Easter is one of the brightest and most joyful Christian holidays, which managed to "survive" in atheistic times, was celebrated even during the Union and is recognized even by people who are far from the church and religion. It’s a very distinctive custom to paint eggs - and people in this regard show a variety of talents. The most lazy at least boil them in onion husks. But, if you do not take into account purely church rules, customs and traditions, the main thing in Easter is Easter cakes (they are cousins or, as many people incorrectly say, Easter).
When and how to do it
If you want to get a delicious pastry, and not its miserable store-like likeness, find out how those who have been doing Easter for many years bake Easter and, therefore, know all the secrets. By the way, the most important of them is by no means the composition of the test, not the temperature in the oven and not the mysterious mysteries of cooking. The main thing is a suitable attitude. You should have a light soul, and let only light thoughts remain. Putting the kitchen in order will help a lot - they traditionally clean it before making Easter cakes, so that the spirit of Easter baking is not clouded by both physical dirt and the spiritual remnants of past conflicts. The same applies to dishes - it should be clean, dry and sufficiently voluminous. It is equally important and right to choose the moment when you can bake Easter. The best time is the evening from Thursday to Friday before Christ Sunday.
Naturally, the products must be prepared in advance, and always of very high quality. You will need milk, eggs, sugar, yeast (and not at all dry), flour, butter and fillers - at least raisins, no Easter cake can do without it. Just look at how different people bake Easter! Of course, each craftswoman has her own recipe, but in one hostess they agree: there must be a "filling" in the paska. And what they just don’t add to it: nuts, and various dried fruits, and candied fruits, and there’s no need to talk about vanilla! In general, Easter cakes are a delicate matter, and from the whole variety of recipes you need to find the one that suits you exactly.
Ingredient preparation
All people before they bake Easter, always take out all the components from the refrigerator. The flour must be sifted, and it is better to do it twice. Milk must be heated - but to the temperature of the human body, and not to a boil! Swollen yeast is bred in it, half the flour and sugar are added. It is necessary to interfere with the resulting composition vigorously, but without fanaticism. The vessel is covered with a clean towel and removed to heat (and without any drafts!). Butter is heated, but in the test it is used warm, so you will need to give it time to cool. Some housewives put the dough in a bowl of hot water, but this is unreasonable: from below and from the sides it will heat up more than from above, as a result of the dough it will be heterogeneous, lumps may form.
Baking Easter: Secrets
Before kneading the dough, the eggs must be warmed to room temperature. But then the subtleties begin! Skillful cooks before baking Easter, wash their eggs and carefully separate the proteins and yolks. They should not mix in any case. Proteins are poured into an absolutely fat-free container - unless, of course, you want to beat them then with high-quality. For guarantee, you can add a few grains of salt or as many drops of lemon juice. A bowl of proteins is put in the cold - then they get stuck in a dense foam. The yolks are rubbed with sugar at this time.
“Raisinous” subtleties: most housewives simply steam it. And this can spoil the cake! And how do people bake Easter, on which all the neighbors then pray? Raisins are well washed, soaked for five minutes in warm rather than hot water, and preferably in a strong aromatic drink (rum, liquor, cognac). Then the berries are dried with a towel and mixed with flour so that they are evenly distributed over the body of the cake.
If we bake paska with nuts, we must also rinse them, soak them in hot water for a quarter of an hour, grind them, and then dry them or fry them, and only then add them to the dough.
The most important part
When the dough comes up, it will increase in volume by 2 times, then it will begin to slowly settle. This is a sign that it’s time to start baking. Prepared additives are introduced into the dough, the hands are greased with vegetable oil (so the baking will not stick to them), and the mass is thoroughly mixed. Baking dishes are being prepared . It is most convenient to line them with baking paper greased with butter. Fill the containers by a third or half - the amount of dough is determined by the density of the mass. The top - to maintain the shape of the Easter cake - it is better to grease with a downed yolk. And then it remains to watch. It is better to put a container of water in the bottom of the oven, so the heat will turn out to be softer. If the crown is already ruddy, but the “body” has not been baked, the top can be covered with foil or parchment. And if you are planning to bake Easter at home, know: the most difficult thing is to remove them correctly! In addition to accuracy, patience is required. It is necessary to put cakes on their side, without pulling out of the form, and sometimes roll them so that they cool evenly and do not lose shape. And only after this the products are removed from the containers and variously decorated.
The most beautiful - "hat"
This is what is eaten in the first place, especially in a house where there are children. For this treat you will need to make syrup. Sugar will go to it about 3 times more than water. Do not forget to remove the foam - sugar is now not too high quality. The syrup is ready when, when a drop enters the cold water, it curls into a ball. When the mass cools down to 40 degrees, it must be beaten to foam and grease the cake with the glaze obtained. Happy Easter!