BASIC DOUGH:

8 c. flour
2 tbsp. salt
1 c. water
1 tbsp. sugar
1/4 lb. butter
1/2 c. sugar
2 c. milk, boiling point
1 cake yeast
3 eggs

CHEESE DOUGH:

1 cake yeast, 1 oz.
1 lb. dry cottage cheese
1 c. yellow raisins
4 egg yolks
1 c. sugar or less to taste
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. lemon rind
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 c. milk
3 c. flour, sifted

BASIC DOUGH: Crumble yeast in 1/2 cup warm water and 1 tablespoons sugar. Set aside for 5 minutes. Pour boiling milk over sugar and butter, add balance of water. Cool to lukewarm. Sift flour into bowl, add salt, eggs-milk mixture and yeast. Knead dough until smooth and elastic. Cover; let rise in warm place until doubled in bulk, about 2 hours.

CHEESE DOUGH: Crumble yeast in warm milk to which 1 tablespoons sugar has been added; let stand 5 minutes. Mix cottage cheese with spoon until smooth. Add raisins and yeast mixture. Add unbeaten egg yolks, remaining sugar, salt, lemon rind, baking powder and flour. Knead well. Set aside to rise until double in bulk, about 2 hours.

When basic dough has doubled in size, turn out onto lightly floured board and shape into four parts. Let stand on board, covered for about 15 minutes. Take one part of dough and lightly punch around the edge so that the center is elevated. Take cheese dough and place around the elevated center, then lightly make an opening in the center. Join edges of center with the outside edges. Press carefully so that the cheese dough is completely covered.

Place into a 9 inch tube pan and let rise for about 30 minutes. Cover dough to prevent drying. Just before placing into oven, brush top with egg yolk. Bake for 10 minutes at 325 degrees. Increase temperature to 350 degrees, bake about 40 minutes. Yield 4 paskas; for 2 paskas cut recipe in half.