This recipe originally appeared on The Nosher, 70 Faces Media’s Jewish food site.
Pampushky are fluffy, soft Ukrainian garlic bread rolls. Ukraine was known as the “breadbasket” of the Soviet Union, and both garlic and bread are staples of the cuisine. These rolls are traditionally served alongside borscht; the garlic’s sharpness compliments the sweetness of its beets. Garlic and bread is such a common side to borscht that my own grandparents would often simply eat slices of brown bread and whole raw cloves of garlic with their soup.
I was first inspired to make pampushky years ago when I came across a recipe in “Mamushka,“ Olia Hercules’ exceptional Ukrainian cookbook. This recipe differs slightly, but the idea is the same for all pampushky: make pillowy soft buns, and top them with a mixture of oil and copious amounts of freshly minced or grated raw garlic.
I prefer sunflower oil for this recipe, which is traditionally used in Ukrainian cooking. The moment the rolls come out of the oven, generously slather them with the garlic and oil mixture. The heat of the bread cooks the garlic just enough to slightly mellow its flavor. Fresh parsley and dill are also added to the garlic oil, which offers a bright herbaceous zing to the spicy heat of the garlic.
Make no mistake, these rolls are adamantly for garlic lovers.
Pampushky are best served warm, either soon after coming out of the oven, or reheated just before serving. As you set the rolls on the table, make sure to announce that you are serving “pampushky.” Saying the word out loud is part of the joy of making these rolls.