1. Warm the milk. It should be warm, not hot. 2. Dissolve the yeast in the warm milk. 3. Add 1 tablespoon of sugar and 2 tablespoons of sifted flour to the milk with yeast. Whisk to combine. Cover the bowl with a damp towel or plastic wrap and let the sponge rise in a warm place for 20–30 minutes. 4. Separate 2 eggs into yolks and whites. 5. Add 2 tablespoons of milk to the yolks. Mix. Cover and set aside — this is the egg–milk wash for brushing the pies. 6. In a large bowl (or stand mixer bowl), combine the sponge, 1 whole egg, the 2 egg whites, the remaining sugar, salt, and 30 ml of vegetable oil. Gradually add the flour and knead until you get an elastic dough. (If kneading by hand, knead for about 10 minutes after all the flour is added.) 7. Knead the soft butter pieces into the dough. 8. Shape the dough into a ball, grease it lightly with vegetable oil, and place it into a large greased bowl. Cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap and let rise for at least 1 hour, preferably 1.5 hours. 9. Mix 60 g sugar with 10 g cinnamon. 10. Divide the dough into 2 equal parts, then divide each part into 3 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball — you’ll have 6 balls total. Keep them covered so they don’t dry out. Each pie uses 3 dough balls. 11. On a lightly floured surface, roll out one ball into a circle about 5 mm thick. Transfer it to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with the cinnamon–sugar mixture. 12. Roll out the second ball into a circle of the same diameter. Place it on top of the first circle. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon–sugar. 13. Roll out the third ball into a circle of the same diameter. Place it on top. Do not brush the top layer. 14. Mark a small circle in the center (using a cutter or glass). From that circle, cut the dough outward to the edge: first into 4 sections, then each section into 2 — you’ll have 8 segments. In each segment, make a slit in the middle, cutting through all layers. Turn each segment inside-out through the slit, then pinch the outer corners together. Twist all segments this way to form a snowflake shape. (Make sure the layers are slightly visible; gently separate them if needed.) 15. Cover the pie with a towel and let it proof in a warm place for 20–30 minutes. 16. Repeat steps 11–15 with the second pie. 17. Preheat the oven to 385°F (195°C). 18. SYRUP. Mix 1.5 tablespoons sugar with vanilla extract and 100 ml boiling water. Stir until the sugar dissolves. 19. Brush the pies with the yolk–milk mixture. Bake in the preheated oven (no convection) on the middle rack for 20–25 minutes, until beautifully golden. 20. Brush the hot pies with the syrup and transfer to a rack to cool completely. SERVING IDEAS: - Serve with hot chocolate, mulled wine, spiced tea, or a latte — the cinnamon pairs perfectly. - Warm a slice for 10–15 seconds — it becomes soft, buttery, and perfect with morning coffee. - Pair slices with bowls of whipped cream, vanilla yogurt, or mascarpone for dipping. - Wrap in parchment and twine; it makes a beautiful homemade holiday gift.

   Apricot jam can be replaced with another favorite jam (preferably light) or honey. Butter and cream cheese should be at room temperature. You will need 2 large bowls. 1. Preheat the oven to 356F (180 C). Line the bottom of a baking pan with parchment paper. Prepare a larger pan so that the baking pan can fit in it. We will pour water into it. 2. Bring a small saucepan of water to the boil. Place 160 g of cream cheese in a large bowl. Place the bowl with the cheese on the saucepan and whisk until the cream cheese is warm. Add 20 g of butter. Whisk the mixture until the butter melts. 3. Pour in 50 ml of milk and whisk again until smooth. Remove the bowl from the saucepan. 4. Mix 30 g of flour and 10 g of cornstarch. Sift into the cream mixture and whisk. 5. Separate the whites and yolks. 6. Stir the yolks into the cream mixture. Set aside. 7. In a second large bowl, combine 4 whites and 1/4 teaspoon lemon juice. Whisk until stiff peaks form. Add 80 g of sugar in three stages, whisking very thoroughly. Whisk the whites until soft peaks form. 8. Add 1/3 of the whites to the cheese mixture and mix with a whisk. Pour the cheese mixture into the whites and mix with a silicone spatula very carefully, moving from the bottom up, turning. Mix until all the ingredients are mixed (the mixture will be quite liquid.) 9. Pour the mixture into a baking dish. Place the baking dish into a larger dish. Fill the larger dish with hot water 1/3 full. And place in the oven on the middle shelf. 10. Bake for 20 minutes. Open the oven for 10 seconds. Reduce the temperature to 230F(110C) and bake for another 60 minutes. 11. Remove the cheesecake from the oven, turn the pan over, tap it lightly so that the cheesecake falls out. Turn it over onto a plate. Brush the top with apricot jam or honey.