Gata is one of Armenia's most iconic pastries — a yeasted bread filled with khoriz, a sweet crumbly mix of butter, flour, and sugar. Every region and family has their own version. This is a classic: rich, buttery, not too sweet, and impossible to stop eating.
Ingredients
Dough: 3 cups flour, 1 packet yeast, ½ cup warm milk, ¼ cup warm water, ½ cup butter (softened), 3 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp salt, 2 egg yolks.
Khoriz: 1 cup flour, ½ cup butter (softened), ½ cup powdered sugar, ½ tsp vanilla, pinch of salt.
Glaze: 1 egg yolk + 1 tbsp milk.
Make dough
Bloom yeast in warm water. Combine with all dough ingredients and knead 10 minutes. Rise 1–1.5 hours until doubled.
Make khoriz
Mix filling ingredients with your fingers until it resembles damp, crumbly sand. Don't skip the pinch of salt.
Assemble and bake
Roll dough into rectangles, spread khoriz evenly, roll tightly like a log, flatten slightly. Score the top in a diamond pattern, brush with egg wash, bake at 350°F for 25–30 minutes until deep golden brown. Cool 15 minutes before slicing. Serve with Armenian coffee.