Baursak (Kazakh Fried Dough)

A favourite bite for people in Kazakhstan, Baursak is often served with tea as a dessert. The traditional fried dough is usually sprinkled with sugar or poured on melted honey or syrup, but that doesn’t negate its use as a savoury snack. Baursak can be served as a savoury snack with cold cuts like salami. 

Ingredients

• 2 cups of flour
• 1 tablespoon yeast
• 1/4 cup of water
• 1 / 4 cup of milk
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon of butter or margarine
• 1 tablespoon of sugar (and additional sugar for sprinkling)
• ¼ teaspoon of salt
• 2 cups of vegetable oil for frying

Directions

1. Heat 1/4 cup of milk and 1 /4 cup of water warmly.
2. Pour the warm milk and water into a bowl.
3. Add 1 tablespoon of yeast to them and let it rest for 15 minutes.
4. Add 1 tablespoon of sugar, 1 tablespoon of butter, and ¼ teaspoon of salt to a bowl and stir them carefully.
5. Add 1 egg and stir.
6. Pour 2 cups of flour step by step; do not pour whole flour and combine them to make a dough. Continue pouring the flour until it forms a dough.
7. Grease a bowl and put the kneaded dough in it. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and put a cloth on it. Let it rest in a warm place for 45 minutes.
8. After 45 minutes, transfer the dough to the floured surface.
9. Sprinkle a little flour on the dough to make it thinner into 0.5 cm.
10. Cut the dough into circular pieces or any shapes you like.
11. Heat 2 cups of vegetable oil in a pan, then drop the dough pieces carefully into the oil. The heat under the pan should be medium.
12. When the colour of the Baursak dough changes to golden brown, turn it to the other side and fry it.
13. Place the fried Baursak on a paper towel and serve it as a sweet snack with sprinkled sugar, honey, or jam, or serve it as a savoury snack with salami or Feta cheese.