Shekerbura

SHEKERBURA is one of the most popular Azerbaijani sweet pastries. Shekerbura consists of nuts and sugar wrapped in pastry dough. The outer surface of Shekerbura is decorated using a special tweezers called “maggash”. Shekerbura, together with Pakhlava and Shor-Gogal, is prepared for Novruz, one of the most important spring holidays in Azerbaijan.  According to tradition, the crescent-shaped Shekerbura represents the moon, the round-shaped, yellow Gogal represents the sun, and the diamond-shaped Pakhlava represents a star.
The name “shekerbura” is derived from the Turkish word “Seker-Borek,” which means “sweet pie.”

*A full-sized picture of Shekerbura is available in the Gallery

Cup size – 250 ml
Quantity – 35-40 pieces
Ingredients for the yeast mixture:
1 tsp dry yeast
1 tbsp granulated white sugar
1 tbsp flour
1/3 cup warm water
Ingredients for the dough:
2 lb (900 gr) all purpose flour
1 tbsp vanilla sugar
1 cup warm melted unsalted butter
1 cup warm milk
2 egg yolks room temperature
pinch of salt
Ingredients for the stuffing:
1 lb (450 g) nuts (walnuts, peeled almonds or skinned hazelnuts)
1 lb (450 g) granulated white sugar
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 tablespoon vanilla sugar

Preparation:
Preparing the yeast mixture.
In a large cup, mix the dry ingredients together (yeast, flour, and sugar). Add 1/3 cup of warm water, mix into a smooth mass, and leave it in a warm place to rise.
While it’s rising, melt the butter over low heat, and lightly warm the milk.

Preparing the dough.
Mix the egg yolks, melted butter, milk, vanilla sugar, salt, and yeast mixture in a bowl.

In a separate bowl sift the flour.
Add the wet ingredients into the bowl with your flour and begin kneading the dough until the dough it is smooth, and does not stick to your hands.

Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it sit for 30 minutes in a room temperature. The dough should not rise, otherwise your Shekerbura will lose its pattern during baking.

Preparing the stuffing.
While the dough is resting, prepare the filling.
Blend the nuts, not too finely, using a food processor. Remove the nuts from the blender and mix them with the sugar and the ground cardamom and vanilla sugar.

Preparing Shekerbura.
Divide the dough into small balls (about the size of an egg). Place the balls on a plate, cover it with plastic wrap, and place it in the refrigerator to prevent it from rising. Pull them out 5 at a time while you make each shekerbura.
Roll out the ball into a circle approximately 2-3 mm thick and 8-10 cm wide.
Place a tablespoon of the stuffing in the center. Fold and pinch the ends tightly, then twist them as you would the edges of a Cornish pasty.
With your maggash, start pinching the dough to decorate the surface of shekerbura.

Place each ready-to-cook Shekerbura on a cold baking sheet (one inch from each other) until you finish 8-10 of them.

Cooking Shekerbura.
Pre-heat the oven to 180°C (350°F), and bake shekerbura for approximately 20 minutes, until the bottom is slightly golden-brown, and the top is light.
Serve Shekerbura while warm.

Bon Appétit! Enjoy!

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