Paska

Description
1 recipe, makes 3 loaves of bread, 3 Kalachas and 1 longosha (cabbage pie) and 1 portion of Babalki (or 8 loaves of bread) (or 8 Kalachas).

Ingredients

 * 5 lbs of unbleached flour
 * 1 stick of butter or margarine, plus more to rub on at the end
 * 3 pkg of yeast (or 3¾ tsp dry loose bulk yeast)
 * 3 cups warm water (divided into 1 cup and 2 cups)
 * 3 eggs, room temperature
 * 2 cans evaporated milk
 * 8 tbsp honey
 * 2 tbsp sugar (for sweeter dough add a little more)
 * 1 tbsp salt
 * oil (to make handling the dough easier)
 * 1 beaten egg for an egg wash
 * a little yellow food color (optional)

Directions

 * 1) Put the unbleached flour in very large bowl or soup pot (put oven on warm for 15 minutes shut off and put pot in (covered) for 1 hour before starting, to warm flour)
 * 2) Cut the butter or margarine into flour, keep warm.
 * 3) In large glass bowl dissolve the yeast in 1 cup warm water, beat in room temperature eggs
 * 4) Scald the evaporated milk, cool slightly
 * 5) Add 2 cups warm water, mix all together with eggs and yeast, add honey, sugar, and salt, to yeast mixture (optionally, the yellow food color), let bubble.
 * 6) Slowly add to warm flour, oil hands well, knead for 15 minutes.
 * 7) Put into a large oiled bowl or soup pot, cover with saran wrap let rise in that same warm oven till double in size.
 * 8) Punch it down, put back in pot let rise again.
 * 9) Punch down work dough, should be smooth and elastic.
 * 10) Cut with knife into 8 buns.
 * 11) Grease loaf pans.
 * 12) Shape 3 buns into loaves, put into loaf pans.
 * 13) Slash top with knife, let rise in warm place till double.
 * 14) Brush with egg wash.
 * 15) Bake 350 – 400 °F for 30 minutes.
 * 16) When done rub butter all over loaf to keep crust soft.
 * 17) Wrap in plastic bag to store.
 * 18) (the beaten egg brushed on the dough before cooking makes everything look shiny and brown like it was varnished and new) (the butter rubbed on after cooking keeps the crust soft to cut easier).