Sweet Street Food: Gordian Knots

Background: Gordian Knots are a favorite street food that emerged from the Kingdom of Anatolia. Anatolia is a melting pot of Hellenics, Urartians, Hittites, Hurrians, Parthians, Abramites and various ethnic groups. It is said that Gordian Knots are inspired by the God-King Lysander who conquered the city of Gordian by slicing the Impossible Knot of Gordian in twain. They come in many varieties and flavors but are always some form of knotted dough strands coated in some flavoring. The most common varieties are Canella, Pistachio, and Date with others preferring Honey, Pomegranate, or even Saffron and exotic fruits. Gordian Knots are often enjoyed during the New Year's Celebration as their knotted nature is often used to represent the cyclical nature of the year.

Gordian Knots: Top Left - Pistachio, Top Right - Dates, Bottom - Canella Clove

Ingredients:

    • 120 Grams of Butter

    • 225 Milliliters of Milk

    • 15 Grams of Brewer’s Yeast or Ale Barm

    • 30 Milliliters of Honey

    • 5 Grams of Salt

    • 1 Egg

    • 375 Grams of Flour 

    • 250 Grams of Sugar 

    • 8 Grams of Powder Canella 

    • 3 Grams of Powdered Cloves

    • 150 Grams of Pistachios 

    • 175 Grams of Dates

    • Rose Water (optional) 

    • Date Syrup (optional)

    • Pomegranate Syrup (optional)

Instructions:

Melt 60 Grams of butter in a pot. Once melted stir in the milk. Let sit for 3 minutes. In a separate bowl mix the brewer’s yeast and the honey. Pour the milk and butter into the bowl and combine. Stir in the salt and egg and whisk to combine. Slowly add in the flour while kneading to fully mix. Once the flour is fully added knead for 10 minutes. Divide the dough into twelve slices and roll out each slice into 20 centimeter rope. Tie each rope into a knot. Melt the remaining 60 grams of butter and set aside. Then using a gyro-mincer or a mortar and pestle, grind the pistachios and dates separately. Mix together the powdered Canella and Cloves into a separate bowl. Coat each knot into the melted butter then roll in either the ground pistachios, ground dates, or canella and cloves mixture and place on a baker’s pan. Let rest for 10 minutes then place in the oven and let bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove and serve with rose water, date syrup, honey, or pomegranate syrup.