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It was a beautiful summer day when I got the call from my Mom asking me to come home. She didn’t want to tell me over the phone.
I was over at a friend’s house watching “The Shining.” I already knew what she was going to say, so I stayed and watched the rest of the movie. l didn’t want to hear it because then it would be real.
Baba never seemed to care about being fat or losing weight. And if she did, I never heard her talk about it. From my grandkid perspective, she was just perfect and exactly like a Baba should be – round, pudgy and huggable. She was also an amazing baker.
Every Easter Baba made Ukrainian Easter Bread and that Easter was no exception. It was something I ate with abandon and without the remorse of middle age.
I often hear people talk about bread being a weakness; that was never the case for me. Don’t get me wrong, I have many weaknesses when it comes to food (and let’s not forget wine) but bread isn’t up there at the top of that list. Except when Easter rolled around and the Ukrainian Paska came out. Then everything changed….
This is the only homemade bread I have ever made. And the amount of work that went into it was exhausting! It’s really a lot of unnecessary punching down and waiting and kneading and waiting and well, you get the picture. Since I discovered bread maker Paska, I don’t plan on making it by hand ever again. Why do all that labor and waste all that time when the bread maker can do it on your behalf? I’m guessing Baba would have done the same, given the opportunity.
Baba never made it to the annual Mother’s Day Brunch that year. Then she spent what felt like an eternity in the hospital in a coma. She was 66. I was 12.
That call I received from my Mom on that beautiful sunny summer day fundamentally altered me. It altered me in a way that only losing someone you love can, as you desperately try to pack the wound, then spend the rest of your life trying to fill that scarred and hollow space with something that gives you even an inkling of pleasure. But I didn’t know how to fill it because I was just a kid. So I floundered.
Ukrainian Bread Machine Easter Bread
Had I known that Easter would have been my last Easter eating her Ukrainian Easter bread, I would have eaten even more, I would have savored every bite, but most importantly, I would have hugged her even that much tighter and longer.
There are obvious disadvantages to being a great baker.
I later found out that she had a stroke and was not in the greatest of health for quite some time leading up to it. She was an uncontrolled Type 2 diabetic, likely never exercised a day in her life and loved to eat the naughty and delicious things she created. And although I know my family history, the importance of exercise and healthy eating, have my own concerns about my weight, it still takes a lot of will power to practice moderation and not indulge in too much of my own baking.
That hollow, scarred space still aches and echoes at times, but I have learned how to fill it with some pleasurable things, like making this Easter bread every year and sharing it with my kids. And each and every time those flaky Paska morsels meet my taste buds, they wrap around me in a really long, tight Baba hug. And for that moment in time, I put aside the worry about weight, indulge in too much Ukrainian Easter bread and savor every last bite.
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Bread Maker Paska (Ukrainian Easter Bread)
Ingredients
- 1 egg
- 1 cup water, approximately
- 2 Tbsp milk powder
- 3 1/2 Tbsp white sugar
- 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 Tbsp butter melted
- 1 tsp salt
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp breadmaker/breadmachine yeast regular
Instructions
- Break egg into a 2 cup measuring cup and add enough water to make 1 1/2 cups. Beat well and place in bread machine. Add milk powder, sugar, melted butter, salt, flour and yeast.
- Set bread machine to dough cycle and press start. When finished, remove dough from the machine. Set aside enough dough to create the decorations to be placed on top (* Note: I set aside about 1/6 of the dough, but it will be more or less depending on the decorations you make)
- Shape the rest of the dough into a round loaf and place in a greased, round shallow pan. Depending on the size you use, you may need to use more than one pan.
- Decorations: decorate the loaves with the dough previously set aside.The central ornament on pasta is usually a cross. Roll the strips of dough approximately 1/4- 1/2 inch in diameter. Here are some ideas:
- Set the loaves in a warm place to rise for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
- Carefully watch the ornaments while rising so that it does not get out of shape. The shape can be corrected by gently inserting a wooden toothpick or cake tester, along the side of the ornamentation that has risen too much.
