Gluten-Free Paska

Paska is a Ukrainian Easter bread that I LOVED, growing up. This Gluten-Free Paska is only slightly different in texture, but TASTES perfect!

Note: This recipe was first posted on my original blog, Celebration Generation, on April 5, 2012. It was transferred over to this blog - existing comments and all - on 8/26/2021

This recipe has been a long time coming and has developed over almost a decade!

It all started in 2012, after I’d been asked to make 3 huge batches of my Paska for a screen test for a local TV show.

I was so torn - it was such a great opportunity, and I love to turn people on to Paska - it's *glorious* stuff - but I had already planned to not have to make Paska that year.

It was too great a temptation for me -the year before, I went off gluten-free when I made it and lived to sort of regret it. (The pain was awful, but the bread was kinda worth it - it's THAT good!).

I really didn't want to go flying off the gluten-free wagon, especially with my health doing so up till that point. I'm strong, but some temptations are too great, even for me. I know myself well, so I decided to create a gluten-free version.

Sure, I'd never made gluten-free bread before that point ... but you know, I love a challenge.

Anyway, I’m cataloging the updates here, as I find it interesting to see the various incarnations.

Note in 2022: Now I have a Keto Paska that's also gluten free!

Round One, 2012

This one utilized a commercial “all-purpose” flour mix, as I hadn’t yet figured out that flour blends really should be custom for each recipe.

It didn't have quite the same texture as the real deal, but the flavor was very close.

From 2012:

I slathered butter on a slice fresh out of the oven, and it was heavenly.

So good, in fact, that I immediately messaged local friend Alissa, of "The Accidental Celiac, to inform her that I am a GENIUS (and so humble!), and that if she was around, I had to bring her something.

There may have been some capitalized expletives and exclamation point abuse involved also.

I wrapped some still-hot goodness up, stepped away from preparing supper, and went the few short blocks to deliver it.

Yep, fresh out of the oven Paska is THAT urgent... especially because having access to safe, GOOD bread when gluten-free can make you sort of... feral.

Says Alissa:

"GF Paska, I dub thee "Magic Bread." My daughter already has had 2 servings..and a part of the braid on top.

It was so yummy...and the scent was heavenly. Nice and lemony...mmmmm THANKS for the surprise delivery!!!"

Anyway, the screen test ended up canceled, but at least I got THIS out of it all. This morning I was reminded that I had not posted this recipe, though all of this went down just over a week ago!

The first version of my gluten free paska.

Round Two, 2014

I was developing Beyond Flour.

The aim of the book was definitely “wish list” recipes, so I redid my earlier Gluten-free Paska recipe. I’d learned SO much about blending alternative flours, by that point.

Part of the changes dealt with technique: I did it in a bundt pan, rather than as a more traditional bread (As I’d tried the first time).

Given that a wetter batter meant no twisting dough for designs, the bundt pan allowed for a bit of “decorative”, within the constraints of the type of batter I was making.

It was SO much better than the first version!

I had been guilty of something I’d come to see in other gluten-free recipe developers: Being so far removed from the new thing + desperate, so “close enough” could be mistaken as “the real thing”!

This was why I ended up only using people who AREN’T gluten-free, as recipe testers for my gluten-free cookbooks!

The second version!

Round 3, 2021

Seven years later, here I am updating old blog entries with better photos, etc.

I’d developed the last version for Beyond Flour - before my big Gluten-Free Bagels breakthrough that happened in Beyond Flour 2.

SO, I decided to overhaul the recipe once again, using some of what I’d figured out in creating that bagel recipe.

... BUT I was off in my calculations. The batter overflowed, and I burnt the bread.

HOWEVER... the bread itself tasted amazing - exactly like a normal Paska!

Round 3. SO CLOSE... even if it doesn't look like it!

Round 4, a Few Days Later

I decided to go back to using a bundt pan (partially for volume, partially for appearance), tweaked a couple things about the new recipe (sugar content, added a bit more citrus, etc), and changed my baking time and temp.

AND IT WAS PERFECT.

I mean, almost.

As I’d mentioned in my regular Paska recipe, there are a bunch of different ways people make paska.

This one TASTES exactly like my normal paska but doesn’t have the soft, stretchy bread texture of MY normal paska.

However, it does have the exact same texture as other non-gf paskas I’ve had!

Think like... boxed grocery store panettone - the NOT gluten-free type. This is *bang on* for that.

As my (not gluten-free) husband says... It’s “PASS-ka”!

I mean, look at it:

Unf. So good!

How to Make Gluten-Free Paska

Prepare Your Ingredients

Measure warm milk into a glass measuring cup or bowl. Stir in yeast and sugar, allow to stand for 10 minutes – it should get very bubbly.

In a large mixing bowl, combine flours, protein powder, starches, xanthan gum, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.

Zest and Juice your oranges and lemon. You’ll need ¾ cup juice - if you end up with a little too much, discard a bit to get down to ¾ cup. If you don’t have quite enough, top up with water or prepared OJ / Lemon juice.

