Easter Kulich

One day before making the kulich, prepare saffron water: pour a pinch of saffron into 10 ml of boiling water, stir and let it steep. Whip the butter and 1.5 cups of sugar until the mixture becomes white and fluffy. Add salt, egg yolks, cardamom, nutmeg, saffron water, lemon zest, and vanilla sugar. (You can make vanilla sugar yourself by placing a vanilla pod in sugar and letting it steep for a few days.)

Dissolve the yeast in warm (not hot) milk. Add 0.5 cup of sugar, half of the flour, mix with your hands or a wooden spoon, and place in a warm place to let the dough rise. When the dough increases in size, incorporate the softened butter. Knead the mixture well with a wooden spoon.

Whip 3 egg whites with a mixer until not very stiff foam and add to the dough, kneading it. The dough needs to be kneaded for a long time, gradually adding the remaining flour while ensuring it is not too stiff. The finished dough should be smooth and very sticky, without lumps.

Transfer the dough to a large bowl, cover with a lid, plastic wrap, or a large towel, and place in a warm, draft-free spot. The dough should rise for 3-4 hours.

After the dough rises, knead it and let it rise again. The second time the dough will rise significantly faster.

Coat the candied fruits and raisins in flour (raisins can be soaked in hot water beforehand to soften). When the dough rises for the second time, mix in the candied fruits and raisins thoroughly.

Grease the surface of the molds with butter or vegetable oil, and line the bottom with parchment paper. Thoroughly dust the inner surface of the molds with flour. Distribute the dough into the molds. The dough should fill the molds just under halfway. Let the dough rise and allow it to rise well. This may take about 2 hours.

Carefully place the kulich in a preheated oven at 160 degrees. Do not open the oven for the first 40 minutes. After the kulich has risen, increase the temperature to 180 degrees. After 50 minutes of baking, check if the dough is cooked with a skewer. If the dough is not yet cooked and the top of the kulich starts to burn, cover it with foil.

Take the kulich out of the oven and let it cool, then you can remove it from the molds.

For the glaze: whip 3 egg whites until stiff, gradually adding powdered sugar. Add lemon juice while continuing to whip. Apply the glaze to the cooled kulich.

Apply glaze on the cooled kulich.