Since I started baking korovayi eight years ago, I noticed different trends. A few years back, it was all about silk flower adornments. Then “patychky” resembling fir branches became popular korovai toppers. Over the last couple of years, I noticed a surge in elaborate baked-on decorations that elegantly drape over the bread. This year saw a return to simplicity: many of my orders were single-tier korovayi with fewer adornments. While it’s safe to say that I am excited by each new korovai order (even if it means repeating the same design), I was thrilled to receive an order for a two-tier bead ..read more

I really enjoy making korovayi during summer holidays at the cottage. The pace here is slower, the kids are outside all day (which means I am not interrupted as much), and I have a moment to myself to savour the bread-making day. I mix and knead the dough in the morning, it rests and rises during the day, I shape the korovai loaves in the afternoon while the kids nap, and the breads go into the oven after dinner. As the wonderful aroma fills the home, I leisurely work on my korovai decorations before I wind down for the day. Something else I really enjoy while in the countryside: taking long w ..read more

I finally got around to growing voloshky (волошки) in my garden this year. In English, this native European wildflower is called cornflower because it often grows as a weed in cornfields, including fields of wheat, barley, rye and oats. Just like kalyna (guelder rose), barvinok (periwinkle), poppies and sunflowers, voloshky are an integral part of the Ukrainian ethos, featured in songs, poetry, embroidery, pysanky and other artforms. They symbolize purity, holiness, tenderness, beauty and a young man’s love. I was looking forward to planting this wildflower in my garden because it looks lovely ..read more

Here’s a straightforward request: a traditional korovai with doves, with a few roses scattered around the middle. Another simple request: the korovai will be eaten. Easy, right? Except this combination gives me a bit of anxiety. The rose leaves must mold to the bread. The korovai must be extra fresh. How do I drape the leaves onto the korovai, allowing them at once to dry on the bread without drying out the bread itself? For an edible korovai, time is of the essence! Thankfully I am getting a bit more comfortable with the “baked on” technique on an edible korovai, now that I’ve had the opportu ..read more

Happy Easter to all my readers celebrating Easter this weekend! Our family celebrates Easter according to the Julian calendar – so we still have the entire month to go this year – but I decided to bake my first batch of paska today. Paska – паска in Ukrainian – is a traditional round Easter bread, made of rich, eggy dough. The top of the paska is decorated with religious dough ornaments baked into the bread itself, the cross being a central motif. Traditionally, the paska is taken to church on Easter morning in a wicker basket lined with an embroidered cloth (along with other traditional Easte ..read more

Today I am sharing a few photos of a korovai in its “natural habitat” while I take a little break to catch up on spring and Easter activities: pysanky writing, гаївки/hayivky workshops, seed planting for my vegetable garden and even making maple syrup in my own backyard (that’s right, we’ve tapped two sugar maple trees and boiled down the sap to almost 2 litres of syrup so far!) This korovai was made for an intimate wedding last year in Ottawa. These photos capture the moment in time beautifully – notice the hand sanitizer on the church tetrapod All photos are credited to the incredibly ..read more

In honour of Valentine’s Day, let me share with you these tiny love birds sitting in braided nests. The groom-to-be recently discovered he is half Ukrainian, and the bride thoughtfully wished to reflect his Ukrainian heritage in their wedding favours. These small 2″-3″ favours were made well in advance of a summer wedding. While this order was placed unusually early for “normal times”, this is perhaps a new normal for the time being: most people contacting me nowadays are planning summer and fall weddings. This past wedding season – with its multiple and ever-changing restrictions – made it r ..read more

The new year has barely rolled in, and I am already warming up for the wedding season ahead. Amidst the 12-dish prepping for Svyat Vechir (Ukrainian Christmas Eve), virtual carol-singing and Malanka celebrations, making extra varenyky for Shchedryj Vechir (the eve of Theophany) – with my twins’ birthday celebration thrown in for good measure – I can hardly believe I was able to squeeze in some time to make this korovai. My discussion with the bride started a while back, but with the pandemic wreaking havoc on wedding planning, it was more of a start-stop conversation… until the bride decided t ..read more

I always find it a little bittersweet when the wedding season winds down and goes into hibernation for the winter months ahead. I’ve held on to this “2020 season finale” korovai for a few weeks now and kept it all to myself. It’s my way of savouring the moment and trying to extend the wedding season just a little longer. I am ready to close this chapter now because quite frankly, I am brimming with anticipation to share it with you here! This was a very special project. My email exchange with the mother of the bride started almost a year ago, before Covid turned the world upside down. The orig ..read more

It was a real coincidence. We moved to our current home almost a year ago. We are still meeting new neighbours and being introduced to people who have lived in this area long before us. It’s a close-knit, caring community by the river, full of kids, parks, bike paths and forested land. In fact, the first owners of our house liked the neighbourhood so much that when they returned to Ottawa, they tried to buy our house all over again! I also discovered that our neighbourhood is peppered by a few Ukrainian folks. I speak Ukrainian to my kids, and I’ve been approached more than once by strangers w ..read more