Let's begin by preparing everything for the dough, starting with proofing the yeast.

First, sprinkle sugar into a glass of warm water. Stir until the sugar is almost dissolved, then add the yeast.

Stir until everything is well combined, then set it aside to proof (about 30 minutes).

While the yeast is proofing, put the butter into a small saucepan and melt it over a warm burner.

Set the butter aside to cool until it's just slightly warm.

Next, pour hot water into a large bowl with the raisins and let them soak for 15 minutes.

Drain and rinse the raisins, then let them sit in a strainer so the excess water drips off. Set them aside until ready for use.

Your butter should be cooled to a warm temperature now. Add the mayonnaise to it and stir well to combine them.

Set this mixture aside until we're ready to use it later.

Next, pour the milk into a separate pot and bring it to a boil. When it begins to boil, remove it from the heat and let it cool to slightly warm.

Once it's cooled, add the activated yeast mixture to the warmed milk and stir it well. Set this mixture aside until later.

While the milk and yeast are cooling, beat eggs with sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer for 5 minutes on high.

Reduce the speed to low and add salt, vanilla, milk, the yeast/milk mixture, and the melted butter/mayonnaise mixture.

Now, switch to the dough hook attachment and gradually add in sifted flour, 1 cup at a time.

After you've added 4 cups of flour, add the raisins we soaked earlier.

Continue adding ½ cup of the flour at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl with each flour addition. The dough should be soft and shouldn't stick to a rubber spatula.

When the dough is fully mixed and not sticky, leave it in the same bowl or transfer it to a lightly greased bowl and cover it with plastic food wrap. Puncture about 5 small holes in the plastic wrap with a knife so the dough can breathe.

Place a clean kitchen towel over the plastic wrap, then put the bowl in a warm place for the dough to rise. This should take about 2 hours.

Time to start shaping our delicious Paska!

When the dough is done rising, lightly punch the dough and then pinch off a piece. weigh each piece on a scale to get exactly 2 - 2 1/2 oz.

Roll the dough into a round little ball and place it into your panettone mold. The entire dough mix makes 50 mini Paskas. Personally, I like to make 25 little ones and 2 large ones, but it's up to you.

Roll the dough into a round little ball and place it into your panettone mold. The entire dough mix makes 50 mini Paskas. Personally, I like to make 25 little ones and 2 large ones, but it's up to you.

Place all the dough-filled molds on a cookie sheet and let it rise again in a warm place for 1 hour.

Halfway through the rising time, preheat the oven to 350 F.

Bake 25 mini Paskas for 40 to 45 minutes or until golden brown. You'll get a beautiful color like in the picture below without even needing to use an egg wash to brush on top of the bread.

Remove from the oven and let them cool for 10 minutes.

While the mini-Paskas are cooling, let's prepare the glaze.

Pour milk into a small bowl then add 1 cup of powdered sugar at a time, stirring gently at first then quicker with each addition.

Add freshly squeezed lemon juice and mix it well again. Cover the bowl tightly with a lid (to prevent hardening) and set it aside until ready for use.

Remove the mini-Paska bread from their molds.

Place them on a wire rack for glazing. Be ready to begin glazing as soon as the mini-Paskas have cooled down to warm.

You can place a silicone mat or aluminum foil under the wire rack for easy cleanup.

Place a piping bag with the biggest round tip attachment into a tall glass, then pour the glaze into the bag. This helps to neatly decorate each individual bread and prevents the glaze from drying out.

While the Paska is still warm, pipe a large circle of glaze on top of a mini-Paska, then create the side drips with the tip.

Sprinkle the mini-Paska with any sprinkles or decorations of your choice. Make sure you add the sprinkles before the glaze dries or they won't stick. Repeat these same steps until all the mini-Paskas are decorated.