Post-Easter Baking

Yes, Easter has come and gone, but the whole weekend was so busy (notable events included JazzyBunny coming to visit from Ontario....awesome times with her!) that I didn't get to do a single bit of Easter baking.  Then I took off for California to go to a conference which is a whole other story in itself.  But, back to the baking.  So this story actually begins last year when my friend ifihadaboat introduced me to the time-honoured Mennonite tradition of making Paska at Easter.  What is Paska, you ask?  It is a light citrus bread made at Easter that is eaten voraciously by any in sight as soon as it comes out of the oven, usually slathered in icing.  My inaugural Paska experience was all sorts of delicious, and the two of us were quite pleased with ourselves for producing such an authentically scrumptious Paska.  This year, I was determined to repeat the experience even though my dear Mennonite partner-in-crime is now residing in the Northwest Territories and couldn't just pop over to help me make it.

The most difficult part of this recipe is that it requires a whole blended orange and lemon, and I have no blender.  But luckily, it was my awesome brother and sister-in-law Shalyn who came to my rescue and volunteered their Magic Bullet for this endeavour!  They even provided me with a container to bring home my orange-lemon sludge once I had sufficiently pureed it.  Now that is what family is for, I tell ya.  Always there for you in your hour of most dire procrastinatory-baking need.

Behold, here is my Paska dough, ready to enter the fiery furnace!  I stole the idea of adding embellishments to the top from a Ukrainian Paska website.

And here is the finished product, right out of the oven and ready for noms!  Those Mennonites would be proud.  Incidentally, this recipe is huuuge.  I had another whole loaf besides this one.  Good thing there were lots of people to help eat this up!

Next week is exams.  Bleh.  But the Langley Knit Night Secret Grinch Swap is coming up, which will be my one scheduled break before exams (no more baking, I swear!), and well worth waiting for.  I can't wait for the unveiling of the secret knitted items  =D  Stay tuned!