Kalach

In the old Russian city of Kolomna, among shops and residential buildings, there is an unusual museum – “Kalachnaya”. Today, this is almost the only mention of the former glory of kalachi. Once upon a time, not a single family could do without this ritual bread, and a woman who did not know how to bake it was not considered decent. Today, it appears on our tables only for Christmas. But it is prepared easier than any pie, while no less tasty. In order to “save your decency”, you should learn more about kalach, especially since he has something to tell about himself.

More than just bread

Our ancestors – the ancient Slavs – cooked this pastry very often, kalachi played a special role in religious rites and rituals. The name of this bread comes from its shape: kolač is from Old Slavic meaning “circle”. Such a form was considered cult by the pagan ancestors, as it resembled the sun. Also, a ring or a geometric torus was associated with the cycle and cyclicity of life. Marriages were not complete without kalach, the bride walked around it several times, and then looked at her betrothed through a hole in the kalach. This custom promised a happy married life and a generous addition to the family. It was also customary to divide kalach among all relatives during feasts, this promised satiety for the whole family and generosity.

Throughout the territory where the Slavs lived, there were 2 types of kalachi. In the eastern and southern settlements, it was bread made from white flour, had a classic ring-shaped shape, sometimes with coils, and on holidays it was decorated with additional elements. They cooked such pastries very often and ate them as ordinary bread. As a rule, they baked a large number of rolls at once, and then hung them from the ceiling to keep them from mice and mold.

In the north and in the central part of modern Russia, only high-quality bread made from the best flour was called kalach; it was baked for significant dates and holidays. In shape, it was slightly different from its counterpart and resembled a weight, so it had a “handle” and a soft part. It is believed that this form was given to him for convenience, the crumb was eaten, holding pastries by the handle. There is a legend that these stale bows were then thrown away or distributed to the poor. And about those who picked them up, they said: “reached the handle.”

Over time, the classic ring-shaped kalach supplanted the “weight-shaped” one, and in all Slavic settlements only pastries in the form of a vicious circle with a hole inside were called kalach. And today only a monument in Murom and an image on the coat of arms of this city remain from the kalachik “with a handle”. Once upon a time, Murom bakers were considered the best masters in this business, local pastries were also called grated kalach. She got this name due to the fact that she was kneaded (rubbed) for a long time on a frozen surface, the dough turned out to be porous and soft.

Kalachi from Moscow enjoyed great fame, there was even a separate kalach row on the market where you could buy this bread for every taste and for any money. Once upon a time there were many types of this pastry:

• grated;
• soft;
• kalach-braid;
• “empty” and stuffed;
• cottage cheese;
• sweet, etc.

Over time, the popularity of kalach began to decrease, its mass production was curtailed by the end of the USSR period. However, at home, experienced hostesses are still reviving this delicious and almost magical pastry. And for every Slavic Christmas, kalachi becomes as popular again as it once was.

DIY kalachi

Making such bread at home is no more difficult than any other baked goods. And today you can experiment with it: cook it like ruddy white bread, add delicious toppings or make pastry with raisins for a fragrant dessert. You don’t need to wait for special holidays for this, although a beautiful kalach can decorate iconic feasts. In everyday life, this is a great option for breakfasts, family dinners and lunches, just as a snack. In addition, you can follow in the footsteps of our great-grandmothers and bake several pieces at once if the family is large, and if the family is small, treat loved ones (at the same time show off your culinary skills).

In a word, learning how to bake such a “delicacy” is definitely worth it. In fact, any baked dough in the form of a ring will be considered a ball, here it is important to learn how to give it the right beautiful shape. For training, you can use step-by-step recipes with photos, training videos, but it’s best to trust your imagination. Since it is not always easy to buy kalach today, it is better to learn how to cook it at home. Consider two delicious recipes to replenish the culinary family traditions.

Christmas cake recipe

For cooking we take:

• warm milk – 300 ml;
• eggs – 2 pcs .;
• sifted flour – 600 g;
• a pinch of salt;
• dry yeast – 2 tsp;
• sugar – 6 tbsp. l.;
• vegetable oil – 2 tbsp. l .;
• poppy or sesame seeds for sprinkling.

