Fluffy Tatar Baursak
Puffy, golden, irresistible — from simple ingredients! Fluffy Tatar baursak is a traditional recipe, something between a doughnut and fried dough. They're made from yeast dough and fried in plenty of oil. The process is pretty easy, and the ingredients are as ordinary as they come.
Cooking method
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Step 1:
How do you make fluffy Tatar baursak? Gather your ingredients. Sift the flour — this clears out any bits of debris and aerates it, so the baursak come out lighter and puffier. Use milk of any fat content. The butter should be real, good-quality butter, without any vegetable additives.
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Step 2:
Crack the eggs into a deep bowl. Always wash eggs before using them — even a shell that looks clean can carry harmful bacteria. It's best to use a food-safe cleaner and a brush.
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Step 3:
Add the salt and sugar.
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Step 4:
Pour in the warm milk.
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Step 5:
Add the dry yeast — it plays a minor role here and is added in a small amount just to lighten the dough.
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Step 6:
Add the melted butter and mix well. See the end of the recipe for different ways to melt butter.
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Step 7:
Add the flour a little at a time and knead the dough. Be ready for it to need more or less flour than the recipe calls for. Go by the consistency you want, not the amount of flour.
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Step 8:
Well-kneaded dough comes out smooth and elastic and holds its shape well.
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Step 9:
Cover the dough with a towel and let it rest for 15 minutes.
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Step 10:
Next, divide the dough into 8 pieces.
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Step 11:
Roll each piece into a rope.
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Step 12:
Now cut each rope into small pieces about the size of a hazelnut.
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Step 13:
Heat the frying oil in a suitable pot. Here's an easy way to check whether it's hot enough: dip a wooden spoon into it. If bubbles gather around it, you're ready to fry. Fry the baursak in small batches — they puff up and inflate right away.
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Step 14:
In hot oil they fry very fast — just 2–3 minutes. As they cook, gently turn them with a slotted spoon so each piece browns on all sides.
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Step 15:
Transfer the finished baursak to paper towels to soak up excess oil. Dust them with powdered sugar if you like.
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Step 16:
This makes a big batch — enough for my whole big family, with a little left over! Enjoy!
- Baursak is a Tatar, Kazakh, and Bashkir dish, and each people makes it a bit differently. There's even a difference in the name — Kazakhs often call it baursaki, while Tatars use the singular, baursak. It's something between a doughnut and fried dough (it looks more like a doughnut but tastes more like fried dough). Give it a try — I'm sure you'll love it!
- Every oil is only good up to a certain temperature — its smoke point, at which the oil begins to burn and forms toxic compounds, including carcinogens. To learn how to gauge frying temperature and pick the best oil for the job (and which to avoid entirely), read here.
- You can melt butter in the microwave or over a double boiler. How do you melt it in the microwave? Cut the butter into small pieces and put them in a microwave-safe container. To keep it from splattering, cover the container with a paper towel. Melt it on the lowest power setting or on defrost. Start with about five seconds. If it hasn't melted yet, set it for another 5 seconds and run the microwave again. Repeat as needed until it's melted. How do you melt butter over a double boiler? You'll need two containers of different sizes. Fill the larger one with water and set it on the stove. Rest the smaller one on top so it's submerged about halfway. Put the cut-up butter into it. The boiling water will melt the butter. Stir it gently to speed things along. As soon as the pieces are fully melted, take the container off the heat.
- Important! The wrong pan can ruin even the best recipe. For all the details on choosing the perfect pan for different dishes, read here.
Caloric content of the products possible in the composition of the dish
- Whole cow's milk - 68 kcal/100g
- Milk 3.5% fat content - 64 kcal/100g
- Milk 3.2% fat content - 60 kcal/100g
- Milk 1.5% fat content - 47 kcal/100g
- Concentrated milk 7.5% fat content - 140 kcal/100g
- Milk 2.5% fat content - 54 kcal/100g
- Granulated sugar - 398 kcal/100g
- Sugar - 398 kcal/100g
- Butter 82% - 734 kcal/100g
- Amateur unsalted butter - 709 kcal/100g
- Unsalted peasant butter - 661 kcal/100g
- Peasant salted butter - 652 kcal/100g
- Melted butter - 869 kcal/100g
- Vegetable oil - 873 kcal/100g
- Wheat flour - 325 kcal/100g
- Chicken egg - 80 kcal/100g
- Table salt - 0 kcal/100g
- Dry yeast - 410 kcal/100g
