Russian Kulich and Red Easter Eggs

Russian Easter Eggs are much different than Ukrainian Easter Eggs.

Among the Orthodox Easter celebrators in Russia, there is this homemade recipe: Remove some red and yellow onion skins and put them into a cooking pot. Add water to cover and boil a few minutes.

Ad some raw white eggs (brown eggs won't color correctly). Boil this mixture for as long as it takes to produce a deep red color(about 12 minutes). The eggs will emerge hard boiled and will look like a mystic creature's eggs in a very earthy attractive color!

The old-style way is to wrap each egg in an onion skin, tie it up with string and suspend it in the boiling water for a long time.

For these Russian Easter Eggs, no further decoration is necessary.

Lots of Easter Eggs are made in rural areas where meat, eggs and dairy are all still fasted for 40 days during Lent.

NOTE: In Japanese and other cultures of Asia, strong green tea is used instead of onion skins.

Hard boiled eggs are cracked all over with many tiny cracks and the eggs are placed into a jar of the strong tea enough to to cover, all night long on the ecounter top or in the refrigerator. Soy sauce made be added to the tea to create a saltier taste and a deeper color.

On Easter Morning or other occasion, the eggs are shelled to reveal a beautiful design and tasty Green Tea Eggs.

Kulich is a special Easter Bread in Russia that is often eaten only for the 40 days following Easter Sunday.

Save empty metal food cans throughout the year and keep them washed and clean. Remove the labels and cut out the bottom of the cans as well. The large soup cans are the best size for baking.

INGREDIENTS

• 8 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 packets of active yeast
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/4 cup warm water
• 2 tsp lemon extract
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 3/4 cup of evaporated milk
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup soft butter
• Grated peel of one medium orange and one lemon
• 2/3 cup granulated (white) sugar
• 6 eggs, beaten

Optional:

• 2/3 cups toasted slivered almonds
• 1/2 cup currants or dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup raisins

PREPARATION

• Use the water warm water to dissolve yeast and add the smaller amount of sugar,
• Mix milk and water in a pan and scald it. Remove from heat and add, butter, lemon extract, sugar, salt and citrus peels. Cool to lukewarm and add eggs.
• Beat in the flour until stiff. Then turn it out onto a floured board, working in more flour and knead it then for ten minutes.

• Continue kneading until dough is soft and elastic.
• Add nuts and fruits.
• Next, grease a large bowl, oil the dough and place it in. Cover it with a clean towel let rise to double.
• Punch the dough down and let it rest for 5 minutes.
• Grease the insides of the metal cans and set upright on a backing sheet. You may need to remove a rack from your oven in order to make enough room for the baking cans.
• Roll the dough into various size balls and put the balls into the greased tin cans.
• Oil the top of the dough in each of the cans and let rise until double.
• Bake at 350 degrees F. When a knife blade comes out clean, they are done.
• Roll the warm bread in clean dishtowels and put on a cooling rack.
• Stand the cakes upright on a serving plate(s) and frost the tops with homemade frosting and additional fruits and nuts.