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Nazook
Nazook: Armenian sour-cream pastry rolls with vanilla filling
Nazook is the slice-shaped pastry stacked in the windows of Yerevan bakeries and sold by the box at every Armenian church fair from Glendale to Marseille. A yeasted dough enriched with sour cream is rolled thin, spread with a vanilla-scented filling of flour, butter and sugar, rolled into a log and cut on the slant before baking. The result is flaky outside, with a soft, buttery swirl inside, sweet but not sticky. It is a coffee pastry, served to guests and packed for long journeys because it keeps well. Chef's tip: keep the filling cold and spread it right to the side edges; the swirl looks finished and every slice gets its share.
- Total time
- 70 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 24
Ingredients
For the dough
For the filling
To glaze
Method
0/9 doneStep 1: Mix 13 oz plain flour, ¼ oz fast-action dried yeast and ¼ tsp salt in a bowl. Add 7 oz butter and 8 ½ oz sour cream and mix with your hands into a soft, tender dough; knead for just 1–2 minutes until it holds together and is smooth.
2 minStep 2: Wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight. The dough is too soft to roll warm.
180 minStep 3: Mix 5 ½ oz plain flour, 5 ½ oz sugar, 4 oz butter and 2 tsp vanilla extract into a crumbly paste that looks like wet sand. Keep it cool.
Step 4: Heat the oven to 350°F (fan 325°F) and line two trays with baking paper. Divide the dough into 4. On a lightly floured surface roll one piece into a 25 x 35 cm rectangle, about 3 mm thick.
Step 5: Spread a quarter of the filling evenly over the dough, leaving a 2 cm strip clear along one long edge. Press it lightly with your palm so it sticks.
Step 6: Roll up tightly from the filled long edge towards the clear one, then press the seam to seal and lay seam-side down. Flatten the log gently to about 2.5 cm high.
Step 7: Brush the top with 1 egg yolk, mark lines with a fork, then cut on the diagonal into 6 slices about 4 cm wide. Space them on the trays. Repeat with the remaining dough.
Step 8: Bake for 25–30 minutes, until the tops are a deep golden brown and the cut sides show a set, pale-gold swirl.
30 minStep 9: A common mistake is pulling them out when only pale yellow: the dough is still soft in the middle and turns gummy as it cools. Wait for real colour. Cool on a rack; store in a tin for up to a week.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 210 kcal
- Protein
- 3 g
- Carbs
- 22 g
- Fat
- 12 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does nazook take?
- About 70 minutes in total: 40 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 24 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- 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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