Buttery Easter Paska

Still making paska here.  I tried another recipe.  I've been giving these to the shelter. I hone my paska making and they eat the results.

This is an interesting recipe which I really enjoyed making.

1 C. milk
1 T. sugar
2-1/2 tsp. rapid rise yeast
1/2 C. butter (1 stick)
5 large eggs (+ 1 yolk for the egg wash)
2 tsp. salt
3/4 C. sugar
1 T. vanilla extract
6 C. all purpose flour + 1/2 C. for kneading

In a 2 cup measuring cup, heat the milk in the microwave for a minute and a half. Stir in the sugar to dissolve, then the yeast. In a small bowl, microwave the butter until melted. Let both mixtures stand for 25 to 30 minutes.
In your largest mixing bowl, beat the 5 eggs, add the sugar, vanilla, butter and milk mixture and whisk lightly to combine. Using a sturdy wooden spoon or your hands, mix in 6 cups of the flour until the dough starts to come together. The dough will be quite sticky at this point. Liberally cover your counter with the 1/2 cup of flour. Turn the dough out onto the floured counter and knead the dough for about 5 minutes, until the dough has become elastic,smooth and just until it is no longer too sticky to work with.

Wash out the mixing bowl, dry it well, then butter the interior. Place the dough in the buttered bowl and cover it well with either plastic wrap or foil and top off with a dish towel. Proof for 5 to 7 hours.
At this point the dough should be doubled in size. Turn it out onto your counter. It is buttery enough that you should not need flour.  Divide the dough into 3 equal loaves. Now divide each loaf into 3 equal parts. Roll each dough ball out into a rope measuring about 16 inches. Once rolled, braid the ropes and pinch each end a bit. Coil it around to form a circle. Repeat for the remaining two loaves. Place the loaves on parchment covered abking sheets. Leave about 6 inches between them. Cover the loaves with a towel and let sit for 30 minutes to rest.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
In a small bowl, beat the egg yolk with about 1/2 teaspoon of water to create an egg wash (the less water, the shinier the crust). Brush each loaf with the egg wash. Place the loaves into the oven and bake for about 30 minutes or until the interior temp is 190 degrees.If they get too dark, cover them with foil.

Fill your sink with warm water.  This technique worked very well.

Use a good European high fat butter.  Hey, it's Easter bread, like in once a year, go for it!

Soften the butter.

Mix it with the sugar and vanilla.

Add the eggs.

The yeast really foams up sitting in the sink.

The dough is barely mixed before you cover it the first time.

Cover with towels.

Finish dough by adding the remainder of the butter and flour.

This recipe makes 3 braided loves.

Coil into rounds.

Leave space between loaves because they rise a lot while baking.

These loaves were not as pretty as the previous ones I baked so I drizzled them with frosting and Easter sprinkles.

 I went back to the drawing board and baked more of my favorite ones which I showed you the other day.  I might be done baking paska for this year.