Koulourakia Smyrneika (Smyrna Biscuits)

evelyn/athens's Note:

These biscuits are traditionally made by the Greeks of Smyrna and their descendants. They are lovely to have with coffee and/or tea. Baking ammonia can be purchased at drugstores in North America. The yield I mention is arbitrary as it depends on the shape and size of the biscuits you make.

• Total Time: 50 mins
• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients:

Yield: 3 dozen

• 5 cups flour , sifted
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¾ cup sugar
• 6 ounces butter , melted
• 3 ounces milk , lukewarm
• ½ teaspoon level baking ammonia
• 2 eggs , lightly beaten
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 beaten egg white

Directions:

1. Sift the flour into a large bowl. Make a well in the centre and add melted butter, eggs, salt, sugar and vanilla. Dissolve baking ammonia in the milk and add that to the flour mixture, too.
2. Knead the ingredients together well until you have a soft, pliable dough.
3. Shape dough into shapes of your choosing. 'S' shapes, braids and snails are popular in Greece.
4. Place on a greased cookie sheet, or parchment-lined or silpat and brush with beaten egg white.
5. Bake at 375F (180C) for 20 minutes.
6. Note: If you can find a 'soft' flour, suitable for pastry-making, your koulourakia will be more authentic.

Reviews

[Chef #1427540]

perfect recipe ! freezes well. brings greece just a little bit closer to home.

[puppitypup]

Oh dear, on the plus side these are as cute as can be and have a lovely texture. But I wish I had noticed the lack of salt in the ingredients. The finished product is noticeably lacking in flavor which I believe could be resolved with just a tiny bit of salt added to the recipe. I halved the recipe and used one part cake flour to four parts regular flour. By the way, you can't buy baking ammonia at the drug store in the states anymore. I've been all over town and just get a blank stare. I order mine from the King Arthur website. Thank you for posting Evelyn. Made for ZWT, please see my rating system as i rate tougher than most.