Lark birds from the lean dough for the Annunciation

Step-by-step cooking

1. Step 1:

   

   How to bake larks from lean dough? First, prepare the necessary ingredients for the dough. Vegetable oil can take any odorless. Heat the water slightly (38-40C).

2. Step 2:

   

   In a wide bowl, sift the flour through a sieve so that it is enriched with oxygen. Thanks to this, the dough will rise easily, and the baking will turn out lush and airy.

3. Step 3:

   

   In a small bowl, combine yeast, 1 tsp sugar (of the total amount) and about 50 ml of slightly warm water. Stir and leave for 10-12 minutes to activate the yeast. A foam cap should appear on the surface. This indicates the good quality of yeast. If the yeast does not rise or the rise is incomplete, it is better to replace them with others. Otherwise, the dough will rise badly, and baking will not be successful.

4. Step 4:

   

   In the remaining warm water, dissolve salt, sugar and vanilla sugar.

5. Step 5:

   

   Add activated yeast, mix.

6. Step 6:

   

   Pour in the vegetable oil, mix well.

7. Step 7:

   

   Pour in the sifted flour. Do not add all the flour at once, it may require more or less of the specified amount. It depends on the quality and properties of the flour. Mix the mass first with a spoon.

8. Step 8:

   

   Pour the rest of the flour in small portions, while stirring the dough and controlling its consistency.

9. Step 9:

   

   The dough should be homogeneous and not sticky to the hands at all. This consistency will allow the larks to keep their shape well during baking. But at the same time, the dough should not be made too steep, otherwise the finished baking will be heavy. Cover the bowl with the dough with cling film and leave in a warm place to rise for 60-80 minutes.

10. Step 10:

    

    The rise time will depend on room temperature, yeast activity and dough density. My dough came up in 1h 20 minutes. It has increased in volume by more than 2 times.

12. Step 11:

    

    Gently knead the dough, put it on the table, lightly sprinkled with flour. Divide the dough into equal parts. I got 8 pieces of about 60 gr. each. Round each part of the dough into a bun, cover with a film or a light towel and leave for 10 minutes for proofing.

13. Step 12:

    

    Roll out part of the dough into a 20-24 cm long flagellum. In this case, make the middle of the flagellum a little thinner than the edges.

14. Step 13:

    

    Wrap the dough in a knot.

15. Step 14:

    

    Form the lark's head.

16. Step 15:

    

    Pull out the beak. Wash the raisins, dry them. Cut the raisins into small pieces, these will be the eyes of a lark. To keep the eyes better, you can make holes with a toothpick and insert pieces of raisins. The dough will rise during proofing and baking, so do not be afraid to press them well.

17. Step 16:

    

    Form a ponytail. Do not make it too thin, so that during baking it does not turn red too much. Make incisions on the tail with a knife.

18. Step 17:

    

    Form the rest of the larks in this way. Place them on a baking sheet covered with parchment, leaving a distance between them. Cover the birds with cling film and leave for proofing for 15-20 minutes. Before baking, brush the larks a little with vegetable oil (or sweetened tea leaves).

19. Step 18:

    

    Bake the buns in a preheated 180C oven for 20-25 minutes until browned. Control the baking time, focusing on the features of your oven.

20. Step 19:

    

    Despite the fact that there are no eggs or milk in the dough, it turns out soft, tender and delicious. Bake buns in the form of larks, and let the spring sun light up your house! Bon appetit!