A Ukrainian friend introduced me to babka, a delicate yeast bread that’s often served at Easter in her native land. It’s a lovely pastry with a fine crumb and the subtle tastes of dried fruits, peels and rum. If you have no experience with yeast breads, this recipe is a good place to start because it’s surprisingly easy to prepare. It relies on instant yeast and an electric mixer, so I doubt that the preparation process is traditional, but I can vouch for the results: The bread is a charmer.

My favorite dried fruit and peel mixture is a combination of candied orange peel, dried cherries, dried cranberries, raisins and dried blueberries, but choose whatever you like. A standing electric mixer is preferable, so use it if you have one.

Easter babka

Adjusted for altitudes of 8,000 feet and above. Make in a six-cup Bundt pan, preferably nonstick.

Bread

• 1/4 cup plus 4 teaspoons whole milk or light cream, lukewarm
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1/4 teaspoon plus 1/8 teaspoon table salt
• 2 1/2 tablespoons superfine sugar, preferably Baker’s
• 2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/4 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour (spoon and level)
• 1 teaspoon instant yeast
• 5 generous tablespoons dried fruit and candied peel mixture

Rum syrup

• 5 tablespoons superfine sugar
• 3 tablespoons water
• 2 tablespoon dark rum

Glaze

• 2-3 tablespoons whole milk
• 2-3 tablespoons dark rum
• About 3/4 cup powdered sugar

Directions

Check the dried fruit and peel to ensure that it’s soft. If it isn’t, put it in a microwave-safe bowl with a little water, cover with plastic wrap and heat in a microwave on high for 15 seconds. Check to see if it’s softened; you want it very pliable but not cooked. If necessary, repeat. Dry on paper towels and cut into pieces about the size of half a raisin. The fruit and peel should all be a uniform size.

Combine all the bread ingredients except the fruit and peel in a mixing bowl and beat at medium speed until blended, then increase the speed of your mixer to medium-high and beat for about two minutes. Stir in the fruit, making sure it’s distributed evenly throughout the dough. Cover the bowl, place it in a warm spot, and let it rest for 50-60 minutes. It won’t rise much.

Spray your Bundt pan with a baking spray that contains flour, and wipe it with a paper towel to make sure the whole pan is well greased. Spoon the dough into the pan, filling it a little over halfway to the top. Cover the pan, set it in a warm spot, and let it rest for about 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees with a rack in the center position.

Bake the bread about 22-26 minutes until it rises to almost the top of the pan, is set and golden, and an instant-read thermometer reads 195 degrees or higher.

While the babka bakes, make the rum syrup by combining all the ingredients in a small saucepan and heating over medium-low, stirring until it comes to a boil and the sugar dissolves. Remove it from the heat and set it aside.

Take the babka out of the oven, quickly turn it out of the pan onto a cooling rack and immediately put it back in the pan. (This will help prevent it from sticking to the pan after its bath in rum syrup.) Use a toothpick to gently poke holes all over the bottom of the bread. Generously brush syrup over the bottom, let it absorb for a few minutes, then repeat several more times until most of it is absorbed and the bread has a glistening, thick coat of syrup (you might not use it all). Let it cool for 15 minutes, then invert the pan, carefully remove the bread, and let it cool completely.

To glaze the bread, combine two tablespoons of milk and two tablespoons of rum. Add a quarter cup of powdered sugar, and whisk until smooth and combined. Add more sugar, a tablespoon or two at a time, whisking until the glaze reaches a consistency that will hold its shape when drizzled over the bread. Add more milk or rum if the glaze is too thick. Drizzle it decoratively over the bread and let it set. Cover the bread and store at cool room temperature. Give it at least five hours and up to overnight for the tastes to blend before serving.

Editor’s note: This recipe is a variation of one published by King Arthur Flour.

Vera Dawson’s column “High Country Baking” publishes biweekly in the Summit Daily News. Dawson is a high-elevation baking instructor and author of three high-altitude cookbooks. Her recipes have been tested in her kitchen in Frisco, where she’s lived since 1991, and altered until they work at elevation. Contact her at veradawson1@gmail.com.

Vera Dawson’s column “High Country Baking” publishes biweekly in the Summit Daily News. Dawson is a high-elevation baking instructor and author of three high-altitude cookbooks. Her recipes have been tested in her kitchen in Frisco, where she’s lived since 1991, and altered until they work at elevation. Contact her at veradawson1@gmail.com.