On August 22, we will celebrate the birthday of our Convent. Twenty three years ago on this day, Metropolitan Philaret of Minsk and Slutsk, the Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus, tonsured three of our sisters to Rassophore and blessed seven for novitiate.
Birthdays are always important days on the calendar. Birthdays also mean there is a delicious cake to eat! Today, as we prepare for the Convent’s birthday, we offer you this birthday cinnamon pie recipe with roses from our Sister Alexandra (Markova).
In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Hello! I am novice Alexandra from St. Elisabeth Convent. “Meat commendeth us not to God”, but every Orthodox housewife knows that food prepared with prayer has a special taste. Come to our Convent, taste the food and you will understand that the prayer while making a meal is vital for all who eat it. Today we are preparing a vegan pie with nuts and cinnamon.
We will need:
So let's start preparing a vegan pie with a prayer. God bless!
Mix a tablespoon of yeast with half a tablespoon of sugar. Add half a glass of warm water (not hot!). Add some flour and mix everything. Cover with a towel and let it sit for 20 minutes.
While the sourdough starter is rising, crush the nuts for the filling. Add cinnamon and sugar in the crushed walnuts. Cinnamon and sugar should be in equal proportions. You can mix it either with a spoon or with your hands. I prefer to mix with my hands. The filling is ready.
Now let's prepare the dough. Take half a cup of sugar. You can use less, if you like. Mix the water with sugar. Add vanilla sugar (or vanilla extract). Then add four tablespoons of vegetable oil. Sift the flour but not all of it. Mix half of the flour with water and sugar and add the sourdough starter. It should look frothy like this. Knead the dough and add the rest of the flour. First, knead the dough with a spoon, then clean the spoon with your hand and knead the dough with your hand. Dough must be beaten a couple of times in order to remove carbon dioxide and become softer. Knead the dough until it is even and soft. Cover it with a towel and put it in a warm place, away from drafts.
Place the dough on a cutting board. Since the size of the cutting board is small, divide the dough into 2 parts and roll it into a rectangle shape. Spread the filling on the dough and wrap the dough like this. Cut the dough into small even pieces. Compress the bottom of the dough. It should be in the shape of a rose. Then put it on an oiled baking sheet. As long as these roses are not baked, we see gaps between them. When baking, all the gaps will connect with each other and there will be an imitation of a flower bouquet. We cover the dough for proofing for half an hour.
Then put it in the oven at 180 degrees C. Bake for 45 minutes. Depending on the oven, the time may vary from 40 minutes to an hour.
Cover the pie with sugar icing. To do this, take 3-4 tablespoons of sugar, mix it with boiling water and cover the pie with this mixture. It will acquire gloss and become saturated with sweetness and moisture.
This pie can be divided very easily into individual buns. It does not need to be cut into pieces like an ordinary round pie or pie.
Dear brothers and sisters, the pie is ready. It will be an adornment of your fast table.
Enjoy your meal!
We believe that our Convent's family in a broad sense includes not only the monastic sisters living here, but also the lay sisters, the people who work at the Convent’s workshops, and the many people who help on our construction sites. More so, we include you and our dear friends around the world in our Convent’s family.
You can help us in our many ministries by clicking on the link below. Your donation will help us expand our ministry by training more sisters and volunteers and acquiring the needed supplies. Our sisters and fathers will pray with love and gratitude for each contributor.
