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Kada

Make Georgian kada with a tender matsoni dough, sweet butter-flour filling and a golden egg-washed crust

Georgian home recipeGeorgian dish
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A wide platter of Georgian kada rolls with their sweet spiral centres visible.
Yield24 pieces
Serving1 piece, about 64 g before baking
DifficultyModerate; roll and seal the filled dough evenly
DietVegetarian; contains wheat, milk and egg
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The dish

About Kada

Kada: Georgian Rolled Sweet Pastries

Bake small Georgian kada pastries with a tender yogurt-and-butter dough, a sandy sweet filling and a golden egg-washed top.

Kada is a Georgian sweet pastry with regional and household variations. This version follows the rolled style: a soft dough is chilled, rolled into a thin sheet, spread with a flour, sugar and butter filling, then rolled up and sliced into individual pastries. The cut face shows the filling spiralled through the pastry.

Matsoni gives the dough a gentle tang; plain full-fat yogurt is a practical substitute. The dough is rich but not yeast-raised, so chilling makes it easier to roll and helps the butter stay cool while you shape it. The filling should look like damp, fine crumbs rather than a paste.

Bake the kada in one layer so the edges brown evenly. The surface should be golden and the centre set. Since this recipe contains egg, use an instant-read thermometer to check that the centre of a representative pastry reaches 71°C (160°F); colour alone is not a safety check.

Cook the dish

Ingredients

Kada: Georgian Rolled Sweet Pastries

Dough

  • 500 gall-purpose wheat flour
  • 250 gunsalted butter, softened
  • 250 mlmatsoni or plain full-fat yogurt
  • 1large egg (about 50 g without shell)
  • 2.3 gbaking soda (about ½ teaspoon)
  • 1.5 gfine salt (about ¼ teaspoon)

Filling

  • 150 gall-purpose wheat flour
  • 200 ggranulated sugar
  • 100 gunsalted butter, softened
  • 2.5 mlvanilla extract (½ teaspoon)

Glaze

  • 1large egg yolk (about 17 g)
  • 5 mlwater
Method

Method

  1. Prepare the dough flour. Whisk the baking soda and salt through the 500 g flour in a large bowl. Cut in the 250 g softened butter with a pastry cutter, or rub it in with your fingertips, until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs with no large butter pieces.

  2. Mix and chill. Beat the whole egg with the matsoni or yogurt. Stir it into the flour mixture, then knead for 8–10 minutes until the dough is smooth and supple. It should hold together without feeling wet. Cover and refrigerate for 60 minutes so the butter firms and the dough rolls cleanly.

  3. Make the filling. Combine the 150 g flour, sugar and vanilla in a small bowl. Rub in the 100 g softened butter until the mixture is evenly sandy, with small loose crumbs. Do not toast or cook this filling for this rolled version.

  4. Roll and fill. Heat a conventional oven to 180°C. Roll the chilled dough on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle 3–4 mm thick. Scatter the filling evenly over the dough, leaving a 2–2.5 cm bare strip along one long edge. Roll tightly from the opposite long edge, then press the seam closed and flatten the log gently to about 3 cm thick.

  5. Glaze and cut. Beat the egg yolk with 5 ml water. Brush a thin coat over the log, then cut it crosswise into 24 equal pieces with a sharp knife. Arrange them cut-side up on a parchment-lined tray, leaving about 3 cm between pieces so hot air can circulate.

  6. Bake and cool. Bake for 25–30 minutes until the pastry is golden and the filling is set. Check the centre of one of the larger pieces with an instant-read thermometer; it must reach at least 71°C (160°F) for egg safety. Cool on the tray for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Practical guidance

Success points

  • Keep the butter softened but cool, and chill the covered dough for the full hour; warm dough can tear and squeeze out the filling.
  • Roll the sheet to an even 3–4 mm and leave a clear border at the seam so the log closes without a thick lump of dough.
Practical guidance

Practical guidance

Serve kada slightly warm or at room temperature with black tea or coffee. For even pieces, trim the ends of the log, then cut the middle into equal portions; include the trimmed ends among the 24 pieces if you want to keep the yield exact. If the dough cracks while rolling, let it stand at room temperature for 5–10 minutes, then continue without adding much extra flour. If it becomes sticky, chill it briefly rather than working in more flour, which can make the pastry tough.

Cool the pastries completely before storing them in an airtight container. They keep at room temperature for up to 3 days. Freeze well wrapped for up to 2 months and thaw at room temperature. To refresh a day-old or thawed piece, warm it in a 150°C oven for 5–7 minutes. You can make the dough a day ahead and refrigerate it covered; let it soften just enough to roll. Shaped, unbaked pieces may be chilled overnight, then glazed before baking; if they go into the oven cold, allow a few extra minutes and check the centre temperature.

Matsoni and plain full-fat yogurt work similarly in this dough. If using salted butter, omit the 1.5 g fine salt and expect a slightly saltier flavour. The wheat flour in both dough and filling gives the roll structure, so a direct gluten-free flour swap may cause cracking and a loose filling.

Nutrition per serving

Estimated nutrition per serving

  • Serving size: 1 piece, approximately 62 g before baking
  • Energy: ~250 kcal
  • Carbohydrate: 30 g
  • Protein: 4 g
  • Fat: 13 g
  • Fibre: 1 g
  • Sodium: ~60 mg

Values estimate one of 24 pieces from generic ingredient composition data. The full batch is approximately 5,935 kcal, 709 g carbohydrate, 88 g protein, 308 g fat, 18 g fibre and 1,467 mg sodium; divide by 24 and round. Ingredient brands and moisture loss vary, so the result is not a laboratory analysis.

Allergens and food safety

Allergens and food safety

Contains wheat (gluten), milk and egg. Keep raw egg and utensils separate from ready-to-eat food; wash hands, bowls and work surfaces after handling egg. Do not taste the uncooked dough or filling. Use an instant-read thermometer to check the centre of a representative pastry; it must reach at least 71°C (160°F). The golden crust is a quality cue and does not replace this temperature check.

Serving cues

Serving cues

  • The cut face should show a compact swirl of fine filling inside tender pastry, with crisp golden edges.
  • The dough should be cool and firm before rolling, and the filled log should have a sealed seam so the filling stays in place.
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