Kulich
Russian Easter bread, a tall yeast cake with sugar glaze, and it is cooled lying down.
- Preparation
- 45 min
- Cook/bake time
- 50 min
- Total
- 6 hr 35 min
- Difficulty
- Advanced
- Calories
- 451 kcal
- Servings
- 12 pieces
- Prep
- 45 min
- Cooking & baking
- 50 min
- Resting
- 5 hr
Only 1 hr 35 min of that is hands-on – the rest takes care of itself.
Russian Easter bread, a tall yeast cake with sugar glaze, and it is cooled lying down. Like panettone, the crumb is not yet stable when hot and would collapse under its own weight. Unlike panettone, however, kulich is not hung upside down, but placed on a pillow and turned. Traditionally, it is on the table for Easter Mass.
Why this works
Kulich dough contains a lot of butter, egg yolks, and sugar, and each of these three slows down the yeast: fat coats the gluten strands, sugar draws water from the yeast osmotically. Therefore, the dough needs a pre-ferment. Only in this thin, low-sugar environment can the yeast multiply undisturbed, so that it is present in sufficient numbers in the main dough to overcome the obstacles. Without a pre-ferment, such a rich dough will hardly rise. The second point is cooling it lying down: the crumb of a tall, very soft yeast cake fresh from the oven does not yet have enough structure to support its own weight; its starches must first crystallize. Lying on its side and turned occasionally, the weight is distributed, and the kulich retains its height.
Step-by-step instructions
- 1
Prepare the pre-ferment
Mix the lukewarm milk, yeast, flour, and sugar into a thin batter and let it rise covered for 40 minutes until it becomes bubbly. In this low-sugar environment, the yeast multiplies undisturbed. Without this step, it cannot compete against the butter and sugar in the main dough.
- 2
Knead the main dough
Add the flour, sugar, egg yolks, salt, vanilla, and cardamom to the pre-ferment and knead for ten minutes. Then work in the softened butter in portions and knead for another ten minutes until the dough is shiny and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
- 3
First rise
Let the dough rise covered in a warm place for two hours until it has doubled in size. Rich yeast doughs take significantly longer than lean ones, so go by volume, not by the clock.
- 4
Fold in the fruit and second rise
Briefly fold in the drained raisins, candied orange peel, and almonds, and fill the dough two-thirds full into tall, greased molds. Let rise for another 90 minutes until it almost reaches the rim.
- 5
Bake and cool lying down
Bake the kulich at 170 °C for about 50 minutes. Cover it with foil after 25 minutes if it gets too dark. Remove it from the mold and place it **on a pillow or folded towel**, not upright, and turn it every twenty minutes. Once cooled, coat with the glaze made of egg white, powdered sugar, and lemon juice, and top with sprinkles.
Our best tips
- The pre-ferment is not optional for this dough. Butter and sugar slow down the yeast so much that it will not work without pre-multiplication.
- Cool lying down and turn. Upright, the soft crumb collapses under its own weight, and the tall cake becomes flat.
- In Russia, kulich is traditionally brought to Easter Mass along with paskha and dyed eggs to be blessed. It is a festive pastry, not an everyday cake.
Tasty variations
With saffron
Soak a pinch of saffron in the warm milk for the pre-ferment. This colors the crumb golden yellow and is common in some regions.
Bake in tin cans
Use tall, clean tin cans as molds. They yield the classic narrow, tall shape that would otherwise require special paper molds.
What is left over?
This recipe only uses the yolks. The whites keep for three days in the fridge and freeze well – nobody has to throw them out.
This recipe only uses the whites. There are better places for the yolks than the bin.
Nutrition facts
| Calories | 451 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 8 g |
| Carbohydrates | 74 g |
| – of which sugar | 41 g |
| Fat | 14 g |
| Fiber | 3 g |
Where the 451 kcal come from
per serving
Calculated from the ingredients – how we do it
We add up reference values for every ingredient and divide by the number of servings. These assumptions are baked in:
- Reference values per 100 g – for the raw ingredient, exactly as listed.
- Tinned goods count at drained weight, bone-in meat at purchase weight: you eat about 70 per cent of a chicken thigh and leave the rest.
- Water evaporates as you cook. The energy stays in the pot, the weight does not – so the figure is per serving, not per 100 g of finished dish.
- Anything listed without a quantity – “salt and pepper” – is not counted.
A guide value, not a lab measurement: no two onions weigh the same, and fat content varies from pack to pack.
Frequently asked questions
Why is kulich cooled lying down?
Because the crumb is not yet stable when hot. A tall, very soft yeast cake will collapse under its own weight if left upright. Lying down and turned regularly, the weight is distributed until the starches have crystallized.
How many calories are in a piece of kulich?
Around 450 kcal per piece for twelve pieces, with glaze. Butter, sugar, and dried fruits make up the majority. Without glaze, it is about 390 kcal.
Why do I need a pre-ferment?
Butter and sugar slow down the yeast considerably. In the pre-ferment, it first multiplies undisturbed in a thin, low-sugar environment, so that there is enough of it to leaven the rich main dough.
How long does kulich keep?
About a week in a sealed bag. The high fat and sugar content acts as a preservative. It actually gets better in the first few days because the moisture distributes more evenly.
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