MAlzemeler
version one
savoury and sweet

go straight to the savoury recipe

go straight to the sweet recipe

Who says wasting hours watching reels on Facebook isn’t a good thing? Not me! This recipe is just the start of several versions of the Turkish Malzemeler, a type of leavened bread that has multiple end products from the snail/bun style of this recipe to crispy flaky pastry, something that I am still working on perfecting.

Of course, when one is practised at a bread or pastry it can be made look very easy, but like all good things a level of skill is required. I have been playing with four different versions all referenced to their authors except for this particular recipe…my apologies to the author. All of these recipes have spoons, cups, tea glass and the like for measures, and part of the work I have put in is converting the recipes to grams and kitchen testing the conversions. I also need to add that the Cook Expert fitted with the dough attachment did a brilliant job of the plain dough.

And, if you want to start your own adventure with Turkish cooking with excellent video content following Zeliha Gümüş on Facebook is a good place to start. You can use Google Translate but be warned you’ll probably need at the very least a second or even third go to get a recipe to work perfectly. If only every recipe writer would use the universal grams!!!

As I start using my Magimix Cook Expert I will add to the bottom of the method, but as I’ve only used it once to make this dough I’ll wait until the second time to make sure it wasn’t a fluke.

AO 2o january 202,
PICTURED ABOVE THE SAVOURY MALZEMELER, IN THIS INSTANCE FILLED WITH GARLIC MARINATED BOCCONCINI AND ROASTED PUMPKIN,DUSTED WITH ROASTED BLACK SESAME SEEDS. THE POINT IS YOU CAN USE UP THOSE BITS HANGING IN THE FRIDGE. THEY ARE ALSO EXCELLENT WITH ROMESCO AND BOCCONCINI

Malzemeler one
savoury version

makes 14 approximately 80g each

15g yeast
18g caster sugar
145g water
200g soda water
120g EVO
600g flour
10g fine sea salt

100g vegetable oil
700g filling not too wet
1 egg yolk
25g cold water
seeds, sesame seeds, cumin, dill, sea salt…whatever takes your fancy

YOU CAN USE JUST ABOUT ANYTHING FOR THE FILLING…AN ESPECIALLY GOOD WAY OF GETTING RID OF THOSE SMALL BITS AND PIECES RATHER THAN EVENTUALLY ADMITTING DEFEAT AND THROWING THEM OUT!

assembly version one…rolled through the veg oil and long prove

Working in order of ingredients to the salt, weigh everything into your electric mixing bowl and work until you have a smooth dough. Knock the dough down and using a scale, divide into 13 x 80g portions with the fourteenth being slightly smaller and roll them into balls.

Put the vegetable oil into a dish that is deep enough to have the balls just under the top and roll the balls through the vegetable oil so that they are evenly coated. Cover with oiled plastic and refrigerate for at least four hours even overnight.
Cover two baking sheets with silicon mats or baking paper. Mix the egg yolk with the water. Working one at a time, roll each ball into a rectangle approximately 260 mm x 180 mm.

This is a bit tricky but you can also use your oily hands to stretch out the dough.

Leaving about 15 mm free at each end of the long side put your filling on the dough and roll it up see image above. Stretching out the ends a little roll it up into a snail, securing one end in the middle at the bottom and the other end underneath. Place well apart on the prepared tray, brush with egg wash and scatter your preferred seed/salt embellishment.

Allow to prove again, noting that the first tray will most likely need to go into the oven a few minutes before the second.

preheat oven to 180°C
Set a timer for 15 minutes, check depending on your oven you may need to turn your trays. Cook for another 10-15 minutes until they are evenly coloured and golden on the bottoms.

Allow to cool.

The savoury filled snails are best served warm. Spray generously with cold water on all sides 10 minutes [straight from the fridge] @ 180°C in an air fryer [no pre-heating] and they are good to go.

They also freeze really well. Wrap individually thawing in the fridge is best, but for unexpected needs thirty seconds one at a time in the microwave to thaw also works, but they are not quite as good.

assembly version two….used straight from the second prove no oil

Working in order of ingredients to the salt, weigh everything into your electric mixing bowl and work until you have a smooth dough. Cover with a damp cloth and allow to prove until doubled in size. Knock the dough down and using a scale, divide into 13 x 80g portions with the fourteenth being slightly smaller and roll them into balls.

Cover two baking sheets with silicon mats or baking paper. Mix the egg yolk with the water. Using as little flour as possible, and working one at a time, roll each ball into a rectangle approximately 260 mm x 180 mm.

