Izmir's Nostalgic Pastry: A Recipe for Pastiç

Izmir's culinary heritage is celebrated with the beloved pastry known as pastiç, a delightful treat characterized by its layered, yeasted dough and a rich filling of cocoa, walnuts, and raisins.

Often compared to an 'ay çöreği' (sun bun), pastiç has been a staple in pastry shops for years, offering a soft texture and a comforting flavor. This recipe makes it accessible for home bakers to recreate this classic, infusing tea times and coffee breaks with authentic bakery taste.

The recipe is divided into components: the dough, the filling, and the topping. For the dough, you'll need warm milk, yeast, sugar, egg white, salt, and flour. The filling combines crumbled cocoa sponge cake (or cake/biscuit pieces) with milk, chopped walnuts, raisins, and cinnamon.

Preparation involves activating the yeast, mixing the dough ingredients until soft and non-sticky, and letting it rise for about 30 minutes. The filling is prepared by mixing its components. Once the dough has risen, it's divided, rolled thin, and spread with the filling before being rolled into a log and sliced into thick pieces. These are arranged on a baking sheet, brushed with egg yolk, sprinkled with sesame seeds, and baked at 170 degrees Celsius for 20-25 minutes until golden brown. The pastry is best served warm with tea or coffee.