Yerevan Gata

Ingredients

200 g flour

100 g butter

1 tsp baking powder

2 egg whites

1 egg yolk

1 pinch salt

100 g sour cream

For the filling:

100 g sugar

100 g butter

100 g flour

100 g vanilla sugar

Preheat the oven to 180-190 degrees Celsius and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt into a deep bowl. Add the diced butter. Separately mix the sour cream, egg whites, and yolk. Add to the flour and butter mixture, mix well, and knead into a soft dough.

 In a separate bowl, crush the sugar, flour, vanilla sugar, and butter into crumbs. Divide the dough into two pieces, roll out into a rectangle, spread half the filling evenly, leaving a small gap from the edges. Roll into a roll (do not roll tightly). Then flatten the roll with your hands and cut into pieces at a slight angle. Place on a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling. Brush the gata with egg yolk and bake until golden brown.

Enjoy!

Honey Cake

Ingredients

Sugar 1/2 cup

Vegetable oil 1/2 cup

Honey 3 tbsp

Water 1 cup

Baking powder 2 tsp

Flour 2 cups

Raisins 1/2 cup

Walnuts 1/2 cup

Vanilla sugar 1 packet

Salt 1 pinch

Scald the raisins with boiling water, dry them, add the chopped nuts, and mix everything with a pinch of flour. Pour the sugar into a frying pan and heat over medium heat until caramelized.

Then slowly pour in the warm water and stir until the caramel is completely dissolved. Pour the caramel water into a bowl and let it cool. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius, grease the pan with vegetable oil, sprinkle with flour, and line the bottom with greaseproof paper for extra security.

In a bowl, combine the vegetable oil, honey, vanilla sugar, and salt. Pour in the warm caramel water and mix well. Add a cup of sifted flour and baking powder. Stir, then add more flour until the dough has the consistency of thick sour cream. Add the raisins and nuts.

Stir, transfer the dough to the pan, and smooth the top. Bake the honey cake for 40-45 minutes, until done. Cool the finished cake on a wire rack.

Enjoy!

Curd Baguette

Ingredients

7 g dry yeast

1 tsp sugar

180 ml water

3 cups flour

2 tsp salt

5 tbsp cottage cheese

100 g butter

For greasing:

1 egg

2 tbsp water

Sesame seeds

Add sugar to a cup of warm water, add yeast, stir, cover with a plate, and set aside until a crust forms (about 7 minutes).

Sift the flour and salt. Add cottage cheese and mix until crumbly (I rub it with my palms).

Pour in the yeast and butter. Knead on speed 1-2 if using a mixer (hook attachment) or for 5-8 minutes if kneading by hand. Add a little more water if needed. The dough should be soft and sticky, but not sticky. Greasing your hands with vegetable oil helps while kneading.

Place the dough in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let it rise in a warm place for 1-1.5 hours. The dough should double in size. Lightly press down on the finished dough (it will be fluffy and soft) and divide it into two pieces. These two pieces will be the baguettes.

Take one piece of dough and fold the top edge inward, then the other bottom edge inward. Repeat with the side edges. Press down with your hand to form a rectangle; you can use a rolling pin to help.

Starting with the wide end, roll the dough into a roll. Don't roll it too tightly, or the baguette will burst at the edges. Repeat with the second piece of dough.

 If you don't have a baguette pan, make one yourself out of foil, the length of your baguette (I use two layers of foil, the length of the baguette, and fold them over at the edges, lightly grease them with butter, and dust with flour). Place the prepared baguettes in the pan, cover them with cling film, and let them rise.

After about 30 minutes, make slits in the baguette with scissors (optional), brush with a beaten egg and water, and sprinkle with sunflower seeds or sesame seeds. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit) for 40 minutes.

The baguette will be golden brown and have a hollow sound when tapped. It's best eaten cooled, preferably after an hour.

Enjoy!

