a taste of summer nostalgia
This recipe is a classic dessert from my Ukrainian grandma’s recipe archives. The August afternoons when Bunia (as we call her) would come over carrying this tray of goodness were some of the best summer moments in my childhood memory. Besides being delicious, this recipe is so incredibly simple in both process and ingredient list. The stars of this dessert are small prune plums that are plentiful only in the smallest sliver of the late summer season, so if you see them at the store or market, scoop them up FAST. The rest of this dessert is just a simple tart-like base of butter, sugar, flour, egg, yeast, and egg. Before serving this dessert, Bunia would always dust it with some powdered sugar which we loved and always looked oh, so pretty.
While I realize there are probably plenty of different iterations and ways to make this beautiful Ukrainian dessert, this is the version that my grandma made for her kids and grandkids after she came to the US. I’ve adapted it almost exactly from the handwritten recipe she had scrawled on a small piece of paper. And while my versions of her recipes never taste quite exactly like the OG Bunia dish, I have to say this pliatsok turned out to be pretty dang close!
⟶ the recipe
ukrainian plum pastry (pliatsok zi slyvkamy)
ingredients
¾ ounces baker’s yeast
¼ cup milk, warmed up
½ cup sugar
¼ cup (½ stick) softened butter
2 eggs, yolks and white separated
¼ teaspoon vanilla
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
10 small prune plums
Prep time
20 minutes
Cook time
20 minutes
Total time
45 minutes
1 quarter pan of pliatsok
instructions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a quarter-size jelly roll pan, and set aside.
Dissolve the yeast in the warm milk. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Add the egg yolks and vanilla, and cream until combined. Add the flour and yeast mixture, and beat to a thick, doughy consistency.
Distribute the batter over the greased pan, using the back of a greased spoon to spread it evenly.
Beat the egg whites in a small bowl until light and bubbly. Using a pastry brush, brush the egg white over the dough, further smoothing it out.
Cut the plums in half and remove the pits, gently slicing the edges off to flatten.
Place plums skin down on top of the dough in even rows. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until dough is golden brown.
Remove from the oven, and place on a cooling rack for about 5 minutes.
Sift powdered sugar over the pastry to serve.
⟶ recipe notes
- This is a halved version of Bunia’s original recipe. I believe she used a 10×15 pan and double the amounts listed in this recipe
⟶ make it ahead
- Cover the pan tightly with foil and refrigerate for up to 3 days after baking
