Paska Bread Recipe (Bread Machine)

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 (this Paska bread recipe) and that Easter was no exception. It was something I ate with abandon and without the remorse of middle age.

🍞Bread Machine Paska Recipe

Paska bread is the only homemade bread I have ever made. And the amount of work that went into it was exhausting! It was truly a labor of love. BUT it's really a lot of unnecessary punching down and waiting and kneading and waiting and well, you get the picture. Since I discovered I can make traditional Paska bread with a bread machine, 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. I also make my Babka Ukrainian Easter Bread (shown below) the same way now!

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 Paska bread came out. Then everything changed....

🥘 Ingredients

Paska bread ingredients (bread maker):

• egg
• water
• milk powder
• white granulated sugar
• vegetable oil
• butter
• salt
• all-purpose flour
• bread machine yeast

*See recipe card for quantities

🔪 Instructions (for decorating Paska)

1. When dough cycle is finished, remove dough from the bread machine. Set aside enough dough to create the decorations to be placed on top (* Note: I set aside about ⅙ of the dough, but it will be more or less depending on the decorations you make)
2. Shape the rest of the dough into a round loaf and place in a greased (with vegetable shortening), round shallow pan. Depending on the size you use, you may need to use more than one pan.
3. 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 ¼- ½ inch in diameter. Here are some ideas:

*See recipe card for full instructions

💭 Top tip

If ornaments are browning too quickly, cover very loosely with aluminum foil or parchment paper. 

🍽 Equipment

For this bread maker paska, you are going to need a bread machine (affiliate link) for this recipe.

👪 Serving Size

This Easter Paska bread recipe is for a 1 lb bread maker and makes about 10 servings/slices.

🌡️Storage

• This traditional Easter bread can be stored, at room temperature, in a sealed container, for up to 4 days. *I find that putting it in the fridge dries it out faster
• Freezing: This bread Machine Paska freezes really well. The best way to prep it for freezing is to wrap it in plastic wrap (I use Glad press n' seal wrap) and place it in a Ziplock freezer bag. It will last for at least 3 months in your freezer.

Paska is a delicious bread and a great accompaniment to any Easter meal. If you are looking for Easter brunch ideas for Easter morning, check out my Easter Brunch Menu~!

❔Frequently Asked Questions

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.

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 recipe every year and sharing it with my kids. It has become a family tradition. 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.

So if you are looking for an easy way to make Paska bread, then give my family recipe for Ukrainian Paska recipe a try!

And check out my Ukrainian Ornamental Dove Tutorial HERE!

Bread Machine Kolach-Ukrainian Christmas bread

And be sure to check out my other Ukrainian Easter Recipes

⭐ Reviews

Did you make this recipe? Please RATE THE RECIPE below!

Here's what others are saying: "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 terribly. The smell radiating from my oven melts my soul. Thank you dear friend."⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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📋 Paska Bread Recipe (Bread Machine)

This easy Bread Machine Paska bread, a traditional Ukrainian Easter Bread, is made in your bread machine, then decorated with simple decorations and baked for a short time.

5 from 4 votes

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Course: Dessert, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine: Ukrainian

Servings: 10 servings

Calories: 246kcal

Author: Terri Gilson

Prep Time: 2 hours hours 35 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes

Total Time: 3 hours hours

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Ingredients

• ▢ 1 egg
• ▢ 1 cup water, approximately
• ▢ 2 tablespoon milk powder
• ▢ 3 ½ tablespoon white sugar
• ▢ 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• ▢ 2 tablespoon butter melted
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 4 cups all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1 teaspoon breadmaker/breadmachine yeast regular

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Break egg into a 2 cup measuring cup and add enough water to make 1 ½ cups. Beat well and place in bread machine. Add milk powder, sugar, melted butter, oil, salt, flour and yeast.
• Set bread machine to dough cycle and press start. 

  When finished, remove dough from the machine. Divide dough by setting aside enough dough to create the decorations to be placed on top (* Note: I set aside about ⅙ 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 (with vegetable shortening), 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 ¼- ½ inch in diameter. Here are some ideas:
  
• Set the loaves in a warm place and let the dough 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 tablespoon 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/175 degrees C 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. 

Notes

*See post content for important recipe information and tips!

 

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 246kcal (12%) | Carbohydrates: 43g (14%) | Protein: 6g (12%) | Fat: 5g (8%) | Saturated Fat: 3g (19%) | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 24mg (8%) | Sodium: 266mg (12%) | Potassium: 85mg (2%) | Fiber: 1g (4%) | Sugar: 5g (6%) | Vitamin A: 108IU (2%) | Vitamin C: 1mg (1%) | Calcium: 25mg (3%) | Iron: 2mg (11%)

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