Walnut Roll & Poppy Seed Roll

Hello Everyone!

This is another delicious pastry recipe that originally was only served during the Christmas and Easter Holidays.

However, I believe that as every family favorite could be served any time you like or you crave something tasty.  I still make Walnut & Poppy Seed Rolls (traditionally called “Beigli” in Hungarian) during the Holidays, however if my family asks me in January, May or August to make some for them, I would be more than happy to oblige.

Traditionally there were two types of Rolls made by Hungarian households, pastry shops and bakeries.  These were Walnut & Poppy Seed Rolls.  However, years later there was another tasty addition to the sweet roll collection and this delectable filling was sweet cottage cheese.  I will also share the filling for the Cottage Cheese Roll, however it is not my favorite when it comes to rolls.

On a personal note, I would like to mention that I am the Life Magazine Spokesperson for Walnut Roll and I lead my Walnut Roll team to victory on the nationally televised battle between Walnut and Poppy Seed Roll on Life Network. This is an annual Christmas Special. I had so much fun and I’m sure you will also have fun re-creating this lovely traditional pastry for your family. So lets start the recipe.

INGREDIENTS FOR DOUGH

500 grams of all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tbsp sugar
1 pack of vanilla sugar
1 egg + 1 egg yolk
1 lemon’s zest (and juice for the fillings)
1 cup of milk + tsp sugar
2 tsp dry yeast
Pinch of salt
4-5 teaspoon melted unsalted butter

INSTRUCTIONS FOR DOUGH

Warm up milk and add 1 tsp sugar and the dry yeast; cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Place the following in a large mixing bowl: flour, lemon zest, yeast mixture, 1 egg + 1 egg yolk, sugar, butter and enough milk to make a soft but not sticky dough. If sticky add a little more flour. Cover bowl and put on top of the stove, turn on oven to 350F and let rise for 40 minutes to 1 hour.

FOR WALNUT or PECAN FILLING

3 cups of ground walnuts or pecan
1 tbsp of raisins
3 tbsp of sugar
1 cup of milk
1 pack of vanilla sugar
1/2 lemon’s zest and juice

Mix all of the above together, place in a small stockpot and cook on medium high heat until thick and creamy. Put aside and let cool.

POPPY SEED FILLING

1 cup of ground poppy seeds (ground poppy seeds on coffee grinder with sugar so it won’t stick together)
3 tbsp of sugar
1/2 lemon’s zest and juice
1 pack of vanilla sugar
2 tablespoons of raisins
1 cup of milk

Mix together all of the above and place in a small stockpot. Cook on medium high heat until thick and creamy. Let cool until needed.

COTTAGE CHEESE FILLING

1 package of European type cottage cheese
1 tbsp of raisins
3 tbsp of sugar
1 tbsp sour cream
1 pack of vanilla sugar
1/2 lemon’s zest and juice
1 egg yolk

Mix together all of the above in a large mixing bowl and put aside until needed.

TO MAKE ROLLS

Turn off oven so it won’t be too hot. Now punch down dough and turn onto a flour dusted counter top. Knead dough for a few minutes, roll out to about 1/2 cm (1/4 of an inch) thickness as seen on video. Spread filling evenly; roll up and seal ends as seen.

Please use video as guide (Please click on the photo to follow link to video). Let rest for another 25-30 minutes; brush with egg yolk and bake in a preheated 375F oven until golden brown. Remove, let cool.

Don’t be afraid to try this traditional, time tested pastry recipe. Your family will have a wonderful new family tradition for generations to come.

FOLLOW THESE LINKS FOR MORE

OFFICIAL WEBSITE             THE HUNGARIAN FOODIE BLOG       COOKING CHANNEL

OFFICIAL TWITTER             OFFICIAL FACEBOOK PAGE                EBAY STORE