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Sochni
Sweet curd pastries
Sochni (Сочни): half-folded shortcrust pastries with sweet curd cheese
Sochni were the thing to buy from the bakery counter on the way home from school in Soviet Moscow: a soft, sweet shortcrust oval folded over a thick tongue of vanilla tvorog, which peeks out of the fold and bakes golden at the edge. They are still made at home for the tea table, eaten warm or the next morning with milk. The dough is tender rather than flaky, made with sour cream. The common mistake is a wet curd filling, which leaks and burns on the tray. Chef's tip: press the tvorog through a sieve and use only a little egg in it; it should be thick enough to hold a spoon upright.
- Total time
- 55 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 10
Ingredients
For the dough
- 2 ⅞ oz soft butter
- 2 ⅛ oz sugar
- 1 egg
- 3 ½ oz sour cream
- 10 ½ oz plain flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 pinch salt
For the filling
- 12 ½ oz tvorog or dry curd cheese
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla sugar or extract
- 1 tbsp semolina
- 1 egg yolkplus 1 tsp of white
To glaze
- 1 beaten eggfor brushing
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Cream 2 ⅞ oz soft butter and 2 ⅛ oz sugar, then beat in 1 egg and 3 ½ oz sour cream.
5 minStep 2: Mix 10 ½ oz plain flour, 1 tsp baking powder and 1 pinch salt, add to the bowl and knead briefly into a soft dough. Wrap and chill for 20 minutes.
5 minStep 3: Press 12 ½ oz tvorog or dry curd cheese through a sieve and mix with 3 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp vanilla sugar or extract, 1 tbsp semolina and 1 egg yolk into a thick paste.
5 minStep 4: Heat the oven to 375°F (350°F fan). Roll the dough 5 mm thick and cut 10 rounds about 12 cm across. Put a heaped spoon of filling on one half of each round and fold the other half over, pressing the edges lightly, so the filling shows at the open side.
10 minStep 5: Brush the dough (not the filling) with 1 beaten egg and bake on a lined tray for 20–22 minutes until golden and the curd is just set and lightly browned. Cool on a rack.
22 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 290 kcal
- Protein
- 9 g
- Carbs
- 38 g
- Fat
- 12 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does sochni take?
- About 55 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 10 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of soft butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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