Pasca (Romanian Easter Bread)

Name: Pasca (Romanian Easter Bread)
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 3 h 25 min
Total time: 3 h 45 min
Yield: 12 felii
Cuisine: Romanian
Ingredients: 400 g all-purpose flour; 80 g sugar; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1 packet dry yeast (8 g); 1 packet vanilla sugar (bourbon, i used dr. oetker); 2 eggs (at room temperature); 60 g melted butter; 80 ml milk (lukewarm); 60 ml water (lukewarm); filling; 100 g creamy cottage cheese; 30 g sugar; 50 ml milk; 1/2 vanilla bean; 1/2 tablespoon all-purpose flour; 50 ml whipping cream; 1 large egg; for brushing; 1 egg; 4 tablespoons milk

May 2, 2013

Dough Easter Recipes Lacto-Ovo Vegetarian Recipes Desserts Cheese Romanian

Better late than never, right? I finally made a pasca that in my vision looks like this: fluffy sweet bread dough, beautifully braided, filled with a fluffy cheese filling, almost like a soufflé, with a dominant vanilla fragrance.

I said vision, because where I come from this is not made like this. In my reality, pasca is just beautifully braided bread blessed at church. This bread is eaten as is, and a part is cut into cubes and mixed with blessed red wine. This mixture is called "holy Easter" in our region. The ritual is that in the morning, on an empty stomach, you take 3 teaspoons of this mixture, making the sign of the cross after each bite and saying "Christ has risen", and someone in the house must answer "Truly He has risen". Then a plate with water is prepared containing a nettle, a small coin and a red egg, and we wash our face with that water. Superstition says that this way you will be rosy (healthy) like the egg, tough like the nettle and have a prosperous year. Which I also wish for you 😊

Ingredients

400 g all-purpose flour
80 g sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 packet dry yeast (8 g)
1 packet vanilla sugar (bourbon, I used Dr. Oetker)
2 eggs (at room temperature)
60 g melted butter
80 ml milk (lukewarm)
60 ml water (lukewarm)

Filling

100 g creamy cottage cheese
30 g sugar
50 ml milk
1/2 vanilla bean
1/2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
50 ml whipping cream
1 large egg

For brushing

1 egg
4 tablespoons milk

How to prepare pasca (romanian easter bread)

Mix the flour with sugar and salt.
Beat the eggs and mix with milk, water and melted butter.
In the bread machine, put the egg mixture over which you sprinkle the dry yeast and vanilla sugar. Place the flour mixture on top. Set the machine to the kneading and rising program.
* the dough can also be kneaded by hand, then left to rise in a warm place for 1 hour.
Place the risen dough on a floured surface and knead lightly. Divide into two pieces.
With your hands, stretch one piece into a round sheet of 26 cm. Place it in a 26 cm diameter round pan, lined with baking paper on the bottom.
Divide the remaining dough into 2 or 3 pieces. Roll out thin, long ropes from these pieces (about 70 cm long). Braid the ropes (if you made 3) or twist them (if you made 2). Place the braid around the edge of the pan.
Place the pan in a bag and let it rise in a warm place for 1 hour.
For the filling, mix the creamy cheese with sugar, vanilla bean seeds, milk and flour. Add the egg yolk and mix until smooth. Fold in the whipped cream with a whisk. Finally fold in the egg white beaten to soft peaks, not so stiff that it holds on the whisk.
Put the filling in the center of the risen bread. Brush the pasca with egg beaten with milk.
Bake the pasca at 170C for 35-40 minutes, until golden on top. Let it cool completely and only then can it be sliced. I dusted the filling with a little cinnamon.