The beauty about koulourakia is that they keep in an air-tight container for a month, and are easy enough to prepare, although it can be time consuming to shape them. This is a nice togetherness project for family, especially when the children are involved. Koulourakia can be shaped into various braids, circles, letters, or whatever your imagination can create. Many children love the ease of shaping the dough, and the even easier part of pressing it all back together to start over. The dough, itself, is forgiving that way, where it is hard to overwork to make a dry, cracked end result. You have some time and some room to "play" with different ideas. And, if you are having helpers, either adults or children, this can be a relaxing activity.
So, what do you need in order to make koulourakia? The recipe that we are providing makes about 5 dozen small cookies -- although that varies with the size and shapes you make. When we make koulourakia, we may get 4-5 dozen. When my mother makes hers, she gets 9 dozen. And my mother-in-law, when she makes hers, she gets almost 3 dozen. It's all about size and shape that will determine your outcome. This is a recipe that is similar to what my mother-in-law makes. It is light and airy, uses baking soda, and has that little tiny baking soda aftertaste that we all know and love. It is good recipe to keep in the folder so when the occasion calls, you will be prepared to make koulourakia.
You will need the following:
1 cup butter
1 1/2 cups sugar (granulated)
4 eggs
4 egg yolks
3 tsp. vanilla
2 TBSP baking soda
1/2 cup milk
about 9 cups flour (all purpose)
sesame seeds (optional)
 |
The first step is to mix the sugar and the butter together in the stand mixer (the process is called "creaming"). Use the flat paddle for this. |
Add the eggs one at a time. Really, one at a time. We always crack our eggs into a glass container before adding eggs to the dough. This way, we make sure that the egg shells don't sneak in to the food. Make sure that each egg is fully incorporated before adding the next one.
Then, add 2 (TWO) egg yolks. Reserve the other two for making the egg wash toward the end of this recipe.
Mix well.
Now, add the vanilla.
Once the vanilla is completely combined, turn the mixer off. This is the time that you should switch the attachment to the dough hook. It sounds a little odd, perhaps, but the dough hook will be very useful as you add the flour, and you will best be able to see the consistency of the dough. So, put on the dough hook and we'll move on.
Now, you have to have the milk in a container -- bowl or measuring cup (since we don't have any milk in our house right now, we decided to use what we had on hand, soy milk substitute). Add the baking soda directly to the milk and mix it well. You may see a few bubbles, but make sure that you mix this well. **The baking soda will settle at the bottom of the bowl or measuring cup, so you will have to continue to mix this before each step of adding milk.
Next, add about one third of the milk/baking soda mixture to the butter/egg mixture.
Now, add some of the flour. You might not use the entire amount of 9 cups, so add only about one third at first.
Alternately add the milk, then the flour, then the milk, then the flour until all of the milk/baking soda mixture is added. Then, we will see how the dough is forming to know how much of the flour to add. At this point, you should have added about 7 1/2 to 8 cups of flour.
Turn down the speed of the mixer to very slow. You should be able to see the dough forming and becoming firm. As soon as you see the dough cleaning the sides of the mixing bowl, you are done mixing with the machine.
You need to figure out if the dough is dry enough, while still being moist enough and pliable. It should not stick to your hands, nor to the table surface. It should roll into a log very easily without cracking. If the dough cracks when rolled, it is too dry. Let it rest for about one hour at room temperature, covered tightly with plastic wrap. If the dough sticks to your hands or the table, then it is too wet, and you need to sprinkle some flour on the work surface and roll the dough in flour. Experience is the best teacher for this.
Now comes the fun part. And, it is great if you have helpers, otherwise, put a movie on the television, and relax while you roll the shapes. Here is how you make the typical twisted shape of a koulourakia:
First, roll long, thin logs of dough. Allow yourself plenty of space to line up the various rows that you just rolled. Make sure that the logs are all the same, whether they are thin or thick does not matter, but they all have to be pretty much the same. If you have thick logs, you will have bigger koulourakia. If your logs are thin, you will have smaller koulourakia. So, roll out several logs where they are even in size to one another.
Now, decide how long you want to cut the pieces. They should be long enough to twist two times or three times (personal choice). We usually go for two twists. So, make sure that you choose a length that will give you the size koulourakia you want. Once again, try to keep each piece the same in length. We cut one piece, decided on the correct length by making a practice twist, untwisted that one and then laid the piece next to our cut line, and used the initial piece as a "ruler" to measure the length of all the other pieces.
To make the twist:
Pinch or fold the center of the log with your fingers. Don't pinch so hard that the dough sticks, just pinch enough to make a U shape.
Then, cross one side of the "U" over the other.
Lastly, cross put the two ends in one hand, and the middle of the cookie in the other. Twist the cookie so it looks like the twist goes twice or three times around. This will vary depending on how large your koulourakia are. The larger they are, the more twists they get.
Try to keep the koulourakia as uniform as possible. This will help in the baking time and evenness, as well as the appearance of the koulourakia.
Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. This will prevent any sticking whatsoever. It also is easier clean up! Put your cookies in rows on the paper lined baking sheet.
Now, roll the rest of the dough the same way. They should still look identical.
Brush the top of each cookie with egg wash -- that is, the two egg yolks that are left over, as seen above, mixed with a little water or milk. Milk will make the cookies more brown, water will give a more natural colour, not as deep brown.
Now, after you have brushed the cookies with egg wash, sprinkle some sesame seeds on each cookie. This step, too, is optional if you don't like sesame.
Once the cookies are topped with a sprinkling of sesame, then put them in the oven at 350° F for about 10 to 15 minutes, until you have that beautiful golden colour and the cookies move around freely on the parchment paper.
Allow the koulourakia to cool completely before storing them. While they are cooling, you can sit back and enjoy the delicious smell coming from the oven. Then, remind yourself that it is a few more days before you can try one. Just a few more days...
"But when the Pharisees heard that he (Jesus) had silenced the Sadducees, they came together. And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question, to test him. "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?" And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets.""
(Matthew 22: 34-40)
(Source: http://www.goarch.org/chapel/lectionary_view?type=G&code=305&event=1011&date=4/10/2012)
No comments:
Post a Comment