Beautiful, like a girl's braid. How the famous braided bread "Batskava" is baked in Svisloch

Topic news One of the most long-awaited events of the summer is coming, primarily for lovers of baking and muffins, but not only. The loaf fest “Batskava Bulka” is preparing to welcome guests on August 17th. This year the festival will unite 36 professional teams from all over Belarus who are engaged in the production of bread on an industrial basis. Competitions and competitions will be held for professionals. About 50 amateur bakers, for whom this craft is a hobby, will also take part in the event. The program of the loaf fest, which will be held for the third time, promises to be intense - everyone will find something to their liking. On the eve of the large-scale event, BELTA correspondents went to Svisloch and found out how the main character, with whom the history of the festival began, the braided bun "Batskava" is prepared.
The idea of ​​the festival, which has already become a brand in the Grodno region, was born after the President visited a local bakery in June 2021. ALEXANDER LUKASHENKO highly appreciated the taste of Svisloch bread, and especially the butter braided bread, which soon received the name “Batskava bun.” “Before the arrival of the HEAD of state, we were, of course, very worried. But we worked as usual, baked all our usual products, and didn’t hastily come up with anything new. We are confident in our products, but we were worried whether the President would like it. But when he took it, broke it, tried it and said that it tasted like in childhood, we realized that we weren’t working in vain,” bakery technologist Svetlana Urbanovich shared her memories.
Naturally, the technologist doesn’t give us any secrets. But for We observe the process of making that very famous braided dough. The dough is kneaded from the most familiar ingredients: locally produced premium FLOUR, margarine, SUGAR, eggs, powdered MILK, vanillin. But, we understand, despite the usual set for preparing baked goods, there are also some nuances. “The dough is kneaded for 15 minutes on a two-speed kneader, rises for half an hour, is beaten and goes to the divider. Thanks to the arrival of Alexander Grigorievich, the bakery is being modernized, for example, a dividing line has appeared,” Svetlana Urbanovich dedicates into the nuances. But the dough, of course, still passes through the kind and skillful hands of bakers - that’s why, they say, the braided bread turns out so tasty.
Three pieces of dough are deftly rolled out into flagella, which in a few seconds are connected and turned into a “Batskavay” bun, which will be proofed for about half an hour. But, as it turns out, there are nuances here too. “You also need to be able to roll out the dough for our braiding. When you roll, you feel the dough with your hands. It is necessary that the flagella are equally smooth. If there is no experience or skill, then the flagella may be uneven, airy, and then the braid will not be so beautiful and even, like a woman’s braid,” said the technologist. In general, a lot depends on the oven, bakers say. They say that theirs is special, which can recreate the very taste of grandma's baked goods. About another half hour at 180 degrees in that very “a la Russian” stove - and the branded braid is ready.
It is unusual for us to be at such high temperatures for a long time, and the work of bakers itself is not easy. The head of state also noticed this during a visit to the bakery, giving a clear instruction to improve the working conditions of workers. “After the visit of the head of state to this bakery and the corresponding instructions, we carried out modernization. We carried out asphalt paving of the territory, modernization of the facade, the workshop building, decoration and repair of the interior, flour warehouse, workers’ food room with the installation of air conditioning, an air conditioner was installed in the foreman’s room, it was also renovated , the household premises of the workshop underwent renovation. Also, as part of the modernization, we purchased flour sifters, a dough mixing machine, a dough dividing machine, a machine for packaging bakery products, and a new line for the production of bakery products. The existing bakery oven was also modernized,” said Alexander Bubenchik, Chairman of the Board of the Grodno Regional Consumer Society. . The total cost of modernization and purchase of equipment amounted to almost Br600 thousand - the public's own funds.

Alexander Bubenchik adds: “This facility has been and will be maintained in proper condition. The first priority is to improve the quality of the bread we bake, as well as improve people’s working conditions and pay appropriate wages.”
A work shift of seven people (and in total there are about two dozen workers working here, and each has their own area of ​​work) bakes about 200 “Batskavykh” buns per night, and at the same time other products. All this is done at night, so that in the morning every braid lover can feel that same taste. “But you also need to eat our “Father’s bread” correctly,” says Svetlana Urbanovich, smiling. “Here is Alexander Grigorievich, he, like a dad who came home, took it with his master’s hand, broke off a piece and ate it. Truly, like a master, our way."
By the way, anyone can try and cook the legendary bun at the “Batskava Bulka” loaf-fest in Svisloch. Local bakers admit: they are especially pleased that it was their product, highly appreciated by the President, that gave impetus to a large, beautiful and, most importantly, hospitable holiday. “This is a holiday for the whole family. And for all bakers, including us, it is an incentive. The holiday gives us the desire and desire to try to maintain attention to our products,” said Svetlana Urbanovich. “It really warms our souls that the holiday came from us. We became the grain that grew and turned into our big Belarusian, republican loaf.”  
They do not stop there not only in terms of modernization, but also new products. “Thanks to modernization, we can now bake hearth-bread with custard and seeds and raisins,” said Svetlana Urbanovich.
Observing the process, we understand that everything here is coordinated and perfected to the smallest detail. “In fact, only those who love their work work here,” Svetlana Urbanovich says somehow casually. And we understand that we have finally learned the key secret of the Svisloch bakers.
Katerina BENADISYUK,
Photo by Leonid SHCHEGLOV,
BELTA.