Zur Balish

Mix most of the flour with salt, then with melted butter, add sour cream, mix, add baking soda, the remaining flour, knead until homogeneous for 5 minutes, cover with film and set aside for an hour.

Cut the meat and potatoes into pea-sized cubes (5-7 mm), clean and finely chop the onion, mix everything, and add salt and pepper.

Divide the dough into 2 parts, one slightly smaller than the other. Roll out the larger part to a thickness of 4-5 mm, place it in a greased cast-iron skillet, add a bay leaf, then the filling, and a few slices of melted butter on top.

Roll out the second piece of dough a bit thinner, cover the filling, trim the excess dough, pinch the edges of the bottom and top layers, folding the dough towards the center of the balish. Cut a hole in the center the size of a quail egg and plug it with a larger dough ball. Bake in the oven at 200°C for 20 minutes until golden brown.

Cover with foil (or lid), bake for another 40 minutes at 170°C. Pour hot broth through the hole, plug with a ball, cover with foil again, and bake for 2.5 hours at 150°C. Turn off the oven and let it sit for 30 minutes. Serve by cutting the top dough according to the number of servings, spooning the filling onto plates.