- Before baking brush the top of the Paska with a beaten egg diluted with 1 tbsp of water (which I forgot to do in the photo) * It's not absolutely necessary, but it's just not as shiny.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 25-35 minutes or until golden brown. * If ornaments are browning too quickly, cover very loosely with tinfoil or parchment paper.
- Cool in pans for approximately ten minutes before gently removing. Cool on a wire cooling rack.
It still hurts, also for me, the hollow space in my heart that belongs to my nonna. She died 3 years ago, at 95, so I guess I had more time with her than you, but time is never enough, and I was away, here in Canada, when it happened. Like you, I make her favorite food to keep her alive, I make fettuccine, and all the homemade pasta. This is a beautiful bread, full of love and memories, and it is great that it is so easy to make, now, with a bread maker!
Thank you. I’m so sorry for your loss… and you are right- it is never enough time. Food really does keep loved ones living on. I’m grateful we at least have this 🙂
It still hurts, also for me, the hollow space in my heart that belongs to my nonna. She died 3 years ago, at 95, so I guess I had more time with her than you, but time is never enough, and I was away, here in Canada, when it happened. Like you, I make her favorite food to keep her alive, I make fettuccine, and all the homemade pasta. This is a beautiful bread, full of love and memories, and it is great that it is so easy to make, now, with a bread maker!
Thank you. I’m so sorry for your loss… and you are right- it is never enough time. Food really does keep loved ones living on. I’m grateful we at least have this 🙂
I love Paska more than any other bread. It’s popular back home In Winnipeg, but here in Saskatchewan I never really see it. Baba buys hers now, but I still make it from time to time – but we make ours with raisins.
I am from Wpg too, Nicole, and yes, it was popular! That’s interesting that you don’t see it in Saskatchewan, with their big Ukrainian population. My Baba put raisins in her Babka, which I also make (I like it too, but it’s a bit sweeter). I usually make both every year. I have a bread maker recipe for that too!
I love Paska more than any other bread. It’s popular back home In Winnipeg, but here in Saskatchewan I never really see it. Baba buys hers now, but I still make it from time to time – but we make ours with raisins.
I am from Wpg too, Nicole, and yes, it was popular! That’s interesting that you don’t see it in Saskatchewan, with their big Ukrainian population. My Baba put raisins in her Babka, which I also make (I like it too, but it’s a bit sweeter). I usually make both every year. I have a bread maker recipe for that too!
lots of people here in Saskatchewan make Paska, I am not Ukrainian but my sisterinlaw is and one of my sisters Motherinlaw was Ukrainian .. SO I leaqrned how to make it from… The Western Producer Recipe page, and I have had my SIL tell me it was prizewinningdelicious ! Now I make it every year… today is the day, still waiting in between additions and will soon be time to get the pans all ready. I decorate mine with crosses and braids around the top outside edge of the loaves. This year I will also make flowers for the centers of a couple loaves. As well I have some spaghetti tins that will make a small loaf, I will give them wrapped as a gift to take home for our guests. Happy Easter !
Hi Shirley: Spaghetti tins for small loaves is brilliant! I need to try that. And what a wonderful gift for your guests.
Happy Easter to you too!
Aren’t grandmothers wonderful. How lucky you were to have had your Baba in your life and all the special memories, like this bread, to cherish. I understand that empty place, as many of us do. I was very close to my Gramma, who died at age 97, and I still miss her. Food is a great way to feel connected and remember the good times. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks, Colleen. I don’t think the missing ever ends, but at least the pain becomes a little less acute. And we are so fortunate to have these traditional foods – such an amazing way to stay connected.
I made your bread for the first time. Like you, I long for my grandmother and her baking. I pray I make her proud by trying and keep her memory alive. She was my best friend and miss her terrible. The smell radiating from my oven melts my soul. Thank you dear friend.
Hi Kristy, I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much and it helped you connect to such special memories of your dear grandmother 🙂
Happy Easter!
I have a question. Can u finish the entire Paska in the bread machine? I don’t have an oven big enough to bake bread in. Thanks!
Hi Christina,
No you cannot, as this makes dough for several loaves. It just wouldn’t work. How big is your oven? Is it a toaster oven or something like that?