Kazakh Shelpek

Name: Kazakh Shelpek
Prep time: 1 h
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 1 h 20 min
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: Kazakhstan
Ingredients: 500 g Plain flour; 150 ml Milk; 100 ml Water; 1 tsp Salt; 1 tsp Sugar; 500 ml Sunflower oil; 20 g Butter

Local name: Шелпек

A thin, bubbly Kazakh flatbread fried in oil, made to go with tea, soup or jam.

Servings4
Prep1 h
Cooking20 min
Total time1 h 20 min
DifficultyEasy

🌱 VegetarianContains glutenContains dairy

Kazakh Shelpek — Photo: Ds02006 · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

↓ Method

About this dish

Shelpek is a Kazakh flatbread rolled thin and fried in hot oil. It uses no yeast, so the dough comes together quickly. It is made for everyday breakfast, for the tea table and when guests arrive.

In Kazakh homes it is usually served warm with tea, honey or jam, and sometimes alongside a broth. Its thin, blistered, lightly crisp texture sets it apart from the thicker fried breads of some neighboring cuisines.

Ingredients

4 servings

Tick the ingredients off like a shopping list.

Dough

500 g Plain floursifted
150 ml Milklukewarm
100 ml Waterlukewarm
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Sugar

Frying

500 ml Sunflower oilfor frying
20 g Buttermelted, for brushing

Method

In a large bowl, mix the flour, salt and sugar.
Add the lukewarm milk and water and bring the dough together.
Knead for about 8 minutes until soft and smooth.
Cover and let the dough rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Divide into 8 equal pieces, shape into balls, cover and rest another 10 minutes.
Roll each ball into a thin round, 2-3 mm thick and about 18-20 cm wide, and prick with a fork.
Heat the oil in a wide, deep frying pan to 1.5-2 cm depth over medium-high heat.
Fry each shelpek about 1 minute per side until puffed and golden.
Drain on paper towels and brush with melted butter.
Serve warm with tea, soup, honey or jam.

💡 Tips

Keep the dough fairly firm; a very soft dough is hard to roll thin.
Do not skip the resting time, as it makes the dough stretch easily.
The oil must be hot enough, or the shelpek will soak it up.
Roll thin for the best bubbles and a lightly crisp texture.
Shelpek is best eaten within half an hour of frying.

🛒 Can't find it abroad?

Sunflower oil — Use corn oil or any other neutral vegetable oil.
Milk — Replace with water; use 250 ml lukewarm water in total.

This recipe was prepared with the help of AI, following the traditional home-style method; quantities, times and steps were checked automatically for consistency. Ovens and stoves differ, so check doneness by eye.