Cottage cheese easter cake

Ingredients:

Dough:

– 500 g wheat flour

– 2 tablespoons sugar

– 3 egg yolks

– 1 teaspoon salt

– 3 tablespoons oil or melted butter

Starter (Maia):

– 200 ml lukewarm milk

– 1 tablespoon sugar

– 20 mg yeast

– 3 tablespoons wheat flour

Cottage Cheese Filling:

– 300 g cottage cheese (you can also add sheep cheese if desired, using 150 g of each)

– 5 tablespoons sugar

– 1 packet of vanilla sugar

– 1 whole egg

– 1.2 tablespoons wheat flour

– Raisins

Egg Mixture for Coating:

– 1 whole egg

– 1 packet of vanilla sugar

Instructions:

1. Prepare the starter: Mix all the starter ingredients and sprinkle a little wheat flour over them. Let it rest for about 15 minutes.

2. In a separate bowl, sift the wheat flour, add the salt, three egg yolks, two tablespoons of sugar, and the risen starter. Mix everything, and knead it by hand until all the ingredients are well incorporated. Add the oil (or melted butter) to the dough while kneading.

3. Let the dough rest for about 30 minutes. After it has risen, knead it a bit more and start forming 15 small dough balls. Keep a larger piece of dough to roll out into a sheet that you’ll place in a round, well-greased baking dish.

4. Place the small dough balls one by one on the edge of the baking dish, forming a wreath shape. In the middle, create the symbol of the Holy Cross. In the empty spaces, place a small spoonful of the cottage cheese mixture.

5. Let the cake rise for about 20 minutes. Then, using a brush, spread the egg mixture evenly over the entire surface.

6. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius (392 degrees Fahrenheit) and bake for 30 minutes, then reduce the heat to 180 degrees Celsius (356 degrees Fahrenheit) for an additional 10 minutes.