Chorek

Chorek is a round enriched bread, baked in Turkmen households and across Central Asia, and often made for festivals.

Chorek, called Çörek locally, is a wheat bread made richer than a plain loaf by adding egg, butter and milk to the dough. It is also baked in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, and it is often made for festivals as well as for everyday meals.

What it really is

Chorek is a yeasted dough of wheat flour, enriched with egg, butter and milk. The enrichment gives the crumb a softer texture and the crust a deeper golden colour than a lean bread made only from flour, water and yeast. The dough is shaped into rounds, left to rise, and baked until the outside is browned. Recipes differ from household to household in the amount of butter and egg and in the size of the loaves, so the richness and the size change from one kitchen to the next.

Chorek is a bread, not a pastry filled with meat or fruit. Its character comes from the dough itself. Any filling, glaze or topping is an addition made by the cook and should be named on the menu.

How it's served

• Warm or at room temperature, broken or cut into pieces and shared.
• At festivals and family occasions, often set out in quantity on the table.
• Alongside a meal or with tea, as a bread rather than as a dessert.

How to write it on the menu

• Name it as a round enriched wheat bread, so guests understand it is baked dough and not a flatbread or a cake.
• Flag wheat, eggs and milk. Milk covers the butter as well, so say "milk (including butter)" if the kitchen uses it.
• State the size of the round and whether it is served plain or with a filling or glaze, since either changes the allergen list.
• Say whether it is served warm, since guests often ask, and confirm with the kitchen if a sesame or nut topping is added.