Cheesecake (Pinca)

Preparation steps

• Make a hollow in the sifted flour and add half the amount of sugar, yeast and warm milk. When heating milk, be careful not to overheat it as success will be lacking. Namely, the heat of the food is very important when preparing leavened dough, and it is best when all the food is warm to the human body, which means it is pleasant to the touch, including the milk in this case. Gently stir the contents of the "cavity" to mix the yeast, sugar and a small amount of flour into a mushy mixture. Cover with a cotton kitchen towel and place in a warm place for about 30 minutes. It is not crucial for exactly 30 minutes, but long enough for the yeast fungi to be activated, which will be obvious to you by increasing the volume of said porridge.
• In the previous mixture, add 5 whole eggs (which have warmed to room temperature because you took them out of the fridge earlier), the rest of the sugar and all the listed flavors. Then mix all the ingredients well. I hope you have a mixer (electric mixer) strong enough for the dough, because it’s really hard to realistically expect to be able to knead the dough with your hand enough. Namely, the dough needs to be kneaded vigorously, until it becomes uniform and homogeneous and separates from the bowl in which you are kneading it. Cover the dish with a cloth and leave in a warm place without drafts until it doubles in volume. If you used hot foods and placed in a suitable place the dough will take 45-60 minutes to reach the desired size.
• After the "first" rise, knead the butter into the dough. Butter is best softened by placing the butter in a metal bowl that will soak you in hot water. In this way, the butter will become fluid without the risk of frying (which is a real risk if you try to "soften" it in a pan or skillet "on fire" and it will become bitter and unsuitable for this purpose). Mix well once more and leave in the same way until it doubles in volume again.
• As the total mass of the dough is about 2 kg, it is a total amount sufficient for 6 cheesecakes, so after the "second" rise, divide the dough into 6 equal pieces that you form into cakes and arrange in a tray with enough space between them as it will rise. Leave them in a warm place without drafts to double the volume.
• After lifting in a baking tray with scissors, cut them ("pinch") from the middle to the outer edge, coat with egg and sprinkle with crushed sugar cubes. Here are a few interesting things to note. 1. The cheesecake is specifically pinched with scissors in three parts for symbolic religious reasons (Holy Trinity), while many cheesecake lovers "grab" for its upper central part, which after baking thanks to this method of notching remains the softest and juiciest. 2. Sugar in a cube is a legacy that has been used very rarely for some time except in the case of cheesecake preparation, so if you don't have it at home, you can use plain crystal sugar (which you sprinkled with water at the beginning of preparation and mixed to bind and better receive ) by which the cheesecakes are generously sprinkled after they have been coated with beaten egg. roughly because the ovens behave differently so this second part can oscillate +/- 2-3 minutes). it is essential that they should finally have a golden-yellow-brown color and an alluring scent.