Easter Bread- Babka

Aunty Marion gave me this recipe this morning. Although she has not made this in a couple of years, she likes the addition of oranges and says it’s much better than lemon. My Mom used to make one  with orange and it is interesting that this recipe also doesn't use as many eggs. Some Babka recipes add as many as 12 eggs to the dough. My mom did not like the taste of a very eggy dough.. Not to mention that it needs to be handled very carefully during and after baking so this very light dough does not collapse.. Some cooks suggest cooling the baked bread on a pillow, this I did when I first cooked the Babka in Winnipeg.. much to the amusement of my Mom and today my Aunt!  She also suggests as did my Mom to cook at one temperature, depending on your oven, 325 or 350 degrees for 1/2 hour.  

Here is her recipe

2 cups of lukewarm scaled milk

1/2 c lukewarm water. 

2 packages of quick rise, now she only uses regular so the yeast has to be proofed first in the lukewarm water and milk 

1 cup of sugar or least

pinch of salt 

1/2 cup of butter

6 egg yolks or whole egg

vanilla

2 oranges, rind and juce of the 2 oranges

1/2 pound of golden seedless raisins

10 cups of flour , more or less according to her!!LOl


Tomorrow I will be doing Easter breads with my nephew's wife and their kids, twins that are almost 3 and a 5 year old.. we will be using coffee tins, in this case the size is 19 inches circumference, 6 1/2 inches diameter and height. 
Since the three children will be taking their own Easter Basket to Bless at the Church on Easter weekend, we will be making individual sized Paska and Babka bread!