Sushki are a snack that you can find in any Russian store. They are small, ring shaped, dry and slightly sweet. They look like tiny little bagels. They are often sold tied on a string, like I have in the picture. They are perfect for nibbling on or to enjoy with some tea.
During this pregnancy, I have consumed bags of these little munchies. I have practically survived on toast, tea, soup and sushki. I even keep some sushki in a ziplock bag in my purse. The problem is that the Russian stores in our area are too far and inconveniently located. Whenever my husband would go there to get me a stash, he would stock up and get whatever was available. Sometimes they didn’t have any at all, and half the other times, they would taste stale. Boo. I remembered that my cousin, Natasha, had shared a recipe for homemade Sushki in the past, so I dug up the recipe and gave it a try. The batter took me only 5 minutes to mix up. Even though shaping them into rings is a bit tedious, you’ll have a big supply once you’re done, so it’s worth it.
Typically, sushki are made with water, egg, flour and salt, but this recipe uses condensed milk, which gives them a sweeter, more cookie-like taste. My husband loved them! I would probably prefer the more bland version, which basically tastes like dry bread, but this one has more flavor.
This is a perfect snack to have on hand for kids. When I was visiting my parents for Christmas, they made sure to stock up on some Sushki for me. When my nieces saw me crunching away at them, of course they had to join in. From that moment on, they knew exactly where to find the “Sushechki” in the pantry and the bag was gone before we knew it. My Mom says that every time they come over, they always ask if Dedushka (Grandpa) bought some more “Sushechki”. Who knew that would become such big fans?
Ingredients:
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
2 eggs
4 Tablespoons softened butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 cups all purpose flour
egg wash (1 egg and 1 Tablespoon milk)
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, using a standing mixer with a paddle or whisk attachment or a hand mixer, mix the condensed milk, eggs, softened butter (the butter needs to be really soft, or it won’t incorporate into the batter) and vanilla.
In another bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda and salt. Switch to the dough hook attachment. Add the flour gradually to the batter and mix until combined. If your eggs are on the smaller side, you might want to use only 3 3/4 cup. The batter will be very stiff, so if you don’t have a mixer with a good engine, you might want to mix the last batch of flour in by hand.
Portion out about 3/4 of a Tablespoon of dough and shape it into a ball. Roll the ball of dough into a rope and pinch the ends together. You can make them as thick or thin as you like.
Place the shaped sushki onto the prepared baking sheet and brush them with the egg wash. You can also sprinkle them with poppy seeds. You can even add poppy seeds to the batter itself.
I normally like poppy seeds, but ever since I’ve been pregnant, it puts me off. Don’t ask me why. My favorite bagel of all time is the sesame bagel, but I can’t even smell it now. Sigh. I can’t wait to get my normal stomach back.
Bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes. The time will depend on how thick/thin you made the sushki, your oven and also how crunchy you prefer the sushki to be. I like mine on the crunchy side, so I made them thin and baked them longer too. If you make them a little bit thicker, they will be softer.
To save time, you can simply roll the dough into thin ropes and bake them into sticks. Much faster, same taste, but of course, they won’t have the “sushki” look.