First of all, you need to prepare a dough, for this, dissolve all the granulated sugar in warm milk, and then throw in the yeast. In this form, the dough should stand for 15 minutes in a warm place. When the yeast is infused, pour it into a deep bowl, add one egg, vegetable oil, a pinch of salt and sifted flour here. Knead the dough from all the ingredients, it should turn out to be dense (heavy). The entire amount of dough must be divided into three equal parts, each part rolled into a thin bundle, they should turn out the same.

From the resulting bundles weave a pigtail, form a ring out of it and put the braid in a greased baking sheet. The dough should still rise in a warm place for about an hour. After that, we separate the yolk from the second egg, beat it and coat the kalach, sprinkle with poppy seeds or sesame seeds. He must bake at 180 ⁰From to full readiness.

The recipe is spicy

For the test, you need:

• wheat flour – 0,5 kg;
• vegetable oil – 2 st. l .;
• a pinch of salt;
• dry yeast – 2 tsp;
• water – 1 glass;
• sugar – 50

For the filling:

• Garlic – 3 cloves;
• dill – 1 bunch;
• butter – 3 tbsp. l .;
• curd – 150 g;
• rosemary – 1 sprig.

Boil a glass of water and cool a little so that it is well warm. In a deep bowl, mix yeast, sifted flour, sugar, salt. Add water and vegetable oil to the dry ingredients, knead until the dough becomes soft. Lubricate a separate wide bowl with vegetable oil and place the flour billet there. The dough should rest for about an hour to rise well.

When the dough is ready, on a floured surface, you need to roll out a rectangular layer (from the whole dough at once). Melt the butter, squeeze the garlic into it, add chopped greens and cottage cheese, knead. Spread the filling evenly on the dough layer and roll everything into a roll. Then cut this roll in half lengthwise to make two parts. Twist these parts together in the form of a bundle, forming one whole part, and then form a roll. Bake at 180⁰From 30-40 minutes.

The most important thing about rolls: composition, benefits and harms

Kalachi can be not only tasty, but also healthy. Thanks to the ingredients in the composition, such pastries are rich in amino acids, proteins, some vitamins and minerals. Like any bakery product, kalach quickly saturates and prevents hunger for a long time. Depending on its type, it can be an appetizer for first courses, tea, the basis for sandwiches, etc.

As a rule, dough for kalachi contains premium flour, yeast, milk and eggs. Thanks to this set of products, the chemical composition of baking boasts a large presence of potassium, sodium, zinc, and magnesium. Also, due to the presence of eggs, there is easily digestible protein, lecithin (amino acids), and calcium. Such pastries are rich in carbohydrates, so they provide energy reserves for a long time. besides this, there is glucose, without which our brain simply cannot do.

In addition to minerals and amino acids, some of the vitamins, which are rich in ingredients, are preserved in kalachi after baking. Here you can find vitamin PP, which improves the appearance of hair and skin; folic acid, which improves the functioning of the central nervous system and blood circulation; riboflavin, biotin, thiamine – for proper metabolism, a strong nervous system and resistance to stress. Additional useful elements in the chemical composition of kalachi may appear if powder or filling has been added to baking.

However, you should not get too carried away with flour, no matter how useful it is, so here the benefits and harms can replace each other. The same fast carbohydrates that make you feel full can also cause your blood sugar to rise. For diabetics and people with kidney stones, such treats are sometimes contraindicated. For this reason, it is better not to get involved in rolls for people with a tendency to be overweight and bulimic. The average calorie content of kalach is 250 kcal, and even more if it is rich or stuffed.

Any bakery products are dangerous in large quantities, as they reduce intestinal patency. In the alimentary tract, the dough can cause fermentation and decay processes, which causes pain and heaviness in the stomach, constipation. However, all these troubles can be avoided if you enjoy kalach in moderation. So that extra calories are not deposited in the wrong places, it is better to eat kalach for breakfast or lunch, refined sugar can be replaced with honey, and it is better not to grease the baking sheet with oil, but to lay parchment. It’s definitely not worth denying yourself this pleasure at all, it’s enough to eat it moderately, then there will be only benefit from kalach.