Nazook

The Daring Bakers’ April 2012 challenge, hosted by Jason at Daily Candor, were two Armenian standards: nazook and nutmeg cake. Nazook is a layered yeasted dough pastry with a sweet filling, and nutmeg cake is a fragrant, nutty coffee-style cake. Like most hosts, Jason provided background on the recipes and detailed step by step instructions. He also went above and beyond to make instructional videos as well.

I chose to make nazook as it sounded more challenging, I am not crazy about nutmeg and it was Jason's Aunt Aida's recipe. Since, God knows, I didn't need 40 pieces of pastry I halved the recipe. Then I split the filling to make two versions so I could try the traditional vanilla-scented filling and experiment with a brown sugar cinnamon filling inspired by my Mom's favorite Pop-Tarts. 

I was a bit nervous making it. Nazook was unlike any pastry or yeast recipe I previously made. It had yeast but didn't require proofing, the addition of warm liquid or rising time. The filling involved flour as well as the standard butter/sugar/flavoring combination. But I shouldn't have worried! The resulting pasty had an irresistible buttery, flaky crust with a scent that made me heady.

As for the fillings, I can't tell you which version was better in spite of many side by side tastings... Maybe I'll to decide next time. ;) If you have any suggestions for avoiding the semi-exploded appearance below in the future, please leave them in the comments. 

Nazook
Yields approximately 20 pieces

Pastry dough
1 1/2 cups All-Purpose (Plain) Flour, sifted
1 1/4 teaspoons Active Dry Yeast
1/2 cup Sour Cream
1/2 cup (1 stick) Softened, Unsalted Butter (room temperature)

Vanilla Filling
1/3 cup All-Purpose (Plain) Flour, sifted
1/3 cup Sugar
6 tablespoons Softened, Unsalted Butter (room temperature)
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Brown Sugar Cinnamon Filling
1/3 cup All-Purpose (Plain) Flour, sifted
1/3 cup Brown Sugar
6 tablespoons Softened, Unsalted Butter (room temperature)
1 teaspoon Cinnamon

Wash: 1 Egg Yolk

Directions:

Make the Pastry Dough
1. Place the sifted flour into a large bowl.
2. Add the dry yeast, and mix it in.
3. Add the sour cream, and the softened butter.
4. Use your hands, or a standing mixer with a paddle attachment, to work it into a dough.
5. If using a standing mixer, switch to a dough hook. If making manually, continue to knead for about 10 minutes, or until the dough no longer sticks to the bowl or your hands. If it remains very sticky, add some flour, a little at a time.
6. Cover the dough and refrigerate for 3-5 hours, or overnight if you like.

Make the fillings
7. Mix the flour, brown or white sugar, and the softened butter in a medium bowl.
8. Add the vanilla extract or cinnamon as appropriate.
9. Mix the fillings until they looks like clumpy, damp sand. It should not take long. Set aside.

Make the nazook
10. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
11. Cut the refrigerated dough into two halves.
12. Form one into a ball. Dust your working surface with a little flour.
13. Roll out the dough into a large rectangle or oval. The dough should be thin, but not transparent. I find it helpful to cover the dough with plastic wrap while rolling to prevent it from sticking the rolling pin.
14. Spread one of the filling mixtures across the rolled-out dough in an even layer. To get it started I rolled the filling out on top of the dough and then spread it with my fingers to get it close to the edges on the short sides while keeping about 1 inch of the pastry dough uncovered along the long edges.
15. 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.
16. Pat down the loaf with your palm and fingers so that it flattens out a bit (just a bit).
17. Apply your egg yolk wash with a pastry brush.
18. Use your crinkle cutter (or knife) to cut the loaf into 10 equally-sized pieces. Put onto an ungreased cookie sheet (I used a silipat!)
19. Repeat with the other variation or additional portion of the dough and filling. 
19. Place in a preheated moderate oven for about 30 minutes, until the tops are a rich, golden brown.
20. Allow to cool and enjoy.

