Classic Ukrainian yeast paska
This Ukrainian Easter paska uses an enriched yeast dough with milk, eggs, butter, raisins and citrus zest. A sponge and two further rises precede baking in paper or parchment-lined moulds.
Modern adaptation
Korovai (Peremyshl-region style)
Korovai · Ukrainian wedding bread · Peremyshl wedding loaf
A Peremyshl-region Ukrainian wedding bread made from sweet yeast dough, shaped as a large braided round with a smaller memento loaf.
A Peremyshl-region wedding loaf
The recipe author identifies this one-tier korovai and its smaller memento loaf with the Peremyshl region, which the author describes as a Ukrainian borderland region now in Poland. The formula was shared at a korovai baking class. Its braided ring and smaller companion are one specific family and class version, not a design used by every Ukrainian family.
The Ukrainian Institute's 2025 account describes korovai as a wedding bread whose shapes, sizes, decorations and customs vary across Ukraine. It notes that loaves may be round or rectangular and are often shared among wedding guests. Those broad ritual details do not turn one arrangement into a universal template.
Sources for this section
Mix and shape two rounds
The Peremyshl-region formula combines one cup evaporated milk and half a cup water with yeast and sugar. Five cups flour and salt form a sponge that rises until doubled. A separate mixture of six beaten extra-large eggs, half a cup sugar and optional vanilla, rum extract and lemon zest joins the remaining flour and melted butter. Knead for about 15 minutes, rest for five minutes, then knead again. Divide the dough into a roughly 3 lb main portion, a roughly 1 lb smaller loaf and leftover dough for edible decorations; cover and let the portions double.
For the main round, the instructions weigh three 12-ounce strands, two 4-ounce strands and one 3-ounce centre piece. Braid the long strands into a ring, lay a tightly twisted pair along its outer edge and set the flattened centre ball inside. These listed pieces total 47 ounces against a 3 lb portion, a one-ounce difference the source does not explain. The author also suggests a smaller memento loaf in an 8-inch pan or pie plate, but the smaller-loaf cut list totals 19.5 ounces against the stated 1 lb portion; this version shapes that smaller portion as a simple round rather than repeating the conflicting weights.
Sources for this section
Bake and keep until the wedding
Proof the shaped loaves until doubled, brush with beaten egg and water, then bake 15 minutes at 350°F (177°C). Lower to 325°F (163°C). Remove the smaller loaf after about 30 more minutes; rest it briefly and cool it on a rack. Bake the large loaf about 15 minutes longer, or until its base sounds hollow when tapped, then rest and cool it. The source calls for egg glaze again after baking but gives no further bake; this version omits that application. The source supplies no internal temperature.
After the loaves cool completely, the recipe author says to wrap them in foil and refrigerate or freeze them until the wedding assembly. No storage duration is stated. Flour and eggs are raw before baking: do not taste dough, and wash hands, utensils and surfaces after handling them. The post-bake raw egg glaze is omitted.
History
Korovai is a Ukrainian wedding ritual bread. The Ukrainian Institute's 2025 edition describes regional variation in shape, size, decoration and associated customs. This measured recipe is identified by its author as a Peremyshl-region form, a borderland region the author describes as now in Poland. It is one recipe from a baking class, not a universal standard.
Ingredients
Yield 1 large wedding loaf with one smaller memento loaf · Scaling: source batch only
Evaporated milk
237 mL1 cup as recorded
WaterLukewarm.
118 mL½ cup as recorded
Salt
4.9 mL1 tsp as recorded
SugarUse in the yeast mixture.
30 mL2 tbsp as recorded
Dry yeast
2 packets
Source specifies two ¼-ounce packets.All-purpose flourSift 5 cups into the yeast mixture, then add the remaining flour.
2.37 L10 cup as recorded
ButterMelt and cool before adding.
177 mL¾ cup as recorded
Source also gives 6 oz.Extra-large eggsBeat.
6 eggs
SugarBeat with the eggs.
118 mL½ cup as recorded
Vanilla extract
4.9 mL1 tsp as recorded
Rum extract (optional)
4.9 mL1 tsp as recorded
Optional.Lemon zest (optional)Grate the zest.
1 lemon
Optional.EggBeat with a little water for the glaze.
1 egg
Method
Risks and precautions · Standard risk
Raw flour and egg in dough
Unbaked dough can carry pathogens; do not taste it before baking.
Hazard sourceRaw egg in the source's post-bake glaze
The source directs brushing each loaf with egg again after baking but gives no further bake. This home method omits that post-bake application; use egg glaze only before baking.
Hazard sourceDo not taste raw dough. Wash hands, utensils and work surfaces after handling raw flour and egg; bake the loaves fully.
Control sourceApply the beaten-egg glaze before baking only. Do not serve raw or undercooked shell egg; if a raw egg application is retained, use pasteurized eggs.
Control sourceThis is a Peremyshl-region family and class version, not a universal Ukrainian korovai design.
