Using proven technology: how Easter baked goods are prepared at Vitebsk College

Topic news Can Easter cakes be rich? Of course, say the masters of industrial training at Vitebsk State Industrial College (VGIK), who developed a unique recipe for this traditional holiday pastry several years ago. They also constantly improve their proven recipe and technology in both dough preparation and baking, so every year their Easter cakes become more rich and tasty. A BELTA correspondent visited VGIK and found out what a really successful batch should be, how humidity affects the decor and what makes the glaze turn snow-white.

VGIK has been producing the Easter cakes that Vitebsk residents already love since 2018. The masters created a recipe that pleased both professionals and confectionery lovers. The exact grams and some ingredients are kept secret here so that no one picks up the delicious know-how. At the same time, the college is trying to constantly improve its work and teach future confectioners how to find a shortcut to the heart of any sweet tooth.

In general, the ingredients are standard and familiar to everyone - FLOUR , SUGAR , whole MILK , butter , margarine, yeast, eggs , raisins, SALT , vanillin. This year, the craftsmen changed the technology for making the base for Easter cakes. Now it is done in three phases. First, the dough is prepared, fermented, then the dough is kneaded, which is also fermented, and then the dough is prepared - additional butter and eggs are added. As a result, baked goods become fattier, sweeter and tastier.
“This three-phase technology is quite time-consuming, because each stage takes a certain period. In general, just working with the dough takes about 3 hours, so in college we start preparing the dough at about 6 in the morning,” said the production foreman. training Natalya Shamborkina.

There are also other subtleties when preparing the dough. All products are taken only of high quality, bulk ingredients are sifted through a fine sieve, especially flour, to remove lumps and saturate with oxygen, and each raisin, which should not have seeds, is sorted, the tails are removed and washed. In a word, control at all levels here is carried out, as they say, in accordance with GOST.
Depending on the mass, the baking time is selected. The dough, laid out in forms, is allowed to rest for about an hour, and then baked in a combi oven at 170 degrees for 20-22 minutes. If you place such cakes in a regular home oven, then the temperature should be increased to 200-220 degrees, and the timer should be extended proportionally.

The expert also recommends not skimping on raisins for baking; this will make the Easter bake juicier. In general, professionals advise experimenting at home and adding candied fruits, dried fruits, nuts, poppy seeds, cinnamon and any spices that will give the designer product its own special aroma and taste.

The finished Easter cakes are cooled and decorated with icing and decorative elements. Natalya Shamborkina noted that a little citric acid is added to the usual mixture of whipped egg whites and powdered sugar. “Thanks to citric acid, the mixture becomes even whiter. After covering the top of the cake, you need to let the glaze harden, and then make decorations. This year we are using chocolate for the inscription and marshmallows to create a floral design,” shared the master.

Decorative marshmallow flowers look as if they were made of butter cream, but when they harden, they do not get crushed when transported in a bag, and this is their undeniable advantage, in addition to beauty and taste.

Marshmallows are also prepared from whipped whites into a thick foam, mixed with agar syrup, which is introduced into the egg mass in a thin stream. “You have to work with marshmallows very quickly, because such a mass hardens quickly. Even the humidity in the room affects the final result: the higher it is, the longer the marshmallow hardens and the more humid it will be. In some rooms for the production of such a product , hygrometers are installed so that control the level of humidity. This year we are working with such decor for the first time, and we have enough opportunities for its production that we have in college. After the decorative elements harden, we apply a mixture of powdered sugar and starch to them with a brush to dry the decorations and make them matte and non-sticky. ", noted Natalya Shamborkina.
A new item for the current Easter season at VGIK is honey gingerbread. This is also the development of college masters. They are baked in the form of bunny ears and eggs, on which adorable yellow chickens are painted with icing.

“The same glaze is used here as for regular Easter cakes, only the whipped whites and powdered sugar are mixed in a different proportion. Multi-colored eggs on gingerbread cookies in the shape of bunny ears are chocolate, a flower is icing. Every year we try not only to improve the traditional recipe, but also to create new products and expand the range of holiday baked goods,” emphasized Natalya Shamborkina.
Everything that craftsmen and students produce at the college for the great Orthodox holiday is then sold in the VGIK store - in both buildings on Lenin and Tereshkova streets. Here, however, you will have to stand in a decent line to stock up on baked goods, because there are many experts on where to find such goodies. Many fans of culinary masterpieces from college craftsmen order Easter cakes and gingerbreads in advance - both for enterprise teams and individually. And if you put such products in beautiful packaging, they can become an excellent gift.
Alesya PUSHNYAKOVA,
photo of the author,
BELTA.