Pască is the ritual Easter bread baked across Romania for the Resurrection feast — a sweet dough ring cradling a sweet cheese filling, its name tied to Pascha, 'Easter'. It is blessed at church and shared as the holiday's centrepiece.
The bread ring is soft, buttery and faintly citrus-scented, giving way to a warm cheesecake-like center flecked with plump raisins. Sweet but not cloying — the kind of bake that turns up on the Easter table.
An egg- and butter-enriched dough stays tender and rises slowly because the fat coats gluten strands, while the high-protein farmer's cheese and eggs in the filling set into a custardy bake. The egg wash gives the signature glossy, deep-gold crust.
Variations
Some bake the cheese filling separately atop a plain base; regional versions add cocoa swirls, more raisins, or a touch of semolina to firm the filling.
On the Palate
Where Pască sits in the Romanian flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 10
How it's made
8 steps · 40 min
- 115 min
Make a rich yeasted dough with flour, milk, eggs, sugar, butter and a little lemon zest, and knead until smooth.
- 290 min
Cover and let it rise until doubled in size.
Watch outLet it rise until fully doubled and springy — this rich, buttery dough is slow, so don't rush it or the crumb turns dense.
- 38 min
Mix the filling from farmer's cheese, eggs, sugar, vanilla and raisins.
- 410 min
Shape most of the dough into a ring on a lined tray, building up the sides to hold the filling.
- 57 min
Roll thin ropes from the reserved dough and twist them into a cross over the center.
- 64 min
Spoon the cheese filling into the well and lay the dough cross on top.
- 72 min
Brush all over with beaten egg for a glossy finish.
Watch outBrush an even, thin coat of beaten egg into every crease — patchy spots bake pale instead of that deep glossy gold.
- 845 min
Bake until golden and set, then cool before slicing.
Watch outThe cheese center should be just set and no longer wobbly, and the top deep gold — pull it before the crust darkens too far.
