Mini Easter Bread Kulich

Join me as I show you how to make Easter meringue birds and bread in this step-by-step video tutorial. Learn to create adorable meringue birds and delicious Easter bread with a lemon glaze. Perfect for festive celebrations and gift-giving. Watch now to master these delightful Easter treats!

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🥄 EQUIPMENT

🗒️ INGREDIENTS
Easter Meringue Birds Cookies
2 Egg Whites
1 pinch salt
⅛ tsp cream of tarter
½ cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Kulich
1 cup Whole Milk warm
½ cup granulated sugar
2 tbsp Active Dry Yeast
1 cup Raisins soaked in hot water and drained
1 lemon zest and juice
3 eggs
½ cup Yogurt
1 tsp Vanilla extract
4 ½ cups bread flour or all-purpose flour
½ tsp salt
1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
½ Light Brown Sugar
⅓ cup almond slivers
Cooking spray oil

Lemon Glaze
1 ½ cups powdered sugar
3 ½ tbsp Lemon juice from 1 fresh lemon

Decorating
20 Merinque Easter birds

📝 INSTRUCTIONS
1️⃣ Preheat the oven to 200°F and measure the meringue ingredients.
2️⃣ Separate the egg whites from the yolks.
3️⃣ Prepare a stand mixer with a whisk attachment and add the egg whites.
4️⃣ Beat the egg whites on low speed, increasing to high for 4 minutes.
5️⃣ Add salt and cream of tartar, mix for 15 seconds.
6️⃣ Gradually add powdered sugar, 1 tbsp at a time, mixing for 15 seconds between each addition. Add vanilla extract and mix.
7️⃣ Beat at high speed for 8 minutes until the meringue holds peaks.
8️⃣ Divide the meringue: ½ cup for yellow, 1 cup for pink, leaving the rest white. Prepare piping bags with tips (Yellow- 8 round, Pink- 4b, White- 807).
9️⃣ Add yellow food coloring to ½ cup meringue, mix, and transfer to the piping bag. Repeat for pink.
🔟 Transfer white meringue to its piping bag.
1️⃣1️⃣ Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Pipe white meringue for bird bodies, pink for wings, and yellow for beaks.
1️⃣2️⃣ Bake for 50 minutes, then let cool in the oven for an hour.
1️⃣3️⃣ Use a black food pen to draw eyes on the birds.
1️⃣4️⃣ Set aside the meringue birds.

Making the Easter Bread

1️⃣5️⃣ Measure all ingredients.
1️⃣6️⃣ Combine warm milk, yeast, and sugar in a bowl, whisk, cover, and let sit for 15 minutes.
1️⃣7️⃣ Zest and juice one lemon.
1️⃣8️⃣ Whisk eggs in a bowl, add vanilla extract, yogurt, lemon zest, and juice, mix well.
1️⃣9️⃣ Combine flour and salt in a separate bowl.
2️⃣0️⃣ Prepare a stand mixer with a beater attachment, add butter and brown sugar, mix until creamy.
2️⃣1️⃣ Add egg mixture, mix well, then add yeast mixture, and mix again.
2️⃣2️⃣ Swap to the dough hook, add flour ½ at a time, knead on speed 3 for 15 minutes until a dough ball forms.
2️⃣3️⃣ Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a wet towel, let rise for 2 hours.
2️⃣4️⃣ Soak raisins in hot water for 15 minutes, then strain and drain.
2️⃣5️⃣ Add raisins and almond slivers to the dough, mix well.
2️⃣6️⃣ Line a baking sheet with foil, place Panettone Paper Molds, and spray with cooking spray.
2️⃣7️⃣ Fill molds ¾ full, cover, and let rise for 1 hour.
2️⃣8️⃣ Bake at 350°F for 20-25 minutes on the lowest oven shelf, then cool.

Making the Lemon Glaze

2️⃣9️⃣ Juice a lemon, measure powdered sugar.
3️⃣0️⃣ Combine powdered sugar and lemon juice, mix until shiny and combined.

Decorating Kulich

3️⃣1️⃣ Place a cooling rack over parchment paper, arrange cooled bread on the rack.
3️⃣2️⃣ Spoon lemon glaze over each bread, add sprinkles quickly.
3️⃣3️⃣ Press meringue birds into the icing last.

Gift Wrapping

3️⃣4️⃣ Wrap each Easter bread in plastic, finish with a bow.

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