Russian Baking
One of the first bread and most popular bread in Russia during the early ages was a black sourdough rye bread. Some reasons why this bread was very popular was because it was a lot cheaper to bake, it was very nutritious, and it was very good. This bread was for families of all classes, everyone loved this type of bread. When the bread was made with finely sifted flour that meant that it was made in a steady home, when it was made without the flour being sifted that meant that it was a low-quality bread usually made in homes with less money. White bread that was made with well-processed wheat flour, was usually referred to as “grainy” white bread and was also known as bread for the rich Russian families.
Kalach bread was another common household bread during the 18th century and even today you can still find it in some of the older Russian bakeries, and it is still made today. Kalach bread is shaped kind of like a bundt cake with it being round with a big hole in the middle and designs that are kneaded into the top of the dough. This bread was popular all around Russia, but it was developed in Moscow and was the most popular in Moscow. Kalach bread was a type of high-quality bread. It was always sent around as gifts and was made for special occasions. When the servants of the families that were well known, were given a coin from their masters they usually would spend it on a slice of kalach bread. As the kalach bread was becoming very popular and as it was made possible that the lower class families were able to buy some of the bread, people started to make it in their homes and it and was found in most of the bakeries in Russia.
One of the most regularly baked items is the Kulebyaka, which is like a pie that is wrapped almost like a flat log with lots of layers of stuff on the inside. This pie has been around since the early 1800’s. People would make this pie dough and would add layers of different things inside the dough and would wrap it up and bake it. There are multiple different types of kulebyaka pies that were made and are still made today are the fish pies, meat pies which held multiple different types of meat like lamb, chicken, cow, and fish, fruit pies, and sweet pies. One of the most popular types of kulebyaka pies was the fish pies, people would add layers of fish, veggies, and seasonings on the dough and then would wrap it up and would bake it in their stone ovens for dinner. Fruit pies were usually baked for certain occasions and were made for holidays. Inside the fruit pies were usually apple slices, berries, and multiple fruits with a sweet glaze in the inside spread over the fruit, and then they were baked just a little lighter then if it was a kulebyaka meat pie.
Another very popular baked good in Russia is the pastila. It was developed in Russia during the 16th century. Some of the main ingredients of what the pastila was baked with back then were egg whites, lots of sugar, honey, apples, and other fruits. People usually puree the fruit and they like to mix/blend multiple different fruits together while baking pastila’s. The pastila was light and was a soft chewy texture. It is formed with the fruit puree and the other ingredients and are usually molded into little squares and are baked for a little while. In Russia, the pastila’s are eaten as a treat usually while drinking tea and are eaten plain as well. Some people compare the pastila to the baked good Turkish delight because it has somewhat the same texture, taste, and form of it.
Another well known baked item in Russia is the Ptichye Moloko, it is usually referred to as the “bird’s milk.” Vladimir Guralnik who was a well-known pastry chef and baker created this dessert at a Prague restaurant in Moscow Russia in 1978. This desert was modeled after a marshmallow dessert which originated in France and was brought over to Russia in the early ages. Ptichye Moloko’s consistency is very light and airy. It has multiple layers of different things. The top layer is a hardened thin layer of chocolate, and the bottom is a layer of sheet cake, with a soft light creamy souffle type filling in the middle.
http://www.privet-russia.com/russian-desserts-and-pastries-sweets-list/
http://russia-ic.com/culture_art/cuisine/1267/#.WJuiPRIrLBI
https://russianfoods.com/top-7-russian-sweets/
https://rbth.com/articles/2012/08/27/top_12_russian_sweets_17701.html
No comments:
Post a Comment