What is the traditional way to make šakotis?

Šakotis is not just a dessert. It is a craft, a ritual and a cultural heritage. Although today most bakers, including us, use modern electrical appliances, the recipe and form of šakotis remain the same as they were in the days of our great-grandparents. We consider traditional baking over an open fire to be our roots – it is the experience from which our family history and respect for this baked good originated.

Baking a šakotis begins with careful preparation: fresh, natural dough is prepared. It is made only from the highest grade wheat flour, real eggs, butter, sour cream and sugar - without any preservatives or artificial additives.

The dough is poured by hand, layer by layer, onto a hot, rotating spit – called a “vuolu”. Each layer briefly browns and becomes a solid base for the next. This forms the horns of the šakočis – the twigs that give it its unique appearance.

In our family, šakotis baking tools are both handmade and ingenuity. Danutė's father once used the windshield wiper mechanism of a Moskvich car to automate the twisting process. Today, our šakotis shoulders are being perfected by the hands of the fourth generation, and the traditions and recipes remain the same as they were passed down from generation to generation.

Baking one large šakotis can take as long as 4-5 hours. It is a leisurely job that involves a lot of warmth, attention, and family togetherness. Each šakotis is unique because it is baked not according to a template, but according to feeling. Therefore, the taste is unique.