Name: Surami Nazuki (ნაზუქი სურამული)
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 6 h 20 min
Cuisine: Georgian
Ingredients: 800 g strong white bread flour, plus a little for the work surface if needed; 600 ml whole milk, divided; 100 g plain matsoni, at room temperature; 140 g honey; 4 g instant dry yeast; 1 large egg, at room temperature; 6 g fine salt; 1 g ground cinnamon; 1 g ground cloves; 8 g vanilla powder; 200 g raisins, rinsed and thoroughly dried; 100 ml neutral sunflower oil, divided: 15 ml for the raisins and the rest for the dough and lightly oiling hands or bowl; 1 large egg, beaten

Wide table with golden raisin nazuki loaves, a cut slice and a small glass of black tea.

Yield4 oval loaves, about 1.8 kg baked in total; 12 portions

Serving basis1/12 recipe, about 150 g

DifficultyModerate; the soft enriched dough needs patient kneading and two rises

Dietary classificationVegetarian; contains wheat/gluten, milk and egg

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The dish

About Surami Nazuki (ნაზუქი სურამული)

Surami Nazuki: Georgian Honey-Raisin Spiced Bread

A soft, enriched Georgian yeast bread with raisins, warm spices and honey. Surami is especially known for its roadside nazuki bakers; this is a practical home-oven version of the broader Georgian bread.

Nazuki is a sweet, spiced Georgian yeast bread found across several eastern and southern regions. Surami became closely associated with its baking and sale: roadside ovens and family stalls made warm nazuki a familiar stop for people travelling between eastern and western Georgia. The Surami connection is strongest as a place and baking tradition; the published evidence does not establish a separate canonical Surami ingredient formula.

This measured home-oven recipe adapts a broad Georgian nazuki formula and chooses its honey-sweetened branch. Raisins are briefly warmed in a little of the measured oil before they go into the dough. Cinnamon, cloves and vanilla give the loaf a rounded aroma without making it cake-like. The dough is soft and supple, then shaped into four oval loaves that bake evenly in a standard oven.

The loaves are fragrant and lightly sweet, with juicy raisins in a tender crumb and a glossy egg-washed crust. Let them cool before slicing so the crumb can set. Serve on their own or with tea; the bread is rich enough to make a simple snack without additional filling.

Cook the dish

Ingredients

Surami Nazuki: Georgian Honey-Raisin Spiced Bread

Dough

800 gstrong white bread flour, plus a little for the work surface if needed
600 mlwhole milk, divided
100 gplain matsoni, at room temperature
140 ghoney
4 ginstant dry yeast
1large egg, at room temperature
6 gfine salt
1 gground cinnamon
1 gground cloves
8 gvanilla powder

Raisins and oil

200 graisins, rinsed and thoroughly dried
100 mlneutral sunflower oil, divided: 15 ml for the raisins and the rest for the dough and lightly oiling hands or bowl

Egg wash

1large egg, beaten

Method

Prepare the raisins and milk. Warm 15 ml of the measured oil in a small pan over low heat. Add the raisins and stir for 2–3 minutes until plump, without browning them. Spread them on a plate and cool completely. Warm the milk to 35–38 °C.
Activate the yeast. Stir the yeast and a spoonful of the measured honey into about 150 ml of the warm milk. Leave for 10 minutes, until creamy or lightly foamy. Dissolve the remaining honey in the rest of the lukewarm milk.
Mix and knead the dough. Whisk the flour, salt, cinnamon, cloves and vanilla powder in a large bowl. Add the yeast mixture, honey milk, matsoni and one egg. Mix to a shaggy dough, then knead for 10–12 minutes, gradually working in the remaining measured oil. Add the milk in stages and knead until the dough is soft, elastic and tacky. Use only a light dusting of the reserved flour for handling.
Add raisins and proof. Knead in the cooled raisins and the measured oil left in their pan. Put the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover and leave in a warm place for about 60 minutes, until puffy and close to doubled.
Shape and proof again. With lightly oiled hands, gently deflate the dough and divide it into 4 equal pieces. Shape each into a smooth oval loaf and place on lined trays with room to expand. Cover and proof for 30 minutes, until visibly puffy.
Glaze and bake. Heat a conventional oven to 180 °C. Brush the loaves with the beaten egg. Bake for about 30 minutes, rotating the trays if needed, until deep golden and the centre of each loaf reaches at least 90 °C on a food thermometer.
Cool before slicing. Transfer to a rack and cool for at least 20 minutes. Slice once the crumb has set.

Practical guidance

Success points

Knead until the dough stretches smoothly and feels soft and tacky rather than runny; add the milk gradually while using the full measured amount as the dough takes it up.
The raisins should be cool before mixing, and the loaves should be proofed until visibly puffy before baking.

Practical guidance

The dough is naturally soft because it contains milk, matsoni, honey and oil. Add the milk gradually while kneading; stop briefly if the dough needs time to absorb it, then continue. If matsoni is unavailable, plain whole-milk yogurt is a practical substitute, though the aroma will differ. Do not replace the honey with the same weight of sugar without adjusting the liquid.

Cool the loaves promptly and refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours at or below 4 °C; use within 3–4 days or freeze well wrapped. To refresh, warm slices briefly in a 160 °C oven or toast them. Keep raw dairy and eggs refrigerated before use, and do not taste the unbaked dough.

Nutrition per serving

Serving size: 1/12 recipe, about 150 g baked bread
Calories: About 440 kcal
Carbohydrate: 74 g
Protein: 13 g
Fat: 12 g
Fibre: 3 g
Sodium: About 240 mg

Nutrition is approximate. The estimate uses generic food-composition values for bread flour, milk, whole-milk yogurt as a matsoni proxy, honey, eggs, sunflower oil, raisins, yeast, cinnamon, cloves and salt. It includes both eggs, all measured oil and 6 g salt, divided into 12 portions; vanilla powder is not included. Finished yield, oil left in the pan and product labels may change the values.

Allergens and food safety

Contains wheat/gluten, milk and egg. Keep milk, matsoni and eggs refrigerated until needed, wash hands and equipment after handling raw egg, and do not taste raw dough. Bake the centre of every loaf to at least 71.1 °C for egg safety; the higher 90 °C target above also checks that the bread is baked through. Cool promptly, refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours at or below 4 °C, and use within 3–4 days or freeze.

At the table

Serve thick slices with black tea; the raisins and warm spices make the bread satisfying without a filling.
Let the loaves cool before cutting so the soft crumb holds its shape.

About Surami Nazuki (ნაზუქი სურამული)

Ingredients

Dough

Raisins and oil

Egg wash

Method

Success points

Practical guidance

Nutrition per serving

Allergens and food safety

At the table

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