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Gogal
Qoğal: flaky Absheron Novruz pastry with fennel and turmeric
AzerbaijaniGogal is baked for Novruz, the spring new year on 20 March, in kitchens all over Baku and the Absheron villages, beside shekerbura and pakhlava on the festive tray. A soft dough is rolled thin, brushed with butter mixed with ground fennel, turmeric and salt, then rolled, coiled and flattened again so it bakes into crisp, savoury, golden layers. A common mistake is using cold, hard butter for the spread; it tears the dough. Chef's tip: let the coiled pastries rest before flattening so the layers relax and stay distinct in the oven.
- Total time
- 90 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 10
Ingredients
For the dough
- 16 oz plain flour
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- ¾ cup warm milk
- 1 egg
- 3 tbsp sunflower oil
For the layers
- 4 oz soft butter
- 1 tbsp fennel seedsground
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp plain flour
For the top
- 1 egg yolkbeaten with 1 tsp milk
- 1 tbsp nigella or sesame seeds
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Mix 16 oz plain flour, ⅛ oz fast-action dried yeast, 1 tsp sugar and 1 tsp salt. Add ¾ cup warm milk, 1 egg and 3 tbsp sunflower oil and knead for 8 minutes until smooth. Cover and rise for 1 hour.
8 minStep 2: Beat 4 oz soft butter with 1 tbsp fennel seeds, 1 tsp ground turmeric, ½ tsp salt and 2 tbsp plain flour into a soft golden paste. Common mistake: cold butter; it rips the dough.
Step 3: Divide the dough into 10. Roll each into a thin 25 cm circle, spread with the butter paste and roll up into a rope.
Step 4: Coil each rope into a snail and rest for 15 minutes.
15 minStep 5: Heat the oven to 375°F (fan 350°F). Flatten each coil gently into a 10 cm round, about 1.5 cm thick, and lay on lined trays.
Step 6: Brush with 1 egg yolk, sprinkle with 1 tbsp nigella or sesame seeds and bake for 20–25 minutes, until deep golden and flaky.
25 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 360 kcal
- Protein
- 6 g
- Carbs
- 38 g
- Fat
- 21 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does gogal take?
- About 90 minutes in total: 60 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 10 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of fast-action dried yeast?
- Fresh yeast, three times the weight.
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