Just like some bakers like to make and give away fruitcakes at Christmastime, nothing says Happy Easter in my family like the giving and receiving of Placek. (Pronounced Plat-sek--Its a coffee cake loaded with crumbs on top and raisins in the middle --always served on Easter Sunday. I prefer to slice mine thick, put it in the toaster, and then eat it slathered with butter!) I m sharing three of our familys Placek recipes with younow be sure to bake some up and share them with your friends and family!

Grandma Genevieves Traditional Polish Placek

Part One: soak 1 cup of white raisins in cup of whiskey

Part Two:         2 cups lukewarm milk
                        2 Tblsp sugar
                        3 cups flour
                        2 packages dry yeast (2 Tblsp)
            Mix together ingredients and let rise about 30 minutes.

Part Three: Cream together 1 cups butter, 2 cups sugar and 1 tsp salt. Add 6 eggs, one at a time. Mix in 4 cups flour, 1tsp vanilla and 1 Tblsp orange rind. Add the soaked raisins. Combine parts 2 and 3 together. Beat until smooth. Pour batter evenly into 3 greased bread pans. Top with crumbs.

Crumbs:             1 cups flour
                        cup sugar
                        1 stick butter
            Mix together until crumbly.

Let dough rise until it fills the pans full. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes.

Just try to serve placek without picking all the crumbs off firsttheyre the best part!!!

Grandma Helens traditional Polish Placek

(I cant tell you which one is betterI just know you cant include one grandmas famous coffee cake recipe without including the others!)

2 cups milk                           1 small yeast cake
2 cups sugar                         7 cups flour
1 tsp salt                                pound butter (room temperature)
8 oz cream cheese                        6 eggs
1 tsp vanilla                         cup white or dark raisins

Part  One: Let milk come to a boil. Cool to lukewarm and crumble in the yeast. Add 3 tblsp of the sugar. When yeast is dissolved, stir in 3 cups of the flour mix and let rise for 30 minutes.

Part Two: In a separate bowl, cream together the remaining sugar, salt, butter and cream cheese. Beat in eggs, one at a time, and add vanilla.
Add the yeast mixture. Mix in the remaining flour and raisins.
Cover dough and refrigerate overnight or at least 6 hours.

Part Three: Divide dough evenly between 3 greased and floured bread pans. Sprinkle on topping.

Topping:             1 cups flour            1 tsp vanilla
                        cup sugar              cup butter
            Work ingredients together until consistency of cornmeal.

Let loaves rise for 2 to 3 hours until doubled in size.
Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes.

Cousin Kellys Buttermilk Placek

This is not a traditional Polish Placek, but some of you may prefer it to the other two recipes, because unlike the other two which take all day to make, this ones a quick bread recipe. Kelly never adds the raisins (she hates raisins), but she always doubles the crumbs (she believes you can never have enough crumbs!)

Ingredients:              2 cups sugar            1 cup butter
                                    1 tsp vanilla                       2 eggs
                                    4 cups flour               1 tsp baking powder
                                    1 tsp salt                 1 tsp baking soda 
                                    2 cups buttermilk

Crumbs:                    9 Tblsp flour                3 Tblsp butter
                                    6 Tblsp sugar
            Mix together until crumbs form.

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and saltset aside. In mixer, cream butter, sugar and vanilla. Add  eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each. Gradually add the dry mixture, alternating with the buttermilk. Mix well. Pour mixture evenly into 3 greased loaf pans or 6 mini loaf pans. Top with generous amount of crumbs. Bake 1 hour for large pans and 45 minutes for small pans.
(Kelly says if you really want raisins, stir in (with a spoon) 1 cups after batter is done.)
*I must add that Kellys Placek is always wonderfully moist, and I never put it in the toaster. (Sometimes I even eat it without butter!)

Here is Grandma Helen in her old kitchen in Sloan with her finished Placeks.