Leaving about 15 mm free at each end of the long side put your filling on the dough and roll it up. Stretching out the ends a little roll it up into a snail, securing one end in the middle at the bottom and the other end underneath. Place well apart on the prepared tray, brush with egg wash and scatter your preferred seed/salt embellishment.

Allow to prove again, noting that the first tray will most likely need to go into the oven a few minutes before the second.

preheat oven to 180°C
Set a timer for 15 minutes, check depending on your oven you may need to turn your trays. Cook for another 10-15 minutes until they are evenly coloured and golden on the bottoms.

Allow to cool.

Malzemeler one
sweet version

The sweet Malzemeler can be made into snails or buns [as pictured]. For the snails I have used jam, marzipan left over from the Christmas stollen and although I haven’t tried it yet, I think reconstituted Australian dried apricots, not too wet would also be good. Equally mascarpone mixed with some dried fruit, like cranberries and some mixed rind.

For the buns, which I have only done once, I used a mix of fresh blueberries and chopped citron. I do love the salt and fennel dust, but for those who love an iced bun, simple orange butter icing was delicious…fondant icing if you have the patience or the access would also be good.

The possibilities are endless. For the snails the assembly method is the same as the savoury versions above. For the buns add your fruit right at the last point of the mixing so it doesn’t get too squashed.

for the INGREDIENTS

makes 14 snails and 19 buns

18g yeast
35g caster sugar
145g full cream milk
200g soda water
120 vegetable oil
600g flour
6g fine sea salt

for buns – 400g fresh or dried fruit, or a mix of both
for snails – jam probably about 250g, 600g – 700g other filling

1 egg yolk
25g cold water
fennel seeds and Maldon sea salt – or –
pearl sugar – or –
orange butter icing…sorry no recipe

Working in order of ingredients to the salt, weigh everything into your electric mixing bowl and work until you have a smooth dough. If you are making buns, work in the fruit at this point.

Cover with a damp cloth and allow to prove until doubled in size.

for the sweet snails
Knock the dough down and using a scale, divide into 13 x 80g portions with the fourteenth being slightly smaller and roll them into balls.

Cover two baking sheets with silicon mats or baking paper. Mix the egg yolk with the water. Using as little flour as possible, and working one at a time, roll each ball into a rectangle approximately 260 mm x 180 mm.

Leaving about 15 mm free at each end of the long side put your filling on the dough and roll it up. Stretching out the ends a little roll it up into a snail, securing one end in the middle at the bottom and the other end underneath. Place on the prepared tray, brush with egg wash and scatter your preferred seed/salt/sugar embellishment. Allow to prove again, noting that the first tray will most likely need to go into the oven a few minutes before the second.

preheat oven to 180°C
Set a timer for 15 minutes, check depending on your oven you may need to turn your trays. Cook for another 10-15 minutes until they are evenly coloured and golden on the bottoms.

Allow to cool.

for the sweet buns
Cover two baking sheets with silicon mats or baking paper. Mix the egg yolk with the water. Very gently, so as not to squash your fresh fruit, knock the dough down and using a scale, divide into 19 x 80g portions and roll them into balls and place them well apart on your prepared baking sheets. Brush with egg wash and scatter your preferred seed/salt/sugar embellishment.

The seed/salt/sugar embellishment is not really required if you are going to ice your buns.

Allow to prove again, noting that the first tray will most likely need to go into the oven a few minutes before the second.

preheat oven to 180°C
Set a timer for 15 minutes, check depending on your oven you may need to turn your trays. Cook for another 10-15 minutes until they are evenly coloured and golden on the bottoms.

Allow to cool.

ice when cold if you are going to ice…
best made and eaten the same day.

cook's note

The temperature of your wet ingredients is relevant to the temperature of the day and how quickly you want your dough to prove. You can cheat and push yeast hard, but I always feel I get the best result with a slow prove. On a stinker day I use cold milk and cold water, and if it’s still proving too quickly I sometimes shove it in the fridge. On a winter’s day I’d probably warm the wet ingredients to no more than 38°C and get the same proving time.

Yeast has a mind of its own and in a domestic kitchen without the benefit of proving ovens and coolrooms to slow down proving, learning to run with whatever happens is the only way to go.

PICTURED LEFT CUBAN BUNS ALSO A FAVOUITE ITH EVERYONE…CLICK HERE

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