Azerbaijani Nut-Filled Crescent Pastries (Şəkərbura)
Şəkərbura Say it: sheh-kehr-boo-RAH
At Novruz tables across Azerbaijan, these pale crescent pastries sit beside the tea glasses: a soft, barely sweet dough wrapped around a fragrant center of ground nuts, sugar and cardamom. Their hand-pinched tops make them look like small woven crescents, and the shaping is simple enough for a weekend baking project. Because the dough carries no sugar, the filling sets the tone—nutty, warm and delicate.
Azerbaijani Nut-Filled Crescent Pastries (Şəkərbura)
Şəkərbura
Pronounced sheh-kehr-boo-RAH
- Serves
- 6
- Prep
- 45 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Total
- 1 hr 10 min
- Level
- Medium
Allergens: contains gluten, milk, egg, nuts. Check labels on packaged ingredients.
Ingredients
Amounts are scaled. Cooking times and pan sizes stay the same.
For the dough
For the filling
Method
Stir the lukewarm milk and instant yeast together in a small bowl, then leave for 5 minutes; the surface should look creamy and lightly foamy. Test the milk on your wrist—it should feel warm, not hot, or the yeast will be slowed.
Put the flour and salt in a wide bowl and make a hollow in the middle. Add the melted butter, egg, sour cream and yeast-milk mixture. Bring everything together, then turn out onto a lightly floured counter and knead for 6–8 minutes, until the dough is smooth, supple and just slightly sticky. Form a ball, cover, and leave at room temperature for 30–40 minutes.
While the dough rests, stir the ground nuts, sugar and cardamom together until uniform. Taste and adjust with a little extra sugar if you want a sweeter filling.
Heat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and line two baking sheets with parchment. Cut the dough into 20 even pieces, roughly 1.5 oz (45 g) each, and cover them with a damp towel as you work.
Roll one piece into a thin circle about 4–5 inches (10–12 cm) across, dusting with flour only if needed. Spoon a generous tablespoon of filling into the middle, fold the circle in half, and press the curved seam closed firmly.
Decorate the sealed edge by pinching it between thumb and forefinger into a rope-like ridge, or press it with fork tines. For the traditional pattern, use clean eyebrow tweezers, a thin skewer or the tip of a small knife to mark rows of tiny diagonal lines over the top of each crescent; do not cut through the dough.
Set the şəkərbura on the sheets about 1 inch (2.5 cm) apart. Bake for 18–22 minutes, until the tops are only a very pale gold and the undersides are just set; they should not darken much. Leave on the sheets for 5 minutes, then move to a wire rack to cool fully.
Regional variant: Hazelnut Şəkərbura (Fındıqlı Şəkərbura)
Use the same weight of skinned, toasted hazelnuts in place of the walnuts. Stir 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon and, if desired, 1 teaspoon rose water into the filling. Shape and bake as directed for the walnut version; the center will be a shade darker and more aromatic.
Cook's notes
- While shaping, keep the waiting dough pieces under a damp cloth; exposed dough dries and cracks at the seam.
- No special tweezers? Press the sealed edge with a fork and draw simple cross-hatch lines on top with a bamboo skewer.
- Pull them from the oven while pale gold—browning makes the pastries less tender.
Serve with
Offer them with strong black tea in small glasses, alongside other Novruz sweets such as pakhlava and qogal.
Make ahead and storage
Keep cooled pastries in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. They freeze well for up to 2 months; thaw at room temperature or warm in a 300°F (150°C) oven for 5 minutes.