Spiced Raisin Buns

Ingredients

Milk 100 ml

Kefir 100 ml

Egg 1

Sugar 3 tbsp

Vanilla sugar 1 packet

Salt 1/2 tsp

Butter 35 g

Vegetable oil 1 tbsp

Dry yeast 1 tsp

Flour 3 cups

Raisins 1/2 cup

Cinnamon to taste

Cardamom to taste

Nutmeg to taste

Dissolve the yeast in warm milk and set aside for now. Soak the raisins in hot water for 5 minutes, then drain, dry them on a paper towel, and mix with a pinch of flour. Melt the butter, pour it into a bowl, add the sugar, salt, vanilla sugar, vegetable oil, and egg, and mix well. 

Add kefir and a little sifted flour to the milk and yeast mixture, mix well, then pour in the butter, egg, and sugar mixture. Add the spices and sifted flour in portions. Finally, add the raisins. Knead the dough until it forms a soft ball, grease it with vegetable oil, transfer it to a bowl, cover, and let rise for 1 hour.

Line a baking sheet with oiled parchment. Punch down the dough, divide it into 10-11 pieces, and shape into any kind of buns, either knots or simply round ones.

Place the buns on the baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise for 15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 180-200 degrees Celsius. Brush the buns with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar or poppy seeds. Bake until golden brown.

Enjoy!

Polish Charlotte

Ingredients

For the dough:

Flour 310 g

Butter 200 g

Brown sugar 120 g

Salt 1/2 tsp

Egg yolk 3

Sour cream 2 tbsp

For the filling:

Apple 1500 g

Sugar 1 tbsp

Vanilla sugar 10 g

Sift the flour into a bowl, add the diced butter, and chop to form coarse crumbs. Separately, mix the sour cream, sugar, salt, and egg yolks, add to the crumbs, knead the dough, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour.

 Peel and dice the apples, then simmer them in a dry frying pan with sugar and vanilla sugar for about 10 minutes until soft, being careful not to turn them into mush. Finally, add flour and stir.

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Grease a 22-23 cm pie pan. Divide the dough into two smaller, larger portions. Roll the larger portion into a circle, transfer it to the pan, form a 3-4 cm high edge, prick with a fork, and bake for 12 minutes.

Pour the apple filling into the pie pan, pressing it down to form a thick layer. Roll out a small portion of the dough into a circle, cut into strips, and place the strips evenly over the filling, pinching off any excess edges. Bake for 30-35 minutes.

Enjoy!

Cheesecake Cookies

Ingredients

Butter 220g

Brown Sugar 1 cup

Sugar 1/2 cup

Vanilla 2 tsp

Salt 3/4 tsp

Apple Cider Vinegar 1 tbsp

Egg 1 tsp

Baking Soda 2 cups

Flour 2 cups

Chocolate Chips 2 cups

For the Cheese Layer:

Cream Cheese 220g

Sugar 1/2 cup

Egg 1

Vanilla 1/2 tsp

Whisk the butter, both types of sugar, vanilla, salt, baking soda, and vinegar. Beat in the egg and gradually add the flour. Finally, add the chocolate chips. Divide the dough into 2 portions. In a separate bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Beat the egg and vanilla, then mix.

Place half the dough in the bottom of a baking dish and spread it evenly. Top with a layer of cheese filling. Layer the remaining dough, leaving some of the filling exposed. Bake at 175 degrees Celsius for 35-45 minutes, until the top layer browns. Serve chilled.

Enjoy!

Chocolate Manna Cake

Ingredients

1 cup semolina

1 cup water

1/2 cup vegetable oil

100 g flour

1 cup sugar

1 packet vanilla sugar

1.5 tsp baking powder

3 tbsp cocoa powder

1/2 cup walnuts

1/2 cup raisins

In a bowl, combine the semolina, vanilla sugar, and sugar. Pour in the water, stir, and let sit for 2-3 hours until the semolina swells.

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Add the butter to the semolina and whisk. Mix the flour with the cocoa and baking powder, sift it over the top, and mix until a lump-free dough forms. Add more flour if needed. The dough should be the consistency of sour cream. 

Then add the nuts and dried fruit, mix well, and transfer the dough to a greased pan. Smooth it out. Bake for 50-55 minutes. Cool the finished manna on a wire rack. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and cocoa powder.

Enjoy!