Ay Coregi (Turkish Crescent Pastries with Cocoa Filling)
Soft, golden crescent pastries filled with a rich cocoa, walnut and vanilla paste — the beloved Turkish bakery classic you can easily bake at home in the UK.
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Ingredients
500g plain wheat flour, plus extra for dusting
10g instant dry yeast (1 sachet)
200ml warm milk
100g granulated sugar
100g unsalted butter, softened
60ml sunflower oil
1 egg, plus 1 egg yolk for glazing
1/2 tsp salt
For the filling: 3 tbsp cocoa powder
For the filling: 100g walnut kernels, finely chopped
For the filling: 80g sugar and 1 sachet vanilla sugar
Icing sugar, for dusting
Instructions
- 1
Dissolve the yeast and 1 tablespoon of the sugar in the warm milk and let it foam for 5-10 minutes.
- 2
Combine the flour, remaining sugar and salt in a large bowl. Add the yeast mixture, egg, softened butter and oil, then knead for about 8 minutes to a soft, slightly tacky dough. Cover and prove in a warm spot for 1 hour, until doubled.
- 3
Meanwhile make the filling: mix the cocoa, sugar, vanilla sugar and chopped walnuts with 3-4 tablespoons of warm milk until you have a thick, spreadable paste.
- 4
Knock back the dough and divide it into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into an oval about 15cm long.
- 5
Spread a generous teaspoon of filling over each oval, leaving a border, then roll up from the long side and gently curve into a crescent. Place on lined baking trays, seam side down.
- 6
Cover and rest for 20 minutes, then brush with the egg yolk beaten with a splash of milk.
- 7
Bake at 180C fan for 22-25 minutes until deep golden. Cool slightly, dust with icing sugar and serve with hot black tea.
Ay coregi, literally "moon bun", is one of the most nostalgic treats in any Turkish bakery window. A soft, slightly sweet yeasted dough is rolled around a dark, fudgy filling of cocoa, sugar and crushed walnuts, then shaped into plump crescents and baked until golden. The contrast between the pillowy crumb and the almost brownie-like swirl inside is what makes it irresistible.
These pastries are a classic companion to afternoon tea in Turkey. Brew a proper pot of Rize black tea, dust the crescents with icing sugar and you have a five o'clock ritual that beats any shop-bought biscuit. They also freeze beautifully, so bake a full tray and reheat one whenever the craving strikes.
Every ingredient here — Turkish flour, instant yeast, cocoa and walnut kernels — is available from Turkish Online Market with delivery across the UK, so you can recreate the real bakery flavour without hunting through specialist shops.
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