Khvorost (Pastry straws)

The classic recipe for Khvorost (Pastry straws) in milk at home is a truly homemade pastry familiar to us since childhood. There are several recipes for making Khvorost, today we will consider the most popular - the classic recipe. Such Khvorost is prepared quickly, and eaten even faster.
Children love it very much, and adults will not mind eating it. From a small amount of products, a whole dish of sunny, homemade pastries for tea is obtained.

Cooking time: 70 minutes.

Servings: 6.

Calories: 291.

Ingredients

Let's prepare simple products:

• flour - 400 g;
• yolks - from 3 eggs;
• sugar - 1 tbsp;
• sour cream - 1 tbsp;
• salt - ¼ tsp;
• milk - ½ cup (125 ml);
• powdered sugar - ½ cup (for dusting);
• cognac or vodka - 2 tbsp. (or optional);
• vegetable oil - for deep fat.

Cooking

1. We prepare all the products according to the list.

2. We take out the flour in advance so that it warms up, be sure to sift it. This will fill the flour with oxygen and clean out the screenings, if any.

3. Transfer the yolks to a large bowl and mix them with a whisk. Beating with a mixer or blender is not necessary.

4. Add salt and sugar to the yolks, cognac if desired, and also put sour cream and pour milk.

5. Mix all ingredients thoroughly.

6. Add flour in portions to the resulting mixture. We mix everything with a whisk, we try to break all the lumps.

7. Add flour, continue to knead in a bowl, as long as it is possible to do this with a whisk.

8. When it becomes difficult to knead the dough in a bowl, it is necessary to transfer the batch to the work surface. We cover the countertop with flour, lay out the dough, sprinkle with flour on top too. We begin to knead the dough with our hands. At first, the dough will be liquid, it sticks to your hands and the table, but you must not stop kneading it and adding flour. More than the specified amount of flour should not be added.

9. Knead the dough with your hands for seven to ten minutes. During this time, we got a soft, elastic bun, which holds its shape well and has practically ceased to stick.

10. One of the good tricks when kneading such a dough is to cut the dough into two parts. As a rule, in the middle the dough is always softer, and during rolling into a thin layer, unpleasant surprises can arise. We cut the dough into two parts, it is clear that in the middle the dough is smooth, but soft. We collect two parts into one and continue to knead.

11. We again got a homogeneous bun. The dough needs to rest for forty minutes. We leave the dough on the table and cover it with a bowl, from drafts.

12. After forty minutes, the dough rested, became homogeneous, soft. Let's start molding Khvorost. To do this, you need a rolling pin to roll the dough into a thin layer, the thinner it is rolled out, the more crispy the Khvorost will turn out. We will also prepare a pizza cutter to cut out different shapes. We will cover the tabletop with vegetable oil, since we will also fry brushwood in oil. If the Khvorost is in flour, then during frying it will burn, and deep-frying will quickly become clogged.

13. The dough was rolled out thinly, with the help of a round cutting, we cut out circles. We need to cut them out in multiples of three, next it will be clear why.

14. We will form three-layer roses from round blanks. To do this, cut each circle into five parts. Particular attention - do not cut, but only make cuts.

15. Next, fold the circles so that the cuts do not match. In the middle of the circle we make a recess with a wooden stick, so we fix the three blanks together.

16. Cut the rest of the dough into diamonds - this will be the classic form of brushwood. Make a small incision in the middle of each diamond.

17. Through this incision we turn the dough once or twice and get such pretzels that we have known since childhood.

18. From the rest of the dough, roll out a thin layer again and cut the strips again with a pizza cutter. We make cuts on both sides of the strip and we get such branches. And if you make cuts on only one side of the strip, and then wrap it a couple of turns (no more, since it will be very thick and the dough will not fry), you get another version of the rose.

19. Deep fryer must be heated very strongly. We lower brushwood in small batches. There should be enough oil so that at first the dough sinks, and only when it is fried, the brushwood floats to the surface. First, roast the roses.

20. Next are other roses. This is what they look like from one side.

21. And so, when the roses turned over.

22. Now fry the rest of the Khvorost.

23. To remove excess oil, spread the brushwood on paper towels. So let it cool down completely.

24. We decorate the “rose” brushwood with raisins or currant berries. “Roses” and “twigs” are crushed with powdered sugar and served on one dish, like a composition. Even for tea party guests, this will be an interesting serving.

25. Classic Khvorost will be very interesting if cooked in different sizes. In addition, you can cut out small diamonds from the dough and do not cut in the middle.

26. A huge dish of brushwood of various shapes, sprinkled with powdered sugar, will always delight both kids and adults.

I recommend cooking Khvorost in milk according to the classic recipe. Your family will be grateful to you.