Sick of hot cross buns? Try Easter Paska buns instead!

The fact shelves of hot cross buns seem to appear in supermarkets right after Australia Day is a sign these fruity baked goods are an Easter treat beloved by many.

But if you’ve had your fill by the time Easter Sunday rolls around and want to diversify your palate, why not try these Easter Paska buns? Paska is a rich, citrussy sweet bread, typically baked in loaves or rolls of all shapes and sizes and decorated with icing and sprinkles. It’s a traditional dish made at Easter time in countries such as Germany and Ukraine.

This recipe takes the traditional loaf and turns it into buns, so they’re easier to share with friends. Enjoy!

Serves 30

Ingredients

BUNS

• 2 tbsp instant dry yeast
• 1 cup room temperature water
• 1 tsp white sugar
• 7 1/2 cups plain flour
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1 lemon
• 1 orange
• 1 1/4 cup milk, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup sugar

FROSTING

• 230g full-fat cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
• 2 cups icing sugar
• Enough milk so that a spreadable consistency is reached
• Sprinkles (if desired)

Method

1. Add yeast, water and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment (or use a large bowl and a hand mixer with a dough hook attachment). Let rise for 2 minutes.
2. Add 6 cups of flour and salt to the bowl with the yeast mixture.
3. Zest the lemon and orange and add to the bowl with the flour and yeast mixture.
4. Peel orange and lemon and add fruit flesh to your blender (be sure to remove the seeds).
5. Add milk, butter, eggs and sugar to the blender and blend on high speed until smooth.
6. Add contents of the blender to the bowl of the mixer and mix on low speed until a sticky dough forms.
7. Add additional 1 to 1 1/2 cups flour as the mixer kneads the dough, 1/2 cup at a time until the dough becomes less sticky, but still soft. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rise for 90 minutes.
8. Divide dough into 30 equal pieces and roll each piece into a round bun shape. Place buns on baking-paper-lined trays.
9. Cover with a tea towel and let rise for about 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 170C.
10. Bake buns for about 20 minutes, or until golden brown on top.
11. Leave buns until completely cooled.

FROSTING

1. Add cream cheese and butter to a medium bowl, then cream them together with a hand mixer or wooden spoon.
2. Add icing sugar 1/2 cup at a time and mix well until blended, scraping down sides of the bowl after each addition.
3. Add a few drops of milk – if necessary – to loosen up the frosting so it’s easily spreadable.
4. When buns are cooled, spread a little frosting over each and add sprinkles (if desired).

You can enjoy these immediately, or store for up to three days in an air-tight container. Don’t refrigerate, though, as this will only dry the buns out.