1. DOUGH. The butter should be soft, so take it out of the refrigerator ahead of time. 2. In a large bowl, combine kefir, egg, salt, and sugar. Mix well. 3. Add 2 cups of flour and the baking powder. Stir until combined. 4. Add another ½ cup of flour and start kneading the dough. Add the remaining flour gradually while kneading. 5. Add pieces of the soft butter and knead until the dough is smooth, elastic, and no longer sticky. 6. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it rest. 7. FILLING. Finely chop the herbs (fresh parsley, cilantro, and basil work especially well). 8. Peel and finely chop the onion. 9. In a bowl, combine the ground meat, chopped herbs, onion, salt, freshly ground black pepper, coriander, and sweet paprika. Mix well. 10. Roll out the dough on a floured surface to about 2 mm (⅛ inch) thick. Cut out circles 3–3½ inches in diameter. Place a spoonful of filling on each circle. Fold in half with the filling inside and pinch the edges, leaving a small opening at each end. 11. Gently flatten the pie with your hand to remove excess air, then seal the remaining openings. Place the pies on a floured plate. (You can shape all the pies in advance, cover them with plastic wrap, and keep them in the refrigerator until ready to fry.) 12. Heat oil in a deep skillet. The oil is hot enough when bubbles form around a wooden spoon placed in it. Fry the pies over medium heat until golden brown on both sides. Transfer to paper towels to absorb excess oil. 13. Preheat the oven to 410°F (210°C). 14. Place the fried pies in an oven-safe dish, cover with a lid or foil, and bake for 15 minutes to let them finish cooking and become tender. SERVING IDEAS: - With sour cream on the side for dipping. - Serve with a simple cucumber-tomato salad or shredded cabbage with a little oil and salt. - With pickles or sauerkraut — the acidity balances the rich fried dough. - Arrange on a large plate and serve with black tea with lemon.

   1. Wash the raisins and currants in hot water and put them on paper towels to drain. Set 2 tablespoons of the flour on side. Sift the remaining flour into a bowl and make a deep well in the center. Crumble the yeast in the well, then add the sugar and milk. Stirring in the well, carefully incorporate a bit of flour into the liquid. cover the bowl and leave it in the warm place for 20 minutes until the yeast bubbles up.

2. Set aside 1 tablespoon of the butter. Melt the rest of butter in a pot. Using the dough attachment of an electric mixer, mix the melted butter, vanilla extract, eggs, salt and lemon zest into the dough until it shows bubbles.

3. Toss the raisins and currants in the remaining 2 tablespoons of flour and gently fold them in to the dough.

4. Grease a 9 1/2 in (24 cm) gugelhupf mold (or fluted tube pan), place the dough in it, cover it with plastic wrap, and let it rise in a warm place for 40 minutes.

5. Preheat the oven to 356F (180C). Place the gugelhupf on the middle rack of the oven and bake it about 50-60 minutes. test the cake to see if it is done. (To taste if a cake is done, insert a wooden toothpick or skewers into the center of the cake. If the toothpick or skewer come out clean, the cake is done.)

6. Remove the gugelhupf fro the oven and cool for about 20 minutes. Turn the cake out on a cake rack. Melt the reserved 1 tablespoon of butter and brush it over the cake. Sprinkle the cake with the confectioner's sugar.