Note: I use this Cuisinart Juicer, love it!

Make Your Batter

In the bowl of a stand mixer - fit with a paddle, not a dough hook - cream together butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, beat until smooth.

Add juice and zest, continue mixing until well combined.

Add yeast mixture and dry ingredients; beat on low for 5 minutes.

Grease a standard-size bundt pan with butter or pan spray.

Once the dough has been mixed for 5 minutes, spread into the prepared bundt pan.

Cover with plastic wrap, and allow to rise somewhere warm for one hour, or until it’s about 50% bigger than it was.

Before and after the rise time.

Preheat oven to 350F (180 C).

Bake for 10 minutes.

Without opening the oven door, lower the heat to 325°F and continue to bake for another 30 minutes.

Check for doneness - insert a toothpick or knife into the center of the bread. If it comes out clean, it's done. If not, continue baking until it's fully baked.

Cool Paska for 5 minutes, then gently turn the pan over onto a serving dish to continue cooling.

Once Paska has cooled:

Measure 2 cups of icing sugar into a measuring cup. Add lemon juice and salt. Use a fork to whisk the mixture until smooth, scraping down the sides of the cup.

The mixture will be very thick.

Heat in a microwave for 10-15 seconds at a time - stirring between - until glaze is smooth and pourable.

Drizzle over paska, and quickly scatter sprinkles over it. The glaze sets up quickly, so move fast!

Gluten-Free Cookbooks

Also, if you're interested in gluten-free cooking and baking, you should definitely check out my gluten-free cookbooks: Beyond Flour: A Fresh Approach to Gluten Free Cooking & Baking, and the sequel... Beyond Flour 2. You can order them right here on my website, through Amazon, or through any major bookseller.

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5 from 15 votes

Gluten-Free Paska [Ukrainian Easter Bread]

Paska is a delicious Ukrainian Easter bread that I LOVED, growing up. This Gluten-Free Paska has all the flavour, and an acceptable texture. (Hey. It’s GF bread!)

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time40 minutes mins

Rising time1 hour hr

Total Time1 hour hr 55 minutes mins

Course: Bread, Breakfast

Cuisine: Gluten-free, Ukrainian

Servings: 10 People

Calories: 460kcal

Author: admin

Equipment

• 1 Bundt Pan

Ingredients

Paska

• 1 cup scalded milk cooled to warm
• 1 packet Active dry yeast or 2 ½ tsp
• 1 tablespoon Granulated sugar
• 1 ¼ cup Light buckwheat flour
• ¾ cup Sorghum flour
• ½ cup Unflavoured whey protein powder
• ¼ cup Coconut flour
• ¼ cup Tapioca Starch/Flour
• 2 ¼ teaspoon Xanthan gum
• 1 ½ teaspoon Salt
• ½ teaspoon Baking soda
• ½ cup Butter room temperature
• 1 ½ cups Granulated sugar
• 3 Large eggs
• Juice of 1 lemon and 1 orange* ¾ cup juice
• Zest of 1 lemon and 2 oranges

Glaze

• 2 cups Powdered sugar
• 3 tablespoon Lemon juice
• Pinch salt
• Sprinkles optional

Instructions

Paska

• Measure warm milk into a glass measuring cup or bowl. Stir in yeast and sugar, allow to stand for 10 minutes – it should get very bubbly.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine flours, protein powder, starches, xanthan gum, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer - fit with a paddle, not a dough hook - cream together butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, beat until smooth. Add juice and zest, continue mixing until well combined.
• Add yeast mixture and dry ingredients, beat on low for 5 minutes.
• Grease a standard size bundt pan with butter or pan spray.
• Once dough has been mixed for 5 minutes, spread into prepared bread pan. Cover with plastic wrap, and allow to rise somewhere warm for one hour, or until it’s about 50% bigger than it was.
• Preheat oven to 350F (180 C).
• Bake for 10 minutes.
• Without opening the oven door, lower the heat to 325°F and continue to bake for another 30 minutes.
• Check for doneness - insert a toothpick or knife into the center of the bread. If it comes out clean, it's done. If not, continue baking until it's fully baked.
• Cool Paska for 5 minutes, then gently turn pan over onto a serving dish to continue cooling.
• Once Paska has cooled:

Glaze

• Measure 2 cups of icing sugar into a measuring cup. Add lemon juice and salt.
• Use a fork to whisk the mixture until smooth, scraping down the sides of the cup. Mixture will be very thick.
• Heat in a microwave for 10-15 seconds at a time - stirring between - until glaze is smooth and pourable.
• Drizzle glaze over paska, and quickly scatter sprinkles over it. Glaze sets up quickly, so move fast!

Notes

* You need ¾ cup juice, total. If you have too much, discard a little to bring it down to ¾ cup. If you don’t have quite enough, top up with a little water.

Nutrition

Calories: 460kcal | Carbohydrates: 80g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 85mg | Sodium: 551mg | Potassium: 192mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 57g | Vitamin A: 409IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 64mg | Iron: 2mg

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