Pască (Romanian Easter Cheese Bread)
In short: A soft yeast dough shell filled with sweet cheese, eggs and raisins, baked golden with a cross on top for the Romanian Easter table. It takes about 1 h 40 min in total and makes 12 servings.
- Prep
- 45 min
- Cook
- 55 min
- Resting
- 4 h
- Total
- 1 h 40 min
- Servings
- 12
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Calories
- 355 kcal
Pască is the Easter bread of Romania: a soft yeast dough shaped into a tall round shell and filled with sweet fresh cheese, eggs and raisins. A cross of dough on top marks the season, and the filling bakes into a tender, golden custard. Many families bring it to church in the Easter basket to be blessed. It is best the day after baking, served at room temperature.
Instructions
- Mix the flour, yeast, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Add the warm milk, egg yolks, melted butter, lemon zest and vanilla, and knead for 8 to 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Cover and let rise for 1 hour, until doubled.
- For the filling, press the cheese through a fine sieve into a bowl. Whisk in the eggs, sugar, sour cream, semolina, lemon zest and vanilla until smooth, then stir in the raisins.
- Heat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Grease a 24 cm (9 1/2 in) springform pan and line the base with baking paper.
- Set aside one-quarter of the dough. Roll the rest into a 34 cm (13 in) circle and press it into the pan, letting it come up the sides by about 5 cm (2 in).
- Pour in the filling. Roll the reserved dough into two ropes and lay them across the top in a cross, tucking the ends into the rim. Fold the edge of the dough in toward the filling.
- Brush the dough with the egg wash. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, until the dough is golden and the filling is set with only a slight wobble in the center. Cover loosely with foil if it browns too fast.
- Cool completely in the pan, then refrigerate for at least 3 hours. Serve at room temperature, cut into wedges.
Tips
- Make sure the cheese is dry. If it looks wet, hang it in a cloth for an hour, or the filling will weep and the dough base will turn soggy.
- For a lighter filling, whisk the 3 egg whites to soft peaks and fold them in at the end, adding the yolks to the cheese mixture instead.
Questions and answers
Can I make pască ahead of time?
Yes. Bake it up to 2 days ahead, keep it covered in the fridge and serve at room temperature. The flavor settles and the slices cut more cleanly.
Why did my pască filling crack?
Some cracking is normal, and it comes from the filling puffing in the oven. Avoid it by not overbaking and by letting the pască cool slowly in the switched-off oven with the door ajar.
Does pască need to be refrigerated?
Yes. It contains fresh cheese and eggs, so keep it chilled and leave it out for no more than 2 hours at a time.
How long does it take to make Pască (Romanian Easter Cheese Bread)?
About 1 h 40 min in total: 45 min of preparation and 55 min of cooking.
How many calories are in Pască (Romanian Easter Cheese Bread)?
About 355 kcal per serving, with 15 g of protein, 46 g of carbohydrates and 12 g of fat. These values are estimates.
Nutrition per serving
| Calories | 355 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 15 g |
| Carbohydrates | 46 g |
| Fat | 12 g |
| Fiber | 1 g |
| Sugar | 22 g |
| Sodium | 150 mg |
Estimated values, calculated from the ingredients.
