Shekerbura

Method

1. Warm 40 ml of milk to blood temperature, stir in 1 g of fast-action yeast and set aside for 10 minutes, until it smells bready and the surface is slightly foamy.
2. Put 110 g of plain flour and 1 pinch of salt in a bowl and rub in 15 g of softened butter with your fingertips until it looks like fine crumbs. Add 1 egg yolk and the yeasty milk, and bring together into a soft dough.
3. Knead on an unfloured surface for 5-6 minutes, until smooth, silky and no longer tacky. Cover with a cloth and rest at room temperature for 30 minutes — the dough should relax rather than rise much.
4. Meanwhile make the filling: stir 80 g of ground almonds with 50 g of icing sugar and 0.25 tsp of ground cardamom until evenly coloured. It should hold together lightly when squeezed in the palm; if it is very dry, add a few drops of water.