3 traditional and nostalgic pastry recipes: donuts, yeast muffin and steamed cookies

“Lithuanians have a very rich baking tradition, which is not inferior to the most famous cakes in all of Europe. In some families, Christmas is unimaginable without yeast cakes filled with poppy seeds, innumerable tin cakes, curd donuts or donuts. In other parts of the festive tables, buns with cinnamon predominate, delicacies with curd: “Kuršėnai” roll, “Draugystės” cake, curd plate. Although these cakes differ from the French or Italian pastry schools, there is also a lot of knowledge and tips worth remembering, ”said pastry chef Sonata Šalkauskaitė.

So what kind of cakes are typical for the Lithuanian Christmas table?

1. Oil-fried desserts: nostalgic donuts

The delicacies cooked with fat are the real winter delicacy. In our country, its variety is really great: from delicious and soft donuts to different types of crunchy donuts.

“Žagarėliai is one of the most brilliant Christmas cakes in Lithuanian cuisine. Crispy, dusted with icing sugar on the outside, we remember them from childhood. Žagarėliai is baked by everyone, both Aukštaitija and Žemaitija, they can be of various types: yeast, curd, crumbly or semi-crunchy dough ”, says R. Ničajaiė.

In the past, donuts were boiled in fat. Nowadays, when we have quality oils that can be cooked to extremely high temperatures, this rule no longer applies: even during Advent, you can avoid animal fats and enjoy toasted donuts and donuts.

“When cooking in oil, a thermometer will be very useful, allowing you to measure the temperature of the oil with greater precision. If the temperature is too high, the cakes will bake, but the inside will remain green. If it is too low, these will not rotate and will absorb too much oil. It is also very important to follow the size of the dough that is specified in the recipe, because if the dough shrinks, so will the baking time and temperature. Also, after removing the cakes from the oil, pat them dry with a paper towel, this will prevent excess fat, ”says S. Šalkauskaitė.

2. Yeast cakes – curl with poppies

Yeast is one of the most familiar doughs in the kitchen of our mothers and grandmothers. In Lithuania, beautiful horns and cakes were baked for both Christmas and Easter. Yeast is the most important ingredient in this dough, making it rise and become light and fluffy.

“Simple yeast dough is mixed only with flour, yeast and milk or water. From this dough, dumplings, loaves, horns and bread are baked. Improved dough differs from ordinary dough in that it adds fat, sugar and eggs, as well as various additives: raisins, poppies, nuts, dried fruits. These yeast cakes are the most popular during the Christmas period, ”says the expert.

3. Shortbread cookies

The dessert our grandmothers baked for us: soft and lightly steamed cakes, which are the most delicious to eat while still hot while drinking hot chocolate. These cookies are steamed dough products. When preparing cakes from this dough, some of the ingredients need to be heated. As a result, the dough rises well and your cakes become crisp, light and fluffy, a crust appears on the surface, and the dough itself puffs up.

“It is important to choose the right ingredients to make baked dough. In particular, it is made from wheat flour with a high protein content, which helps to form a good gluten structure, even if the dough contains ingredients such as fat or sugar. Second, choosing the correct size eggs is very important because they add a lot to the braised batter. If you use small eggs, you may need one more than indicated in the recipe, ”says S. Šalkauskaitė.