Armenia

ARMENIA: Orange, Lemon and Cranberry Nazook

If my Nazooks look a bit lackluster, it’s because I forgot the egg wash. A pastry that’s not overly sweet. Would go well with a cup of tea/coffee…Reminds me of an Eccles cake.

INGREDIENTS:

2 1/2 – 3 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/4 teaspoons (1 packet) active dry yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup sour cream
1 cup (2 sticks) softened butter (room temperature)
2 tablespoon grated lemon rind
2 tablespoon grated orange rind
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
3/4 cup softened butter (room temperature)
1 cup dried cranberries, optional
1-2 egg yolks (for the wash; alternatively, some yogurt, egg whites, or a whole egg)

DIRECTIONS:

Place the 2 1/2 cups of flour into a large mixing bowl. Mix in the dry yeast and salt. Add the sour cream, and the softened butter. Use a standing mixer with a paddle attachment to work it into a dough. Switch to a dough hook and knead for about 5 minutes, or until the dough no longer sticks to the bowl or your hands. Add additional flour, a little at a time as needed. Cover the dough and refrigerate for 3-5 hours, or overnight.

Combine sugar and citrus rinds in a small bowl, mix well. Cover with plastic wrap until ready to use. Mix flour, 1 1/2 cups citrus sugar and softened butter in a medium bowl. Mix the filling until it looks like clumpy, damp sand. It should not take long. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Cut the refrigerated dough into quarters. Form one of the quarters into a ball. Dust your working surface with a little flour. Roll out the dough into a large rectangle or oval. The dough should be thin, but not transparent.

Spread 1/4 of the filling mixture across the rolled-out dough in an even layer. Try to spread the filling as close as possible to the edges on the short sides, but keep 1 inch of pastry dough uncovered along the long edges. Sprinkle cranberries evenly over the top, if using. From one of the long sides, start slowly rolling the dough across. Be careful to make sure the filling stays evenly distributed. Roll all the way across until you have a long, thin loaf.

Pat down the loaf with your palm and fingers so that it flattens out a bit (just a bit). Apply your egg yolk wash with a pastry brush. Sprinkle on a tablespoon of citrus sugar. Use your crinkle cutter (or knife) to cut the loaf into 8 equally-sized pieces. Put onto an ungreased cookie sheet (I used parchment paper).

Place in a preheated moderate oven for about 30 minutes, until the tops are a rich, golden brown.