Savory Gluten-free Choreg!

• Sift, then measure the flour. Place 3 cups of the sifted flour in a large bowl and place the rest of sifted flour into a smaller, separate bowl. Set the smaller bowl of flour aside for now.
• To the large bowl with 3 cups of sifted flour add the salt, 2 tsp. baking powder, sugar, mahlab, and ground spices, if using. Blend well.
• Stir-in the dry granular yeast into the flour-spice mixture.
• In a medium bowl, combine the wet ingredients – warm milk, melted-cooled butter and beaten eggs. Slowly combine the wet mixture into the large bowl with the flour-spice mixture. At this point the dough will be sticky.
• Start adding enough of the remaining sifted flour to make a workable dough.
• Lightly sprinkle extra gluten-free flour onto a clean work surface. Knead dough gently and shape into a large ball.
• Lightly oil a clean, large bowl and place the dough in the bowl. Lightly oil the top the of dough ball.
• Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a clean kitchen towel and allow dough to rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size – about 2 hours.
• Once the dough has risen, punch down dough and divide it into quarters.
• Working with one section at a time, break off pieces of dough about the size of walnuts or golf balls and roll into ball shapes. To make coil-shaped choreg, roll each ball into a rope, about 8“- 10" long and then wrap the rope into a coil shape – or – shape dough into braids, twists, or “S’ shapes.
• Place shaped dough on parchment-lined baking pan(s) leaving some space in between to allow for spreading during baking.
• Cover tray with more plastic wrap and a clean towel and let rise again – about 45 minutes to 1 hour.
• Brush choreg tops with egg wash and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and/ or nigella seeds, if desired.
• Preheat oven 350°F – 375°F. (Remember, oven temperatures can vary.)
• Bake one tray at a time on the center rack for about 15 – 17 minutes or until tops and bottoms begin to turn golden brown.
• Allow choregs to rest on baking pans for a few minutes before transferring them to wire racks to cool completely.
• Once completely cooled, choregs can be stored in a tightly covered container. These choregs freeze well when placed in a single layer in freezer bags.

To serve:

• Serve warm or at room temperature with Armenian string cheese – or – your favorite cheese, olives, fruit – and definitely Armenian coffee!