The source's main-loaf strand weights total 47 oz, one ounce less than its stated 3 lb portion. Its smaller-loaf cut list totals 19.5 oz despite a stated 1 lb portion; no correction is supplied.
The source gives no internal bake temperature or storage duration; refrigerate or freeze fully cooled loaves as it directs, without assuming a holding time.
The source calls for a second egg glaze after baking but gives no subsequent bake; this version omits that raw-egg application.
- Combine the evaporated milk, lukewarm water and 2 tablespoons sugar in a large bowl. Sprinkle the yeast over the liquid and leave until frothy; the source gives no fixed time.
- Add 5 cups sifted flour and the salt. Mix well, cover and let the sponge rise until doubled.
- Beat the 6 eggs with ½ cup sugar until frothy. Mix in vanilla and, if using them, rum extract and lemon zest. Add the remaining flour to the risen yeast mixture, then the beaten egg mixture and cooled melted butter. Knead about 15 minutes, until smooth and no longer sticking to the hand.
- Let the dough rest 5 minutes. Knead it for several more minutes on a lightly floured surface. Divide it into three portions: about 3 lb for the main loaf, about 1 lb for a smaller memento loaf or second tier, and the remainder for decorations. Put portions in lightly oiled bowls, turn once to coat, cover loosely and let rise until doubled.
- Grease and flour a 10-inch pan for the main loaf and an 8-inch pan for the smaller loaf. For the main round, divide its dough portion into three 12-ounce pieces, two 4-ounce pieces and one 3-ounce piece. Roll the three larger pieces into strands about 28 inches long and more than 1 inch thick; braid them and arrange the braid in a circle, overlapping the ends. Roll the two smaller pieces into strands about 29 inches long, twist them together about every inch, and lay the twist on the outer edge of the braid. Roll the final piece into a ball, flatten its top and place it in the centre.
- Cover lightly and let the shaped large loaf rise until doubled. For the smaller memento loaf or second tier, the author directs the same ring pattern in an 8-inch pan or pie plate but lists strand weights that exceed the stated 1 lb portion; do not use that inconsistent cut list as a precise measure. Shape the smaller loaf as a simple round from its stated portion. Use remaining dough for edible decorations; the source does not prescribe one universal design.
- Heat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Brush both loaves with beaten egg and water before baking. Bake with space between the pans for 15 minutes, then lower the oven to 325°F (163°C). After about 30 minutes more, remove the smaller loaf (about 45 minutes total); rest it briefly, remove it from its pan and cool on a rack. Bake the larger loaf about 15 minutes longer (about 60 minutes total), or until its base sounds hollow when tapped; rest briefly, remove it from the pan and cool on a rack. Do not apply another raw egg glaze after baking; the source gives no further bake after that glaze.
Conditions
Yield1 large wedding loaf with one smaller memento loaf
Temperature163–177°C
Temperature controlMulti-stage
Places
Ukraine
Documented preparation · Country evidenceThis recipe is identified as a Peremyshl-region style. Its author describes Peremyshl as a Ukrainian borderland region now in Poland; the broader Ukrainian wedding-bread association is supported by the Ukrainian Institute. This is not a universal form.
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Sources
Suburban GrandmaRecipe · Method · Geographic context
Ukrainian Wedding Korovai – Recipe from Peremyshl RegionThe author says this one-tier recipe and a smaller memento version were shared in a korovai baking class and identifies them with the Peremyshl region.
Measured formula: evaporated milk, water, yeast, flour, butter, six extra-large eggs, sugar, optional flavourings and a separate egg glaze.
The instructions specify sponge and dough rises, a 15-minute knead, portions and strand weights, braiding, 350°F then 325°F bake, separate removal times for small and main loaves, and refrigeration or freezing after cooling without a duration.
Cited in: A Peremyshl-region wedding loaf; Mix and shape two rounds; Bake and keep until the wedding
Ukrainian Institute and їzhakulturaHistory · Geographic context
Ukraine: Food and HistoryThe text says korovai shapes, sizes and decorations vary across Ukraine, with regional customs; it describes round or rectangular loaves and ritual sharing.
It notes historical baking by happily married women and contemporary commissioning from artisan bakeries or bread factories.
Cited in: A Peremyshl-region wedding loaf
U.S. Food and Drug AdministrationFood safety
Handling Flour Safely: What You Need to KnowRaw flour may carry harmful bacteria; do not taste raw dough and clean hands and surfaces after handling flour and raw ingredients.
Cited in: Bake and keep until the wedding
Ukrainian RecipesMethod comparison
Ukrainian wedding korovai (Wedding round loaf of bread)A separate round-loaf version lists four eggs, describes reserving one yolk, and leaves the total milk allocation between sponge and later dough unclear; it is not used for the formula here.
USDA Food Safety and Inspection ServiceEgg handling safety
Who is at risk for eating raw or undercooked eggs?USDA advises everyone against eating raw or undercooked egg yolks and whites, and notes that in-shell pasteurized eggs may be used without cooking.