In honor of Easter, I'm posting a family recipe I just wheedled out of my mom
and reduced by 80% (we went in for BIG batches when I was growing up).
This recipe has officially been tested and was a big hit after church this morning.

"Bosca" is a Russian Easter bread my father's Volgadeutsch grandparents
brought with them from the old country. It's excellent (toasted or not)
with plenty of butter, and makes wonderful ham sandwiches, again with butter.

This article mentions bosca and why it's traditionally baked in coffee cans:
http://www.lib.ndsu.nodak.edu/grhc/history_culture/history/german_american_journal1.html

Bosca: makes two circa one-pound loaves; can also be baked in 15-oz coffee cans.
Printer version of this recipe

1 oz distilled spirits (whisky, brandy, rum) w/ lg pinch saffron threads & a pinch of anise
or fennel seed, soaked overnight

Note: I recommend a sweet rather than a dry spirit but it must be at least 60-80 proof
to efficiently extract the spice essence. I tested with Bacardi 151 and it worked fine.
If you can't have booze around, you can boil the saffron and anise/fennel in the milk
when you scald it, and it should work fairly well; or mix powdered saffron and one or
two drops of anise oil into the dough.

4 oz raisins
4-5 cups flour
1 pk yeast
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup melted butter
1 cup milk (scalded if desired)
and another 1/4-cup for proofing the yeast
1 egg
5 egg yolks

Scald one cup of milk, if desired, and allow to cool. You may add the melted butter to the hot milk.

Strain off the whole spices from the spirits.

Proof the yeast in 1/4 cup warm milk with a hearty pinch of sugar.
Mix the raisins, four cups flour, the salt and sugar so that the raisins
are separated and well-floured.
Beat the egg and the egg yolks together.
Making a well in the flour, add the eggs, the milk, the spirits, the butter
and the yeast mixture.
Mix well, adding just enough flour that the mixture can be worked with your hands.
Knead until smooth.
Butter a bowl, roll the dough well in the butter,
cover and allow to rise until doubled in bulk.

Punch down the dough and knead well, adding just enough flour that you
can work the dough with your hands.
Shape into two loaves, or into baseball-sized lumps if you will bake in coffee cans.
Butter the pans/cans well, and allow the dough to rise in them until almost doubled.
Bake in a 325-350 degree oven for 30 minutes or until browned
(325 is better for coffee cans; 350 for bread pans).

Christ is risen indeed! Dan

Date: Sun, 16 Apr 2006
From: Berger, Daniel
To: Anglican@stsams.org
Subject: Bosca recipe, revised