Breakfast pastries are one of life’s simple pleasures. Especially on a chilly morning. Sweet and fragrant filling wrapped in a soft, fluffy dough. Simply divine with a cup of hot tea. Feel free to add some sliced toasted almonds, they make for a wonderful crunchy surprise in these pastries.
Ingredients
For the dough
600 grams plain flour
2 teaspoons dried yeast
200 grams plain yoghurt
4 tablespoons granulated sugar
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
180 ml hot water
For the filling
200 grams sour cherries
1 tablespoon semolina
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 tablespoons desiccated coconut
Preparation
Sift the flour into a large bowl, add the yeast and sugar, and whisk it very well. Take the boiling water, and pour it into the yoghurt, whisking constantly. Add in the oil, mix well, and then pour it over the dry ingredients. Mix with a wooden spoon until a very soft and slightly sticky dough forms. At this point, add a bit more flour if you need, but don’t add too much, the dough needs to be as soft as possible.
Keep kneading the dough with your hands for a couple of minutes, until it becomes really smooth and slightly tacky. It will not stick to your hands and you will be able to shape it into a smooth ball. Place the dough in a large clean bowl, cover it with a kitchen towel and let it rise, at room temperature, for about an hour, or until doubled in size.
To make the filling, chop up the cherries, and place them in a medium bowl. Sprinkle in the semolina, sugar, and the coconut, and mix really well. Let the mixture stand for a few minutes, so the semolina and the coconut can absorb the liquid that cherries release.
When the dough has risen, transfer it to a lightly floured surface and knead it lightly, shape it into a ball and cut it into 20 equal pieces, then flatten each piece into a circle. Take about a teaspoon or so of the filling, and place it in the centre of each circle, then wrap the dough around it tightly, and make a few slashes on the surface. Let them rest for about an hour in a warm spot. Bake them in a preheated oven, at 200˚C (400˚F), for about 20 minutes.
Note: If you wish, you can brush the tops with a bit of butter as soon as you take them out of the oven, for a softer crust.
