Little Saints

🇷🇴 • Moldavian Little Saints • are traditional Romanian desserts made each year on 9th of March when the Orthodox Church celebrates the Forty Martyrs. Bake them anytime of the year, as they are a delight.

“Every year on March 9, the Orthodox Church celebrates the Forty Martyrs (commonly known as mucenici): these were Roman soldiers in the Legio XII Fulminata who lived in the time of Emperor Licinius (308-324), a persecutor of Christians. They were tortured and executed in Sebaste (present-day Sivas in Turkey) because they refused to apostatize their Christian belief.

The mucenici celebration coincides with the start of the agricultural year.” ( https://www.romania-insider.com, 2021)

➡️Ingredients

For the dough

450 ml of milk

70 g sugar

50 ml oil

2 eggs + 1 egg for egg wash

20 g dry yeast (50 g fresh yeast)

8 g vanilla sugar (1 sachet)

1 kg of flour

2 tsp vanilla extract

lemon peel from 1 fruit

For syrup

350 ml water

100 g sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

orange and/or lemon peel

For decoration

250 g honey

250 g ground walnuts

➡️Method

1. Start by adding the milk, slightly warm, into the mixing bowl together with the yeast, sugar and vanilla sugar. Mix using a ballon whisk and leave to rest for 10 min.

2. Continue by adding the eggs, oil, lemon peel and vanilla essence. Stir roughly so it’s combined.

3. Bring in the flour and knead for 5 min, using a stand mixer or by hand, until you have a soft dough.

4. Turn the dough out onto a greased work surface and give it a round shape. Let it rise for 60 min in a greased bowl covered with cling film.

5. Meanwhile prepare the syrup. Add all ingredients into a saucepan and simmer for 5 min, until the sugar is dissolved. Set aside for a later use.

6. Once the dough has risen, transfer it onto a greased work surface. Divide in equal parts and start moulding the dough into small shapes of the figure 8. Continue until the the dough is all used up.

7. Line a tray with baking paper and align the eight shapes. Leave at least two inches between each of them.

8. Cover with a towel and let them to rise for 30 min.

9. In the meantime, preheat your oven to 180C/ 350 F/ Gas mark 4.

10. Crack an egg into a bowl and beat it thoroughly with a fork. Brush the eight shapes with egg wash and bake them for 15-20 min until golden brown.

11. When completely chilled, take each shape, sink it into the syrup, than brush the top with honey and finally sprinkle grated walnuts in abundance.

💚 Enjoy!