Bauyrsak: Small Rounds of Dough That Puff in Hot Oil
A soft milk dough raised with yeast, cut into rounds and fried a few at a time until golden on both sides. The sugar is only a small amount, so this is a lightly sweet, bread-like dough, not a sweet pastry. Honey, sour cream and tea belong at the table, not in the dough.
A round of risen dough slides into a deep pot of oil, and the quiet kitchen fills with the sound of small bubbles. The pale disc lifts, swells and begins to take on color. Fried until golden on both sides, it comes out of the oil and is set aside to drain while the next few go in.
This is bauyrsak, written бауырсақ in Kazakh and Baursak or Bauyrsak in English (plural Baursaki). Kazakhstan's government cultural pages describe it as fried dough eaten with tea or alongside meat dishes, a food that appears both on festive tables and at everyday tea, and one that is shared with guests.
There is no single bauyrsak. The Abai Center's cultural page on Kazakh flour dishes notes that the dough may be made with water or with milk, with yeast or without, and cut into rounds or into small squares, depending on local custom and household. This article follows one of those forms: a milk-and-yeast dough cut into circles, based on a recipe published by Kazakh Kitchen. It is one reproducible way to make bauyrsak, not the only correct one.
This recipe has not been kitchen-tested by Sekai Gohan. The amounts, times and stages below follow the published recipe it is based on. That recipe gives no frying temperature, frying time per side or cutter size, and this article does not add them.
Ingredients: One Milk and Yeast Dough, Cut into Rounds
Everything here is an ordinary pantry item. The flour and the oil are each used in two places, so it helps to divide them before you begin.
Equipment
- A large bowl
- A clean cloth or towel for covering
- A rolling pin
- A drinking glass or a round cutter
- A kazan or a deep, heavy pot
- A slotted spoon
- Paper towels, or a rack set over paper towels
A kazan is the deep pot traditionally used for frying bauyrsak. At home, any deep, heavy pot you already own will do the same job.
Choosing Flour, Milk and Oil
Flour. Use plain white wheat flour, the everyday flour for general baking. Different flours absorb liquid differently, and that difference has not been tested for this recipe. Using a bread flour or a cake flour instead would change the formula, so start with plain flour.
Milk. Use ordinary unsweetened milk. Bauyrsak can also be made with water, but that is a different formula, and this article does not offer a swap ratio for it.
Oil. Sunflower oil is used both in the dough and for frying. Keep the 50 g for the dough separate from the 500 g for frying so you don't pour it all into the dough by mistake.
What is not in the dough. This formula has no egg, butter, water, honey or sour cream. Honey, sour cream and tea are optional accompaniments at the table.
This dough contains wheat and milk. It uses no egg. Check the labels of the flour, yeast and oil you actually buy for allergen and shared-facility statements.
Method: Starter, Two Rises, Rounds, Then Batches of Frying
Let the starter turn foamy, give the dough both of its rises in a warm, covered spot, and fry only a few pieces at a time. Use the color of each piece to judge when it's done, not a timer.
When Something Looks Off
The recipe's own stages are the best guide: a foamy starter, a soft dough, two covered rises, rested rounds and an uncrowded pot. Most checks come back to one of these.
| What you see | What to check | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| The starter isn't foamy | Whether it has been covered in a warm place for about 15 minutes | Wait until the surface is foamy before adding the rest of the flour |
| The pot is crowded | How many rounds went in at once | Fry fewer at a time so the oil temperature doesn't drop |
| The pieces are still pale | Whether both sides have colored | Turn them and keep frying until both sides are golden |
| The pieces look oily on the plate | Whether they had time to drain | Leave them on paper towels a little longer before serving |
| The 50 g dough oil ended up in the frying pot | Whether the oil was divided before starting | Measure the two portions into separate containers next time |
Variations: Shape, Dough and How It's Served
Kazakhstan's cultural sources describe a real range of bauyrsak, and it helps to know which changes are small and which make a different recipe.
| Variation | What changes | How to approach it |
|---|---|---|
| Rounds (this recipe) | Cut with a glass or round cutter | The basis of this article and its photos |
| Small squares | Shape only; the dough is cut with a knife instead of a cutter | Described as a regional custom. Treat it as a different way of cutting the same dough |
| Water dough | Water instead of milk | A different formula. No swap ratio is given here |
| Unleavened dough | No yeast | A separate style. Rising, texture and resting change, so it is not a simple adjustment to these steps |
| How it's served | Tea, honey, sour cream, meat dishes | Choose what you like at the table. None of these go into the dough |
On the Kazakh Table: Tea, Guests and Meat Dishes
The Abai Center's page on Kazakh flour dishes, part of a Republic of Kazakhstan government portal, presents baursaq as fried dough found at festive occasions as well as everyday tea. It describes bauyrsak among the first foods set out for guests, and served with honey, sour cream or meat dishes. Kazakhstan's official culture page (gov.kz) likewise describes bauyrsaki as fried dough eaten with meat dishes or tea, within a wider culture of hospitality. One photograph on that page shows bauyrsak on a table alongside dried fruit, nuts and kurt.
These sources describe a table rather than a rule. How bauyrsak is shaped and served still varies from region to region and household to household. Neither source explains where the name comes from or when the dish began, so this article doesn't speculate on either. For more dishes from the same table, see the Kazakhstan page.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is bauyrsak?
Bauyrsak (бауырсақ, also Baursak) is Kazakh fried dough. Kazakhstan's cultural sources describe it as eaten with tea or meat dishes, shared with guests, and present at both festive and everyday tables. This version uses a milk-and-yeast dough cut into rounds.
Is it always round?
No. The Abai Center notes that bauyrsak may be cut into rounds or small squares depending on local custom. This article uses rounds.
Does honey go into the dough?
No. This dough has a small amount of sugar and no honey. Honey and sour cream are optional additions at the table.
What oil temperature and frying time should I use?
The recipe this article follows gives neither. It says to heat the oil well and fry the rounds in uncrowded batches so the oil temperature doesn't drop, until golden on both sides. This article does not add numbers to that.
How many pieces does one batch make?
The published recipe lists "Servings 27" but doesn't say whether that means pieces or people, and it gives no cutter size. Because this recipe has not been kitchen-tested here, this article does not give a piece count or a number of servings.
How should I store leftovers?
None of the sources give storage or reheating guidance, so this article does not suggest a storage method or time.
Which flour should I use outside Kazakhstan?
Plain white wheat flour, the everyday general-purpose flour. Flours differ in how much liquid they absorb, and those differences have not been tested for this recipe.
Sources
- Kazakh Kitchen, "Baursak." The recipe this article follows: ingredients and amounts, starter, rises, rolling and cutting rounds, frying in a kazan in batches, draining, the listed "Servings 27," and serving with tea, honey, sour cream or meat dishes. https://kazakh.kitchen/2026-10-04/
- Abai Center / Republic of Kazakhstan government portal (oq.gov.kz), "National Dishes: Flour Dishes — The Beauty and Blessing of the Dastarqan." Baursaq on festive and everyday tea tables and for guests; variation in milk or water, yeasted or unleavened dough, and round or square shapes. https://oq.gov.kz/en/abai/qazaq-taghamdary
- Republic of Kazakhstan, gov.kz, "Culture of Kazakhstan — Kitchen and Traditions." Bauyrsaki as fried dough eaten with meat dishes or tea; hospitality toward guests; a table photograph with dried fruit, nuts, kurt and bauyrsak. https://www.gov.kz/article/64578?lang=en
