Kada

The story

Kada is a Georgian dessert with a clear sense of place. Kada, also spelled qada or gata in related regional traditions, is a Georgian sweet pastry built around a distinctive toasted-flour and butter filling rather than fruit or custard. The recipe below keeps the defining ingredients and technique intact while giving practical metric quantities and enough detail for a home cook to judge texture, seasoning and doneness rather than simply follow a timer.

Ingredients

• 420 g plain flour
• 180 g cold buttercubed
• 180 g soured cream or plain yoghurt
• 1 piece egg
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 0.5 tsp fine salt
• 120 g plain flourfor filling
• 90 g butterfor filling
• 120 g caster sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 piece egg yolkfor glaze

Method

1. Rub or pulse 420 g flour with

   Rub or pulse 420 g flour with 180 g cold butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Mix in soured cream, egg, baking powder and salt just until a dough forms; chill 30 minutes.

   Look for: the mixture resembles coarse crumbs Tip: Cool the filling before assembly and stop mixing the pastry dough as soon as it holds together. Avoid: Overworking dough makes it tough; hot filling melts the dough butter; under-toasting the filling leaves a raw flour taste.

2. For the filling, melt 90 g butter

   For the filling, melt 90 g butter in a frying pan, add 120 g flour and cook over medium-low heat for 5–7 minutes until it smells nutty and turns pale gold. Cool slightly, then mix in sugar and vanilla.

   Look for: it smells nutty and turns pale gold

3. Roll the chilled dough into a rectangle

   Roll the chilled dough into a rectangle about 5 mm thick. Spread the crumbly toasted-flour filling evenly over it, leaving a 2 cm border.

4. Roll up firmly from a long edge

   Roll up firmly from a long edge like a Swiss roll. Flatten the log slightly and cut into 10 thick pieces, or shape into one large coiled pastry if preferred.

5. Arrange cut-side up on a lined tray,

   Arrange cut-side up on a lined tray, brush lightly with egg yolk beaten with a teaspoon of water and bake at 190°C for 25–30 minutes until richly golden.

   Look for: richly golden

6. Cool for at least 20 minutes before

   Cool for at least 20 minutes before serving. The filling firms as it cools and the buttery layers become easier to distinguish.

   Look for: Pastry is deep golden, base is dry and the centre shows distinct cooked layers rather than wet dough.

Nutrition

per serving

Estimated from the listed ingredients and default serving size. Actual values vary with brands, trimming, absorption and cooking losses.