Pastry

Sour Cream Pastry

 / April 20, 2020

This is a very unusual pastry. I have never seen a recipe like this one. It contains sour cream, eggs, and yeast, of all things. Who every heard of pastry with yeast? My mother has it written out on a recipe card, in Russian, and it is the one she uses for koulibiaka, a very fancy Russian fish pie. One day I decided that I needed to learn this recipe, and asked my mother to watch me as I followed her instructions on the card. They didn’t work. When I noted that the dough seemed far too wet, my mother said , “I always add extra flour”. “How much?”, I asked. “About a cup” was the reply.

I realized that I needed to work out the correct proportions and instructions on my own through experimentation. The result is this recipe, which I use for koulibiaka, but also for things like the apple pastries in the picture. The recipe makes quite a lot of dough, so you can cut it in half if you just want to try it first. You have to let this pastry rest in the fridge at least overnight, and because it contains yeast, should be used within 24 hours. You can make it by hand, but the stand mixer makes it much easier.

Print Recipe

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup sour cream

  • 1/2 cup cold milk

  • 2 egg yolks

  • 4 cups flour

  • 2 tablespoons sugar

  • 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • 1 teaspoon baking powder

  • 12 ounces cold butter, cut into small cubes

Directions

  • Lightly whisk together sour cream, milk, and egg yolks. Set aside.
  • Mix together dry ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer, and whisk to evenly distribute.
  • Add the butter to the bowl. Using the paddle, set mixer to medium-low speed and mix until butter is incorporated into the flour, but large pea-sized chunks remain.
  • Add sour cream mixture and mix just until dough comes together into a solid ball that clings to the paddle.
  • Pat into a thick rectangle, wrap with cling film, and leave in the fridge for at least 12 hours, and up to 24 hours, before using.
  • Roll out pastry and use as you wish. Baking time and temperature depends on what you are making, but typically would be 400ºF for 20 to 45 minutes.