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    Home » Recipes » Homemade Bagels

    Paska Bagels

    Published: Feb 19, 2023

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    Paska is a FANTASTIC Ukrainian Easter bread, loaded with citrus flavor, sugar, butter, & eggs. These Paska bagels are inspired by that bread - all the flavour, just in bagel form!

    A plate of paska bagels with a sliced bagel, a lemon, and an orange beside it.

    If you’ve been around here for a while, you probably know by now that I’m a HUGE fan of paska bread, and have been for decades.\

    It all started off with my gramma’s neighbour, Mary, who would bake Paska - Ukrainian Easter Bread for us every year.

    It was an amazing bread - a bit sweet, citrussy, soft, and rich while ALSO tasting light. Seriously the most amazing bread I’ve ever had in my life.

    Then, I developed a gluten allergy, and had to miss out. Ugh!

    So, eventually I perfected a recipe for Gluten-Free Paska.

    Very close on the flavour, not the same texture, but definitely scratched the itch.

    THEN I had to go low carb, so my Keto Paska was an obvious solution.

    Today’s recipe isn’t one born from necessity, more just a matter of having some fun with it.

    I HAVE been on a bagel recipe kick for a while now, turning out a bunch of fun, seasonal bagel recipes:

    Christmas Bagels
    Gingerbread Bagels
    Heart Shaped Bagels
    Red Velvet Bagels

    When it came time to think about an Easter bagel recipe, Paska was the first thing to come to mind* and here we are!

    This makes a mildly sweet, citrussy bagel that is fantastic with some plain cream cheese. They’re a perfect addition to any Easter brunch or breakfast!

    * Hot Cross Bun bagels were the second thing, and that one is still in the works!

    A plate of paska bagels - lemon orange Easter bagels.

    Ingredients

    Like most of my bagel recipes, this one takes only a few simple ingredients. If you don’t already have them on hand, you’ll easily be able to find them in any grocery store.

    A few notes for you:

    Milk & Butter

    You can use whatever kind of milk you like. Lately, I’ve been using unsweetened almond milk.

    If you need dairy free paska bagels, use margarine or vegetable oil in place of the melted butter.

    Citrus Fruits

    I use a lemon and an orange for this, mostly for the zest.

    The recipe also calls for a small amount of “lemon and/or orange juice” - I juice the lemon and orange together and use ¼ cup of the mixed juice in the recipe.

    After that, I usually just make some citrus simple syrup with whatever’s leftover, by measuring it and adding the same volume of sugar.

    Simmer til it’s all dissolved, then chill until use - makes for great “sours” cocktails!

    Everything Else

    Rounding out this recipe, you will need:

    All Purpose Flour
    Granulated Sugar
    Large eggs
    Active Dry Yeast
    Salt

    ... I just don’t have anything to add, for these ingredients!

    A plate of paska bagels with a lemon and an orange beside it.

    How to Make Paska Bagels

    The full recipe is in the recipe card at the end of this post, here is the pictorial walk through.

    Make the Dough

    Measure warm milk into a glass measuring cup or bowl, stir in 1 tablespoon of the sugar until well combined. . Stir in yeast, allow to stand for 10 minutes – it should get very bubbly.

    A 2 part image showing the glass of milk and yeast, before and after foaming up.

    In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, remaining sugar, orange zest, lemon zest, and salt.

    Pour in yeast mixture, juice, eggs, and melted butter, stir well to combine.

    A 5 part image showing the dough ingredients being mixed together into a loose dough.

    Dump dough out onto a floured surface, knead until soft and elastic, 5-10 minutes. Alternatively, use a stand mixer with a dough hook for about 7 minutes, or until dough is smooth and elastic.

    Note: If the dough is really sticky - sticking to the bowl, rather that coming together in a ball - add a small amount of flour. It should be slightly sticky, but still able to ball.

    A 5 part image showing the dough being kneaded in a stand mixer, into a smooth ball.

    Once dough is fully kneaded, place in a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and allow to rise for one hour, or until doubled in size.

    A 2 part image showing the dough ball in a bowl, before and after doubling in size.

    Form the Bagels

    Once dough has doubled, dump it out on a clean work surface, and divide it out.

    We divided the mixture into 8 equal sized balls, for medium-large bagels – but you can make them smaller or larger by dividing into 6, 10, or 12 equal sized pieces.

    A 5 part image showing the dough being punched down and divided into 8 equal portions.

    There are two main ways of forming bagels – with roll each lump of dough into a thick “snake” and secure the ends together, or roll each lump into a smooth ball before poking a finger though.

    Once you have a hole made, stretch the ring of dough out a bit to enlarge the hole. Personally, I prefer the latter.

    A 5 part image showing the dough portions being rolled into balls and formed into bagels.

    Once you have all of your bagels formed, set them on baking sheets to rise for another 10 minutes. As your bagels are resting, preheat oven to 350 F.

    Boil and Bake the Bagels

    Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add the sugar, and stir well to combine.

    Turn heat down a little, allowing water to simmer rather than boil.

    2 or 3 at a time, drop your bagels into the simmering water, allow to cook for 1 minute, then flip each and allow to cook for another minute.

    A 5 part image showing the bagels being boiled and removed from the pot of water with a  slotted spoon.

    Drain well, place on lined baking sheets.

    Whisk egg yolk together with 1 tablespoon of water, brush over the tops and sides of each bagel.

    A 5 part image showing the egg wash being mixed and brushed over the uncooked bagels.

