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Lacums Kabardian Style
Instructions
I prepare all ingredients in advance. Dry yeast can be replaced with 24 g of fresh pressed yeast. The butter needs to soften (gentle warming or 30 min at room temp). All ingredients should reach room temperature before mixing — cold ingredients shock the yeast.
I make the yeast starter: dissolve the yeast in the warm milk, add the sugar and 2 tablespoons of flour from the total measured amount. Stir, cover with a lid, and place in a warm spot. Small flour lumps will dissolve naturally during fermentation.
After 20-40 minutes (depending on yeast freshness and ambient temperature), the starter foams visibly — that's the signal to proceed.
I pour the foaming starter into a large mixing bowl and add the sour cream.
I add the soft butter.
I crack in the egg.
I combine the baking soda with the lemon juice in a small dish — when it foams (the soda-acid reaction), I pour it into the main bowl. The combined yeast-and-soda leavening gives lacums extra fluff.
I add the salt and whisk everything until smooth.
I sift the remaining flour gradually into the liquid mixture, incorporating it in small portions for smooth integration.
As the mixture thickens, I switch to hand-kneading. The dough should be soft and slightly tacky — NOT tight or stiff. Tight dough gives tough, dense lacums; soft dough gives tender, airy ones. I form a ball and place it in a lightly oiled bowl.
I cover the bowl with a towel folded in several layers and place in a warm spot for the rise.
After 1-1.5 hours, the dough has at least doubled in volume — visibly puffy and airy.
I punch the dough down to release CO2, then roll it out on a lightly floured surface to 1 cm thickness. Excess flour weighs down the delicate dough — use just a pinch. I cut into diamonds (using a knife) and triangles, alternating shapes for visual variety.
I heat 0.5 L of oil in a small-diameter cauldron or pot — small diameter means less oil needed for the right depth. Test with a dough crumb: if it bubbles immediately, oil is ready. The lacums must float freely (not sit on the pot bottom) so they can puff fully on all sides. Heat above medium.
I fry the lacums, turning continuously for even golden colour all around — about 2 minutes total per piece. Don't crowd the pot; work in small batches of 4-5 pieces.
I transfer the cooked lacums to paper towels to drain excess oil.Lacums Kabardian style serve as bread substitutes on the Caucasian table — pile them on a large plate alongside cold cuts, cheeses, salads, or stews. They're so good plain that they're often eaten on their own with raw onion and fresh herbs. For dessert version, dust generously with powdered sugar before serving — instant fluffy doughnut-style sweet.
Tips
- 1
SOFT DOUGH IS NON-NEGOTIABLE. The dough should be soft and slightly tacky — many home bakers add too much flour out of habit, ending up with stiff dough that fries dense and chewy. The signature lacums texture (airy, porous, tender) comes from a high-hydration dough. Better to err slightly toward sticky than toward stiff. If sticky, oil your hands instead of adding more flour.
- 2
THE OIL MUST BE DEEP ENOUGH FOR FLOATING. Lacums need to float freely in the oil to puff equally on all sides. Shallow oil makes the bottom flat and dense while the top stays uncooked. The 0.5 L in a small-diameter pot is calibrated for this. If using a wider pot, increase the oil to maintain at least 4 cm of depth. For another rich enriched dough worth comparing, see Kubdari in Georgian Style.
- 3
SAVOURY VS DESSERT — SAME DOUGH. The exact same lacums work as savoury bread substitute or sweet dessert depending on what you do at serving. Savoury: serve plain with cheese, herbs, salads. Dessert: dust with powdered sugar, drizzle with honey, or serve with jam. Dual-purpose recipe — make a big batch for a multi-course meal.
- 4
SHAPING MATTERS FOR THE PUFF. Diamond and triangle shapes puff more dramatically than rectangles or squares — the angles trap steam better. Round shapes are reserved for commemorative occasions in Kabardian tradition; for everyday eating, stick to diamonds and triangles. Make pieces about 5-7 cm wide; smaller pieces over-fry, larger ones don't cook through. For another deep-fried Caucasian dough variation, try Chudu in the Dagestani style.
FAQ
What does "lacum" mean and where does the dish come from? +
Lacum (lakum, plural lacums/lakums) is the Kabardian and Adygean word for fried yeast-dough pillows native to the North Caucasus. The dish appears across Caucasian cuisines (similar versions exist in Circassian, Karachai, and Balkar traditions) but the Kabardian style is distinguished by its diamond and triangle shapes, the soda-and-lemon-juice secondary leavening, and its dual savoury-dessert use. The name has no Russian translation; "fluffy fried bread pillows" is the closest descriptive equivalent.
Why does my dough not rise? +
Three usual causes. First, the milk was too hot (over 45 °C kills yeast) or too cold (under 30 °C slows it dramatically). Aim for 36-38 °C, comfortable to the touch. Second, the yeast was old or stored badly — buy fresh and keep refrigerated. Third, salt was added directly to the yeast — salt and yeast shouldn't meet before flour is in the mix. The recipe correctly adds salt at step 8, after the starter has foamed. If the starter doesn't foam at step 3, the yeast is dead — start over.
Can I make lacums ahead? +
Best fresh and hot — the puff is at its peak in the first 20 minutes after frying. They're still tasty later but lose some of the dramatic airiness. For meal prep: freeze fried-and-cooled lacums on a tray, then transfer to freezer bags — they keep 2 months. To reheat from frozen: 8 minutes in a 180 °C oven (best texture) or 30 seconds in the microwave (fastest but slightly soft). The dough itself can also be made ahead and refrigerated overnight before shaping and frying — the slow cold rise actually improves the flavour.
Can I bake lacums instead of deep-frying? +
Possible but doesn't give the same result. Baked lacums are essentially small bread rolls — pleasant but missing the crispy fried shell that defines the dish. If you must bake: shape, proof for 30 minutes, brush with beaten egg, and bake at 200 °C for 12-15 minutes. The interior texture is still good; the exterior is bread-soft instead of fry-crisp. Worth the trade-off only for health-conscious eaters; otherwise, the deep-fry is essential to the dish's identity.
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