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Minsk bakery's timeless recipe: Sushki that impressed Lukashenko

During elections in Belarus, polling stations offer a wide variety of refreshments. Even Aleksandr Lukashenko takes the opportunity to see the assortment after casting his vote. Sometimes, this includes a small tasting session. In February 2024, the organizers truly hit the mark. The head of state sampled sushki (ring-shaped hard pastry) and was extremely surprised as it tasted the same as decades ago. The sushki served to the president are produced at Avtomat Bread Factory. In a new episode of BelTA's YouTube project After the Fact: Special Report we went to visit the enterprise to uncover its key secrets.

The Minsk-based Avtomat Bread Factory was built in the pre-war years and became one of the first fully automated bread factories in the Soviet Union. In the Byelorussian SSR it was the most mechanized enterprise in the baking industry. In the 1960s–1970s, the factory installed the first comprehensively mechanized line for sushki. For over half a century the enterprise has remained committed to high quality traditions.

“Oh, that’s what I like,” Aleksandr Lukashenko exclaimed after trying sushki at a polling station. “When I was MP, I used to stop by at that shop on the way out of Minsk when going back to my hometown. They always had sushki on sale. They looked like a machine-gun belt. I would buy sushki for the kids.  But these sushki probably don’t taste the same now... Wow, exactly the same!!!”

How are sushki made?

Here we are, at the bakery, in a dough-mixing shop. Here we can watch a key stage in sushki production. Ingredients are simple: flour, water, yeast, vegetable fats, and skimmed milk powder. Essentially this is what it takes to make sushki. The sponge dough method is used for preparation.

“Dough is prepared from flour, water, and yeast.  Accordingly, once it is cooked and becomes homogeneous, it begins to ferment. During this process, the flavors and aromas that will define the final product are formed. After fermenting for approximately five hours, the dough is ready to be used,” explained Natalya Rudakova, pastry and baranki production engineer at Avtomat Bread Factory.

When preparing the dough, it’s important to follow certain technological steps. The dough should not be processed immediately; it must first rest for about five minutes (probably for most of us, every workday starts this way). After resting, it goes through grating.

“During grating, the dough becomes more flexible, compact, and uniform, which facilitates the subsequent shaping of sushki,” Natalya Rudakova said

The dough is then fed into a molding machine, which is equipped with special rolling pins and knives that shape it. Specialists monitor both the weight of each dough piece and the spacing between them. The shaped sushki are then transferred to a proofing mat.

“Here, sushka takes on its required shape and expands in volume. Next is the scalding zone. After proofing, the product moves to scalding, where it is treated under a pressure of 20 megapascals. Scalding is the stage where sushka acquires a glossy, shiny surface. A fixed shape. This is achieved using low-pressure steam,” said Yekaterina Misnik, head of the baranki section at Avtomat Bread Factory.

Sushki travel along the conveyor into the oven. It is not just an ordinary oven. It has several compartments, each with a different temperature. In the first zone, the temperature is 200 degrees. In the second zone, it’s 240. And in the third, 230. This is done firstly to set the shape. Then, for crispness. So a sushka achieves the right color. The result is a perfectly prepared product.

What kinds of sushki does the company produce and why are they so crispy?

Avtomat Bread Factory produces three types of sushki: small, thin, and classic. Depending on the assortment, the output ranges from 1.5 to 6 tonnes per day.

It takes 40-45 minutes for the dough to move from the molding machine to final packaging. Moisture loss during baking is what creates the characteristic crispness of sushki. This is a very important stage.

“We take sushki and break them. If they break into four pieces, it means the product has a very good and stable quality,” Yekaterina Misnik said.

The production and technology laboratory checks the quality of both semi-finished products (for example, acidity and moisture levels) and the finished goods.

“Color, taste, and crunch are organoleptic indicators. Physicochemical parameters. Sugar content, fat content, moisture. Furthermore, it is mandatory for all our products to undergo safety checks in an accredited laboratory,” Tatiana Bogush, head of the production and technology laboratory at the Avtomat Bread Factory, said.

A specific quality parameter is swelling capacity. According to the experts, this is important for the product’s digestibility.

“This indicator shows how long it takes for a sushka to fully acquire a soft consistency. Typically, the swelling capacity is within two minutes,” Tatiana Bogush added.

What makes sushki so popular

Despite the variety of modern desserts, sushki remain a popular treat. People love them for classic taste, natural ingredients, and long shelf life. For many, they offer a healthier alternative to sweets loaded with sugar and artificial additives.

“It is also a very popular product today. We make over 50 tonnes of these products per month. For every customer, every consumer. We have developed about 40 kinds of sushki. We offer salty and sweet ones. Sushki with gastronomic tastes. A new kind is being developed now,” noted Denis Turok, Director of the Avtomat bread factory.

Simplicity and cultural traditions, technologies and high reputation are the factors that explain why these sweets are in demand. Customers vote with their wallets. Not only with Belarusian ones.

“Our products are exported to many CIS countries. It confirms the quality and high standards of the merchandise. The Russian Federation is one of the main consumers of our sushki. We also export our products to Uzbekistan, Georgia, and Kazakhstan. These are the main consumers. But we conquer the rest of the world little by little,” the head of the enterprise noted.

People often say that things were better in the past, that they were tastier and more wholesome. But the recipe for the right sushki stays the same in Belarus. They offer the same taste they did when you were a child. It is true that some things are trendy while some are eternal.