A Sweet Easter

EASTER BREAD
Velykų pyragas

2 cups scalded milk
2 packages active dry yeast
¼ cup plus ½ cup sugar
3 cups plus 3½ cups sugar
3 large beaten eggs
1 tsp. salt
1 cup white raisins
½ cup melted butter
1 large egg yolk
1½ Tbsps water
Cool scalded milk to 110 ° . Place in a large bowl or stand mixer. Add yeast, ¼ cup water and 3 cups flour. Mix well. Cover and let rise until light and bubbly. Add eggs, ½ cup sugar, salt, raisins and butter to yeast mixture, mixing well. Add remaining 3½ cups flour and knead until a smooth dough forms. Turn out into a greased bowl. Cover with greased plastic wrap and let rise until doubled. Punch down dough. Shape into 2 loaves and place in large loaf pans. Cover with greased plastic wrap  and let rise until doubled. Heat oven to 350 °. Brush with 1 egg yolk mixed with 1½ tablespoons water. Bake 50 minutes or until an instant read thermometer registers 190 °. Turn out onto wire rack to cool completely.

POPPY SEED BUNDT BREAD
Aguonų duona

Bread:
3 cups flour
1½ tsps. salt
1½ tsps. baking powder
3 eggs
1½ cups milk
1 1/8 cups oil
2¼ cups sugar
2 Tsps. poppy seeds
1½ tsps. vanilla extract
1½ tsps. butter flavored extract
1½ tsps. almond extract
Preheat oven to 350 ° . Grease and flour a bundt pan or two loaf pans. Mix all ingredients together and pour into the pan(s). Bake 1 hour for a bundt pan and 40-45 minutes for the two loaf pans. When the bread tests done, remove from the oven and poke holes with a knife so glaze can penetrate.
Glaze:
½ tsp. butter flavored extract
½ tsp. almond flavor extract
½ tsp. vanilla extract
¼ cup orange juice
¾ cup sugar
Heat all ingredients over medium heat until dissolved. Pour the glaze over the bread. Let stand for 10-15 minutes, remove bread from pan(s) and cool on rack.

TALL “BOBA”
Aukšta “Boba”
4½ cups flour
1½ cups milk
1½ oz. yeast
12 egg yolks
1 cup sugar
1 cup melted butter
1 tsp. salt
½ cup cleaned slivered almonds
½ cup small raisins
Warm the milk; add 2 cups of flour and diluted yeast; mix and let stand to rise. Then add salt, and beat well. Add egg yolks, creamed with the sugar until white, and the remaining flour. Beat thoroughly. Then add warm, melted butter, slivered almonds (almonds may be coarsely ground) and raisins. Mix well and put in a warm place to rise. Then beat well or knead again and pour into a high baking pan to 1/3 of its content. When the dough rises to 2/3 of the pan, carefully put it into the oven (hot) for 1 A Sweet Easter hour. When done, remove from the oven and let stand in the baking pan until cool. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Note: “Boba” is a traditional Easter cake. There are several ways to make it. Some cooks use 1-pound coffee cans for baking the bread, resulting in a very tall “Boba”.

ANGEL POPPY SEED CAKE
Aguoninis pyragas
½ cup poppy seeds
¾ cup boiling water
2 cups flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1½ cups sugar
½ tsp. cream of tartar
6 eggs, separated
½ cup oil
2 tsps. vanilla
Pour boiling water over the poppy seeds, cover and set aside overnight. In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients, add the yolks, oil, vanilla and drained poppy seeds. Beat with electric mixer at medium speed until smooth. In a separate bowl, combine cream of tartar and egg whites; whisk until stiff peaks form; gently fold whites into creamed mixture. Pour batter into an ungreased angel food cake pan and bake at 325 ° about 1 hour. Glaze with your favorite icing.

PANCAKES
Blynai, sklindžiai
1 cup flour
1 Tbsp. sour cream
4 eggs
1 cup milk
¼ tsp. salt
Separate egg yolks from whites. Beat yolks till light, stir into sifted flour, add cream, milk and salt. Fold in stiffly beaten egg whites. Fry on butter or oil. Use one large tablespoon of batter per pancake. Serve with syrup, honey or preserves. Note: Peeled, thinly sliced or grated tart apples can be added to batter.