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Gata (Armenian Sweet Pastry with Khoriz)
A soft, buttery yeasted sour cream dough rolled around khoriz, a sweet crumbly filling of flour, butter and sugar, sliced, glazed with egg and baked golden, for eating with tea or coffee.
Armenian · medium · serves 16
prep 45 min · cook 25 min · plus 1 h 30 min hands-off time
~380 cal · 7g protein · 44g carbs · 20g fat · 1g fiber · 14g sugars · 12g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Gata is the Armenian sweet bread, and its preparation is on Armenia's national list of intangible cultural heritage. It is eaten at Candlemas (Trndez) and through Lent and other feasts, sometimes with a coin baked inside for luck, but above all it is simply what Armenians set out with a cup of tea or coffee when someone visits.
There are many gatas. Towns and regions have their own: the large round, decorated gata of Garni and Geghard, about a foot across; the dense, sweet triangular gata of Tsovinar on Lake Sevan; and versions from Gyumri, Stepanavan and the diaspora. Some are cake-like, some flaky, some rolled into spirals, which some families call nazook.
What almost all share is khoriz, the filling: flour, butter and sugar rubbed or cooked together into sweet, buttery crumbs, sometimes with walnuts or vanilla. This version, a Russian-Armenian one, rolls a rich yeasted sour cream dough around the khoriz and cuts it into pieces before baking.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally vegetarian and nut- and pork-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 16
- 2 1/4 tsp (1 packet) active dry yeast
- 1/4 cup warm water
- 1 tbsp sugar (for the yeast)
- 4 cups plus 1 tbsp (about 510 g) all-purpose flour (for the dough)
- 1 cup (225 g) unsalted butter, melted (for the dough)
- 3 eggs (for the dough)
- 1 cup (240 g) sour cream or plain yogurt
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour (for the khoriz)
- 1/2 cup (115 g) unsalted butter, melted (for the khoriz)
- 1 cup (200 g) sugar (for the khoriz)
- 2 eggs, beaten (for glazing)
Instructions
- 1Stir the yeast, warm water, 1 tablespoon of sugar and 1 tablespoon of the flour together in a small bowl and leave for about 10 minutes, until foamy.
- 2In a large bowl, mix the melted butter, eggs and sour cream, then add the yeast mixture. Add the 4 cups of flour and the salt gradually and knead for about 8 minutes into a soft, smooth dough. Cover and leave to rise in a warm place for 1 hour, until puffy.
- 3Meanwhile, make the khoriz: toast the flour in a dry frying pan over low heat for about 5 minutes, stirring, until it smells nutty and just turns pale beige. Tip it into a bowl, let it cool a little, then mix in the melted butter and sugar with your fingers until it forms damp crumbs.
- 4Divide the dough into 4 pieces. Roll each into a rectangle about 5 mm thick, spread a quarter of the khoriz over it, leaving a border, and roll it up firmly from a long side like a Swiss roll. Pinch the seam closed.
- 5Cut each roll into pieces 5 to 7 cm long and set them on baking sheets lined with baking paper, seam side down. Leave to rise for 30 minutes. Heat the oven to 190 C.
- 6Brush the pieces with the beaten egg. Bake for 10 minutes, then lower the oven to 175 C and bake for 7 to 10 minutes more, until deep golden. Cool on a rack and serve with tea or coffee.✎ Chef’s noteGata keeps for several days in an airtight tin and freezes well.
Russian-Armenian home recipe, via The Armenian Kitchen.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Yerevan. Armenian lavash went onto UNESCO's list in 2014, and what was inscribed was the whole practice: dough slapped onto the wall of a clay tonir by groups of women, sheets stacked and dried, then flicked with water to soften before a meal. It works as plate, wrapper and spoon at once.
🗺️
Armenia. Lavash was inscribed by UNESCO in 2014, and the inscription describes the whole practice: groups of women rolling the dough thin, stretching it over an oval cushion and slapping it onto the wall of a tonir, the conical clay oven sunk into the ground. It dries flat and keeps for months, and it is laid across the shoulders of newlyweds as a wish for prosperity.
🌍
Asia. Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, and its food spans the delicate seasonality of Japanese washoku, the chili-fired curries of India and Thailand, and the wheat-and-lamb traditions of Central Asia. Rice, noodles, soy, and fermentation recur across its regions, while ancient spice routes and religious traditions shaped distinct grammars of flavor. Whether from a street-cart wok or a monastery kitchen, eating is deeply communal and ritual-rich.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
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Zhingyalov HatsThin flatbread stuffed with a dozen or more chopped herbs and greens, griddled until blistered.
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Good to know
You’ll need: Skillet or frying pan, Oven, Rolling pin.
Storing it: Store in an airtight container. Most keep 2 to 3 days at room temperature, and longer refrigerated.
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Frequently asked questions
What is Gata (Armenian Sweet Pastry with Khoriz)?
A soft, buttery yeasted sour cream dough rolled around khoriz, a sweet crumbly filling of flour, butter and sugar, sliced, glazed with egg and baked golden, for eating with tea or coffee.
Where does Gata (Armenian Sweet Pastry with Khoriz) come from?
Gata (Armenian Sweet Pastry with Khoriz) is an Armenian dish from Yerevan, Armenia.
Can Gata (Armenian Sweet Pastry with Khoriz) be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Gata (Armenian Sweet Pastry with Khoriz) recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions. Treat the substitutions as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Gata (Armenian Sweet Pastry with Khoriz) safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we still count coconut as a tree nut to be cautious, although the FDA stopped listing it as one in 2025), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Gata (Armenian Sweet Pastry with Khoriz) take to make?
About 2 h 40 min in all: 45 minutes prep and 25 minutes cooking, plus 1 h 30 min of hands-off waiting the method needs, serving 16.
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