Spring Lark Pastries: Delightful Lenten Treats for Annunciation

Spring baking with the mood: bright, beautiful, delicious! Bird larks made from Lenten dough are a special Russian pastry, which in Rusʼ was traditionally baked for the spring solstice and the Annunciation. Itʼs a pleasure to cook them! It is especially interesting and exciting to do this with children!
cook time: 2h 30 min
Maya Lindell
Spring Lark Pastries: Delightful Lenten Treats for Annunciation

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

288
Calories
7g
Fat
44g
Carbs
7g
Protein

Ingredients (8 portions)

Basic:

Salt 0.5 tsp
Sugar 2 tbsp
Wheat flour 280 g
Water 160 ml
Raisin (for decoration (3-4 pcs.) 3 g
Vegetable oil (plus a little for lubrication) 35 ml
Vanilla sugar 1 tsp
Dry yeast 3 g

Recipe instructions

Step 1

Step 1
How to bake beautiful lark buns from lean dough? First, prepare the necessary ingredients for the dough. You can use any odorless vegetable oil. Heat the water slightly (38-40C).

Step 2

Step 2
Sift the flour through a sieve into a wide bowl to enrich it with oxygen. Thanks to this, the dough will rise easily, and the baked goods will turn out fluffy and airy.

Step 3

Step 3
In a small bowl, combine the yeast, 1 tsp. sugar (of the total amount) and approximately 50 ml of slightly warm water. Stir and leave for 10-12 minutes to activate the yeast. A foam “cap” should appear on the surface. This indicates good quality yeast. If the yeast does not rise or the rise is incomplete, it is better to replace it with others. Otherwise, the dough will not rise well and baking will not be successful.

Step 4

Step 4
Dissolve salt, sugar and vanilla sugar in the remaining warm water.

Step 5

Step 5
Add activated yeast, stir.

Step 6

Step 6
Pour in vegetable oil, mix well.

Step 7

Step 7
Add sifted flour. Do not add all the flour at once; you may need more or less of the specified amount. It depends on the quality and properties of the flour. Stir the mixture first with a spoon.

Step 8

Step 8
Add the rest of the flour in small portions, while mixing the dough and controlling its consistency.

Step 9

Step 9
The dough should be homogeneous and not sticky to your hands at all. This consistency will allow the larks to keep their shape well during baking. But at the same time, the dough should not be made very steep, otherwise the finished baked goods will be heavy. Cover the bowl with the dough with cling film and leave in a warm place to rise for 60-80 minutes.

Step 10

Step 10
Rising time will depend on room temperature, yeast activity and dough density. My dough came up in 1 hour 20 minutes. It has more than doubled in volume.

Step 11

Step 11
Gently knead the dough and place it on a table lightly sprinkled with flour. Divide the dough into equal parts. I got 8 pieces of approximately 60 grams each. each. Round each piece of dough into a log, cover with film or a light towel and leave to proof for 10 minutes.

Step 12

Step 12
How to beautifully wrap lark buns? Roll out part of the dough into a flagellum 20-24 cm long. At the same time, make the middle of the flagellum a little thinner than the edges.

Step 13

Step 13
Wrap the dough into a knot.

Step 14

Step 14
Form a larkʼs head.

Step 15

Step 15
Pull out the beak. Wash the raisins and dry them. Cut the raisins into small pieces for the larkʼs eyes. To make the eyes stick better, you can make holes with a toothpick and insert pieces of raisins. The dough will rise during proofing and baking, so don’t be afraid to press them down well.

Step 16

Step 16
Form a ponytail. Do not make it too thin so that it does not brown too much during baking. Make cuts on the tail with a knife.

Step 17

Step 17
Form the remaining larks in this manner. Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment, leaving space between them. Cover the birds with cling film and leave to proof for 15-20 minutes. Before baking, lightly brush the larks with vegetable oil (or sweetened tea leaves).

Step 18

Step 18
Bake the buns in an oven preheated to 180C for 20-25 minutes until golden brown. Control the baking time based on the operating characteristics of your oven.

Step 19

Step 19
Despite the fact that the dough contains neither eggs nor milk, it turns out soft, tender and tasty. Bake buns in the shape of larks, and let the spring sun illuminate your home! Bon appetit!

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