Pumpkin Cinnamon Swirl Bread

One of my favorite treats growing up in Richmond, Virginia was fresh bread from Montana Gold Bread Company in Carytown. Going to get new pointe shoes at Ellman's inevitably ended with a thick, sample slice and a few loaves coming home. When I saw Cassie from How To Eat a Cupcake and Flour Child Bakery post this Cinnamon Swirl Bread I was brought back to their Cinnamon Swirl Bread and bookmarked the recipe confident that I could bring a version of Montana Gold's bread to my Brooklyn kitchen.

My only changes to the recipe were spreading a bit of canned pumpkin between layers in lieu of raisins  (because what isn't pumpkin good in?), rolling it up without the topping and having to unroll it (oops) and letting it rise overnight in the fridge, which didn't hold it back in the least as this bread was a prodigious riser. I'm not kidding. It's strength buckled my silicon loaf pan.

The resulting loaf was an excellent likeness to the one in my memory -- light and fluffy in texture and slightly sweet. It was great on its own fresh or toasted with a bit of butter later in the week. To get a feel for it imagine the texture and size of Texas Toast only replace the garlic and butter with a sweet swirl. My only change next time will be having more space to roll out the dough, so there will be more of a swirl in my end result! You've got to try it.

Other excitement: I have two new readers! Thanks for signing on y'all. I also ran my first 8k this past weekend; thanks to a friend's pace setting skill there were no stops or walking breaks and we finished in 58:20. I didn't think a 5k outside was possible much less an 8k. :)

Pumpkin Cinnamon Swirl Bread
From Joy of Cooking via How To Eat A Cupcake
Yield: 1 loaf

1 package (2 1/4 teaspoons) Active Dry Yeast
3 tablespoons Warm Water (105 to 115 degrees Fahrenheit)
1 cup Milk (full fat or nonfat both are fine, heat to  low-fat milk, warmed 105 to 115 degrees Fahrenheit)
6 tablespoons Melted Unsalted Butter (keep one tablespoon for finishing)
3 tablespoons Sugar
1 large Egg
1 teaspoon Salt
3 1/2 to 4 cups All-Purpose Flour

Filling:
1/2 cup Pumpkin
2 tablespoons Sugar
2 teaspoons Cinnamon

Finishing
1 Egg
Salt
1. Combine yeast and water in a large bowl or bowl of mixer and stir. Let stand for five minutes until yeast dissolves. Meanwhile, oil a large bowl.
2. Add the remaining ingredients, except for the flour and the aforementioned teaspoon of butter, and mix for 1 minute on low speed. Add the 3 1/2 cups of flour a 1/2 cup at a time, until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl yet sticks to its bottom. If needed, continue adding a tablespoon of flour at a time until you reach the right consistency.
3. If using a mixer with a dough attachment, switch to it and knead for about 10 minutes on low to medium speed until the dough is smooth and elastic. If kneading by hand, sprinkle the counter with flour and knead the dough until smooth and elastic.
4. Place the dough in the prepared bowl and turn it over once to coat. Loosely cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until doubled in volume.
5. Open the can of pumpkin and scoop out 1/2 cup in a small bowl. Mix the cinnamon and sugar for the filling.
6. Grease an 8 1/2” x 4 1/2” loaf pan. Melt the reserved butter. Punch dough down. Roll the dough into an 8” x 18” rectangle about 1/2” thick. Brush the surface of the dough with the 1 teaspoon of the melted butter. Sprinkle all but 2 teaspoons of the cinnamon sugar over the dough and spread the pumpkin as evenly as you can over the surface. Starting from one 8” side, roll up the dough and pinch the seam and ends closed. Place seam side down in the pan. Cover loosely with oiled plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in volume, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
7. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Whisk egg and salt together and gently brush over the top of the loaf. Sprinkle the top of the dough with the remaining cinnamon sugar. Bake until crust is deep golden brown and the bottom of the sounds hollow when tapped, 40 to 45 minutes. Remove loaf from the pan onto a cooling rack. While the bread is still hot, brush the top with the remaining melted butter, then let it cool.
8. Once cool, slice and enjoy.