Kulich doesn't have to be perfect. The main thing is that it is soft inside, with a thin crust on the outside and smells like spring. This recipe does without long dough and capricious yeast. Everything is mixed in one go, and fits right into the mold while you do other things.
Ingredients:
Wheat flour – 450–500 g
Warm milk – 200 ml
Fresh yeast – 20 g or dry yeast – 7 g
Sugar – 100 g
Eggs – 3 pcs
Butter – 80 g
Raisins – 100 g
Zest of half an orange or lemon – optional
Vanilla sugar – 1 tsp.
Salt – a pinch
How to cook:
- Dissolve the yeast in warm milk with 1 tablespoon of sugar.
- Leave for 10 minutes, foam will appear.
- In a separate bowl, beat the eggs with the remaining sugar until slightly thickened.
- Add melted butter, vanilla sugar, zest and salt.
- Combine the egg mixture with the yeast mixture.
- Gradually add flour, stirring first with a spoon, then with your hands. The dough should be soft, but not stick to your fingers.
- Add rinsed and drained raisins, if using.
- Cover the bowl with a towel and leave in a warm place for 1–1.5 hours.
- Meanwhile, grease the paper pans and place them on a baking sheet.
- Punch down the dough to release any air and distribute evenly among the pans.
- Fill it a third full, it will rise a lot.
- Let sit for another 20–30 minutes.
- Bake at 170°C for about 35–40 minutes for a mold with a diameter of 9–10 cm. Check doneness with a wooden skewer; it should come out dry.
- Cool the cake on a wire rack. Frosting is not necessary, just sprinkle with powdered sugar or leave as is.
This cake does not crack, does not shrink and remains soft even on the third day.
Bon appetit!