    Bake for about 38-40 minutes if doing 8 bagels, or 35-37 minutes (small - 10/12 bagels) or 40-45 mins (large, 6 bagels), until golden brown.

    A 2 part image showing the 2 pans of bagels before and after baking.

    Allow to cool slightly before serving.

    Once cooled to room temperature, paska bagels can be transferred to an airtight container or large ziplock bags.

    They will keep in the fridge for about a week.

    A plate of paska bagels with a sliced bagel, a lemon, and an orange beside it.

    More Easter Content!

    Looking for more fun / tasty ways to observe Easter? Here are a few suggestions:

    Chocolate Zombie Easter Bunnies
    Easter Creme Egg Brownies
    Easter Pavlova
    Easy Pysanky [Epic Easter Eggs]
    Gluten-Free Paska [Easter Bread]
    Keto Paska
    No Bake Easter Chocolate Pie
    Paska - Ukrainian Easter Bread
    Southern Comfort Glazed Ham

    A plate of paska bagels - lemon orange Easter bagels.

    Share the Love!

    Before you chow down, be sure to take some pics of your handiwork! If you Instagram it, be sure to tag me - @CelebrationGenerationCA - or post it to My Facebook Page - so I can cheer you on!

    Also, be sure to subscribe to my free monthly email newsletter, so you never miss out on any of my nonsense. Well, the published nonsense, anyway!

    Finally, if you love this recipe, please consider leaving a star rating and/or a comment below, and maybe even sharing this post on social media!

    A plate of paska bagels - lemon orange Easter bagels.

    A plate of paska bagels - lemon orange Easter bagels.
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save Recipe Saved!
    5 from 1 vote

    Paska Bagels

    Paska is a FANTASTIC Ukrainian Easter bread, loaded with citrus flavor, sugar, butter, & eggs. These Paska bagels are inspired by that bread - all the flavour, just in bagel form!
    Prep Time30 mins
    Cook Time38 mins
    Rising Time1 hr 10 mins
    Total Time2 hrs 18 mins
    Course: Bread, Breakfast, brunch
    Cuisine: Polish, Ukrainian
    Servings: 8 Bagels
    Calories: 338kcal
    Author: Marie Porter

    Equipment

    2 Baking Sheets
    Parchment Paper

    Ingredients

    Bagel Dough:

    • ⅔ cup warm - not hot - Milk
    • ⅓ cup Granulated Sugar
    • 4 teaspoon Active Dry Yeast
    • 3 ½ cups All Purpose Flour
    • Zest of 1 lemon and 1 orange
    • 1 teaspoon Salt
    • ¼ cup Orange and/or lemon juice
    • 2 Large eggs beaten
    • 2 tablespoon Unsalted butter melted

    Assembly:

    • ¼ cup Granulated sugar
    • 1 Large Egg yolk

    Instructions

    Make the Dough

    • Measure warm milk into a glass measuring cup or bowl, stir in 1 tablespoon of the sugar until well combined.
      Stir in yeast, allow to stand for 10 minutes – it should get very bubbly.
    • In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, remaining sugar, orange zest, lemon zest, and salt.
    • Pour in yeast mixture, juice, eggs, and melted butter, stir well to combine.
    • Dump dough out onto a floured surface, knead until soft and elastic, 5-10 minutes.
      Alternatively, use a stand mixer with a dough hook for about 7 minutes, or until dough is smooth and elastic.
    • Note: If the dough is really sticky - sticking to the bowl, rather that coming together in a ball - add a small amount of flour.
      It should be slightly sticky, but still able to ball.
    • Once dough is fully kneaded, place in a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and allow to rise for one hour, or until doubled in size.

    Form the Bagels

    • Once dough has doubled, dump it out on a clean work surface, and divide it out.
    • We divided the mixture into 8 equal sized balls, for medium-large bagels – but you can make them smaller or larger by dividing into 6, 10, or 12 equal sized pieces.
    • There are two main ways of forming bagels – with roll each lump of dough into a thick “snake” and secure the ends together, or roll each lump into a smooth ball before poking a finger though.
    • Once you have a hole made, stretch the ring of dough out a bit to enlarge the hole. Personally, I prefer the latter.
    • Once you have all of your bagels formed, set them on baking sheets to rise for another 10 minutes. As your bagels are resting, preheat oven to 350F.

    Boil and Bake the Bagels

    • Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add the sugar, and stir well to combine.
    • Turn heat down a little, allowing water to simmer rather than boil.
    • 2 or 3 at a time, drop your bagels into the simmering water, allow to cook for 1 minute, then flip each and allow to cook for another minute.
    • Drain well, place on lined baking sheets.
    • Whisk egg yolk together with 1 tablespoon of water, brush over the tops and sides of each bagel.
    • Bake for about 38-40 minutes if doing 8 bagels, or 35-37 minutes (small - 10/12 bagels) or 40-45 mins (large, 6 bagels), until golden brown.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 338kcal | Carbohydrates: 61g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 75mg | Sodium: 320mg | Potassium: 181mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 228IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 46mg | Iron: 3mg

    A plate of paska bagels - lemon orange Easter bagels.

    A plate of paska bagels - lemon orange Easter bagels.

    Related posts:

    3 loaves of braided Paska bread on a wooden cutting board. Paska A plate of maple pumpkin spiced bagels. There is a mini pumpkin and 2 dishes of flavoured cream cheese behind the plate. Pumpkin Bagels A plate of homemade everything bagels. Everything Bagels A plate of sugar crusted homemade gingerbread bagels. Gingerbread Bagels
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    Marie Porter


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