Koulourakia

Twisted butter biscuits that must be shaped from cold dough, baked until deep gold rather than pale.

Egg. Vegetarian, but not vegan — contains egg, dairy (butter), dairy (milk).

Ingredients

• 250 g butter, softened
• 250 g caster sugar
• 4 eggs
• 100 ml milk
• 900 g plain flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• zest of 1 orange
• 1 egg yolk and 2 tablespoons milk, to glaze
• sesame seeds

Method

1. THESE ARE BAKED TO DEEP GOLD, NOT PALE, which is the opposite of the other butter biscuit on this site. Kourabiedes are pulled out almost white and buried in sugar; these want twenty minutes and real colour, because the whole flavour is the butter and egg browning. Pulled early they are soft, bland and taste of raw flour.
2. THE DOUGH IS CHILLED BEFORE SHAPING AND WORKED IN BATCHES. Warm, it stretches as you roll and the twists untwist themselves on the tray. Keep two thirds in the fridge while shaping the first third.
3. Butter and sugar beaten 8 minutes until pale and fluffy.
4. Eggs in one at a time, beating well. Then milk, vanilla and zest. It may look curdled; it comes back with the flour.
5. Flour and baking powder folded in by hand in three lots, until it just comes together as a soft dough. NOT kneaded.
6. Wrapped and chilled 1 hour.
7. A third taken out at a time. Walnut-sized pieces rolled into ropes about 15 cm long, then folded in half and twisted twice, or coiled into a simple spiral.
8. Laid on lined trays with space between -- they spread a little and rise.
9. THE TRAY CHILLED 15 MINUTES before baking if the kitchen is warm. The shape holds far better.
10. Glazed carefully with the yolk and milk, then sprinkled with sesame.
11. Baked at 180C for 18 to 20 minutes until deep gold all over, including underneath.
12. Cooled completely on a rack -- they crisp as they cool and are soft straight from the oven.
13. They keep three weeks in a tin and are made for dunking.

Our own recipe. This one was written for this site rather than taken from anywhere, so there is no source to point you at. The quantities and the order of the steps are choices, not the only way to do it.

Filed under Greece · All recipes