Shaker-bura
Description
Eastern sweets are valued for their original taste and vibrant appearance. Sheker-bura is a popular Azerbaijani sweet pastry filled with almonds, hazelnuts, or walnuts. This pastry is traditionally prepared in Baku for Nowruz—the spring festival or vernal equinox. According to tradition, these slightly crescent-shaped pastries symbolize the Moon or Crescent. The word "sheker-bura" translates from Turkish as "sweet little pie." The pastry is ready. Serve at the table.
Instructions
- 1
Step 1
First, prepare the sponge. In a bowl, mix the first 4 ingredients: dry yeast, flour, and sugar, then add warm water, stir until smooth and let it sit in a warm place for 10–15 minutes. Meanwhile, melt the butter over low heat and separately warm up the milk.
- 2
Step 2
In a large bowl, mix the egg yolks (at room temperature), warm melted butter, warm milk, vanilla sugar, and salt. Add the risen starter and mix again.
- 3
Step 3
Separately, into a mixing bowl, sift the flour, add the prepared liquid ingredients, and mix.
- 4
Step 4
Knead the dough. It should come away from your hands, be soft and smooth. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- 5
Step 5
Now prepare the filling. Grind the nut kernels in a blender, but not too finely. Mix the chopped nuts with sugar, ground cardamom, and vanilla sugar.
- 6
Step 6
Divide the rested dough into egg-sized balls. Place the balls on a plate, cover with plastic wrap, and put in the refrigerator. When you start rolling out the dough, take out only 5 dough balls at a time. Roll each ball into a circle about 2–3 mm thick and 8–10 cm in diameter. Place 1 tablespoon of filling in the center of each circle and shape into buns. If desired, decorate with patterns.
- 7
Step 7
Place the finished shaker-bura on a dry and cold baking sheet.
- 8
Step 8
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees and bake for about 20 minutes, until light golden in color. Serve shaker-bura warm.