5 kg flour (highest quality)

100 g yeast

2 L milk1 stick of butter (250 g) cut into cubes

1 1/2 kg sugar

100g raisins

2 small vanilla pods

1 teaspoon each of nutmeg, cloves, and cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon turmeric (this is optional, but lends a lovely pale-yellow color)

2 1/2 tsp of salt

5 eggs

To begin, take the raisins and wash them to ensure that they are clean and free from any debris. Dry them carefully before moving on to the next step to avoid introducing any additional moisture into the recipe.

Warm the milk up slightly, either in the microwave or on the stove. Using warm milk will help to activate the yeast. You can check the temperature by dipping the tip of a finger into the milk. Once it feels slightly warmer than body temperature, mix the yeast into the milk and let it sit for a few minutes to activate. Next, mix together all of the ingredients except the eggs, raisins, and vanilla.

Knead the ingredients lightly until they come together in a smooth dough, then cover it up with a tea towel for 10 minutes to keep it warm and wake the yeast up. Split your dough into 15 equal portions and lightly shape them into low ovals. Cover them to keep them warm then leave for one hour to rise. While the dough is rising, set your oven to its maximum temperature.

Once the dough portions have risen, remove each piece and flatten it by pressing it out with your fingers. Take a portion of raisins and sprinkle them evenly in a line through the middle of each nazuki. Fold the dough back over the raisins to cover them completely and pinch it gently closed. Sprinkling the raisins at this stage will ensure an even distribution of them in each piece! In Surami, nazuki are usually shaped like a flattened bean, but many are also an elongated oval, so you can pick your style.

Place each individual nazuki on a lined baking tray, leaving some space between them as they will expand a little while baking. Finally, beat the five whole eggs together with the vanilla and brush the egg wash on the top of each nazuki before baking. The egg wash will give the outside a beautiful, shining glaze.

The bake time on your nazuki will vary depending on your oven, so continue to check them from five minutes onwards.  They are ready once the outsides are a deep chestnut brown with a shiny finish. The bread should be fluffy on the inside and crispy on the outside.

Nazuki are best eaten fresh out of the oven when they are at their fluffiest, so give them a couple of minutes to cool and then enjoy!