Rich Easter Kulich
The tastiest, softest, and most aromatic - perfect for a holiday! This rich Easter kulich is kneaded with a scalded dough base and includes raisins and dried cherries. It turns out sweet, airy, and beautiful. It stays fresh for a long time, and you can use either egg-white or chocolate icing.
Updated : 04 February, 2026
Easy
More than 1 hour.
Ingredients
Starter
2 teaspoon
Sugar
11 grams
Yeast
150 milliliters
Milk
Batter
30 milliliters
Cognac
1 kilograms
Wheat flour
260 grams
Sugar
100 grams
Butter
4
Eggs
2
Egg yolks
10 grams
Vanilla sugar
50 milliliters
Vegetable oil
100 grams
Sour cream
200 grams
Raisins
150 grams
Dried cherries
50 grams
Confectionery sprinkles
Glaze
2
Egg whites
1
Lemon
360 grams
Powdered sugar
Scalded dough
3 tablespoon
Wheat flour
350 milliliters
Milk
50 grams
Butter
Table
Table of volume measurements:
- teaspoon - 5 ml
- dessert spoon - 10 ml
- tablespoon - 20 ml
- glass - 200 ml
Preparation
Step 1
How do you bake a rich Easter kulich in the oven? Prepare the ingredients from the list. You can use fresh yeast - then you’ll need 3 times more than dry yeast. Instead of dried fruit, you can use candied fruit or lemon (orange) zest.
Step 2
Mix the yeast with warm milk and sugar, and leave for 15-20 minutes. The milk should be warm, not hot - yeast will die in overly hot milk.
Step 3
Rinse the raisins and dried cherries, pat dry, and pour cognac over them - this makes the bake more aromatic and helps it stay fresh longer.
Step 4
Prepare the scalded dough: bring the butter and milk to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat.
Step 5
Remove the butter-and-milk mixture from the heat and add flour. Stir and let the mixture cool to about 50°C / 122°F.
Step 6
For the main dough, crack 4 eggs into a mixing bowl and add 2 egg yolks. Add sugar and vanilla sugar. Beat with a mixer until pale, fluffy, and airy.
Step 7
Add the risen yeast mixture to the whipped eggs - it must have risen. If it didn’t, the yeast isn’t active and needs to be replaced.
Step 8
Mix the scalded dough into the main mixture until smooth. Add sour cream, butter, and 20 ml of vegetable oil, and stir.
Step 9
Add sifted flour in portions and knead the dough. Be sure to sift the flour to remove any debris and to aerate it - this makes the kulich fluffier. Be ready that you may need more or less flour than stated. Judge by the desired dough consistency, not the exact amount.
Step 10
Cover the kneaded dough and leave it to rise in a warm place for 1-1.5 hours.
Step 11
Punch down the risen dough, greasing your hands and work surface with vegetable oil, and knead in the dried fruit.
Step 12
Let the dough rise a second time.
Step 13
Divide the dough among kulich molds. From this amount, I got 5 medium and 2 small kulichi. Place the filled molds in a warm place for about 40 minutes, until the dough doubles. Preheat the oven to 180°C / 356°F.
Step 14
Bake the risen kulichi in the preheated 180°C / 356°F oven for 40-60 minutes. Exact time depends on your oven. Check doneness with a wooden skewer or toothpick: insert it into the center and pull it out - if it comes out dry, the kulich is ready.
Step 15
While the yeast kulichi are baking, make the icing: beat the egg whites with 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and powdered sugar until thick, white, and fluffy.
Step 16
Remove the baked kulichi from the molds.
Step 17
Dip the hot kulichi into the egg icing.
Step 18
Decorate the Easter kulichi with sprinkles or sweet figures immediately, before the icing sets. Happy baking and a bright holiday!
Author note
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