“Crosses” made from unleavened dough (cookies, cakes, or bagels) are traditionally baked during Mid-Lent, which is the fourth week of Great Lent and is considered the midpoint or turning point. It was once said that at midnight from Wednesday to Thursday, you could hear a crack – that’s when Lent breaks in half. The ceremonial mid-Lenten cookies, shaped like crosses, were served at the table not only on Wednesday, which divides Great Lent into two halves, but also on other days of the midweek, and they were traditionally baked until the Sunday of the Cross, which precedes Mid-Lent (in 2025, this falls on March 23). According to folklore, walnut or poppy seed “crosses” on the Sunday of the Cross and during Mid-Lent drive away all misfortunes from the family.
Ingredients: flour – 1 cup; honey – 150 g; raisins – a handful; vegetable oil (sunflower, refined) – 2 tablespoons; nuts – 50 g; lemon – 1 piece; water – 100 ml + 3 tablespoons; baking soda – ½ teaspoon; baking powder – ½ teaspoon; ground ginger – a pinch; salt – a pinch.
Mix the poppy seeds with 1 tablespoon of honey, pour in 100 ml of water, cover with a lid, and place on the heat. Steam for 10 minutes under the lid until the water evaporates. Grind the poppy seeds in a mortar until a poppy milk forms and the aroma of poppy is released. Combine the ground poppy with the flour (using your hands).
Mix the chopped nuts with honey. Gradually add the oil and the flour with poppy seeds. Squeeze the juice from the lemon (you should get about 2-3 tablespoons), add the grated lemon zest and ginger. Mix everything well (also using your hands). Stir in the baking powder, the baking soda that has been neutralized with 1 tablespoon of acidic water, and salt. Mix everything thoroughly again.
Add another 2 tablespoons of water and knead the dough until it is pliable and not sticky to your hands. If the dough is crumbly, add a little more water and knead until it reaches the desired consistency. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
Roll out the dough into a thin layer (about 0.5 cm thick) and cut it into strips, stacking them on top of each other to form crosses. Place the cookies on a baking sheet greased with sunflower oil. In the center of each cross or along the edges, place raisins, pressing them into the dough. Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for 10-15 minutes until lightly golden.
Life Hack
In ancient times, during Mid-Lent, not only “crosses” were baked, but also cookies shaped like plows, harrows, or sickles. Modern homemakers can also honor these old traditions by preparing ritual pastries in the form of agricultural tools. The main rule is that the baked goods must be vegan, meaning they should not contain eggs, butter, milk, or any other animal products.