Vatrushka Take 2

With the gardening on hold during the recent cold weather I have turned to baking some comfort food.  

After my last jam filled vatrushka I plucked up the courage to go for the more traditional farmhouse  cheese filling.   

I thought they were better but not everyone shared my preference.  Another failsafe favourite is challah: 

Kulich - and other festive breads

What do you want to cheer up a UK Christmas?

A Russian Easter bread of course!

Kulich

Also a Jewish Sabbath bread

Challah

...and some Italian summer biscotti: 

Taralli

You just might get the idea that I love borrowing from other cultures. Our festive traditions are snowballing! The Kulich nearly got eaten before I remembered to photograph it. It did not have a dramatic rise but was went down a bomb.  It's a lot like panetonne with the fruit and nut mixture soaked in the alcoholic beverage of your choice.  All three recipes are rather higher fat than our daily loaf  having more fat/eggs/sugar than our daily fare. They each taste delicious.

Have a peaceful 2013, wherever you are!