisins with 50ml rum, except I think I had more rum (brandy) which is probably a mistake. See below. Add a taspoon of vanilla essence. Add the yols mixture and the whites to the flour and fold in.

That was probably the mistake as you are also supposed to add 350ml of warm milk, but I only got to about half that before the mixture was way to wet and I had to add quite a lot more flour to make the dough firm enough to knead. It's also possible the recipe doesn't need quite that much milk. Or fewer eggs. Or less rum (brandy). But probably next time add more of the milk first.

Knead for ten mins, in the usual manner, let rise for 2 hours in a warm place.

What do people do for warm places without airing cupboards? I had to turn the oven on a bit since the sun wasn;t shining. That can;t be right.

Knock back, add the raisins, add to the custom made kulich pans I don't have, leave to rise again, oven 160-170 degrees celcius for 30-35 mins.

Or at least that's what I will do when the oven warms up.

Kristos voscress, people (now you say 'vieistinu voscress').

Pannetone-esque bread. Not panecotta-esque, although we have one of those too. Next year, maybe.

Vieistinu voscress!

I hope I got the pronunciation right.

Excellent pron, TC! I apologise for the delay in saying so.

The kulich were dredful - although at least as much because I undercooked them I think I will have to try the long way round next time. Or get another airing cuboard.