Baked early this mornin’, now sittin’ on the breakfast table for Orthodox Easter: my sourdough loaf — a festive bread made with organic wheat flour (Type 550). A sweet, rich dough loaded up with butter, eggs, milk, sugar, raisins, and these candied pieces of lemon and bitter orange that make the whole kitchen smell like a holiday.

Now, dependin’ on where you are — and these days that can feel like steppin’ into a political minefield — you’ll hear it called either kulich (Russia) or paska (Ukraine):

• The Russian kulich is tall, straight-sided, and always on the sweet side.

• The Ukrainian paska comes in all shapes and styles, often decorated, rangin’ from more bread-like to properly sweet.

Taste-wise, both land somewhere near an Italian panettone — but let’s be honest, they’re a whole lot less fussy. No extreme kneadin’, no high-maintenance fermentation rituals.

Kulich and paska are a bit more down-to-earth: breadier, richer, a little denser, eggier — and a lot more straightforward in flavor. Not showin’ off… just gettin’ the job done right.