(Hungarian Walnut and Poppy Seed Rolls)
Beigli is the most popular Christmas pastry in Hungary. Traditionally it comes in two flavors, poppy seed or walnut. Most pastry shops and grocery stores also sell Beiglis in other delicious assortments, ranging from chestnut to plum filled versions. Beigli originates from Germany and in Hungary it became a custom to bake Beigli for Christmas in the 19th century during the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy. Most families in Hungary have their own Beigli recipe and if you wish to make your very own traditional Beigli at home, here is a great recipe to follow.
The ingredients:
Hungarian poppy seed and walnut rolls
For the dough:
500 g flour
250 g butter
50 g sugar
2 eggs
20 g fresh yeast
1 dl milk
pinch of salt
For the poppy seed filling:
300 g of ground poppy-seed
200 g sugar
1 vanilla-sugar
50 g of raisins
2 tablespoons of apricot jam
1 dl milk
For the walnut filling:
300 g minced walnut
200 g sugar
1 vanilla-sugar
50 g of raisins
zest of one lemon
1 grated apple
2 tablespoons of honey
1 dl milk
The how-to:
Dissolve the yeast with a pinch of sugar in 100 ml of lukewarm milk and let it set. Mix the flour, butter, egg and the remaining sugar in a bowl. Add the yeast mixture and knead until the dough is medium soft. Once the dough is smooth, divide it into 2 larger or 4 smaller loafs. Cover with foil and let them rest in the fridge for about two hours.
Prepare the fillings. Each filing starts by adding the sugar to the milk. Heat up the mixture (do not boil), remove from the heat and mix in the remaining ingredients.
Remove the dough from the fridge and place it on a floured surface. Roll the dough into a rectangular shape with an even thickness of half a centimeter (quarter of an inch). The width should be the width of the baking pan you'll be using. Depending on the size of the baking pan you can make 2 larger rolls or 4 smaller rolls.
Spread the filling uniformly on the dough, leaving about 1.5 centimeters (half an inch) free around the edges. Fold the edges over the filling and roll up the dough along the longer side. Spread egg yolk on the top of the rolls with a brush. Let it dry and set the rolls aside for about half an hour. Then spread egg white on top of the rolls and once again, let it dry and set the rolls aside for another half an hour.
Preheat oven to 200 C. Make little holes in the top of the rolls with a fork. Put the rolls on a baking pan covered with baking paper and bake them for about 30 minutes or until golden brown. Let them cool before slicing.
Try this recipe at home or, if you are visiting Hungary during the holiday season, try your Beigli-making-skills at one of Chefparade’s fun cooking classes.
Enjoy and bon appétit! (Jó étvágyat!)
You may also like Chefparade’s other Christmas recipe prepared for us: Mákos Guba (Bread Pudding with Poppy Seeds)
Jó étvágyat indeed! These look just like those made by my mother. I will bookmark this page for sure. Love your work. Boldog karacsoniy unnepeket kivanok!
@Lizzy, - they are delicious, my mom also makes Beigli at home for Christmas. Thanks for your kind words and Merry Christmas to you too.
hi In the recipe there is 1 dl of milk can you please tell me what that is?
Thanks
@merle - 100 ml equals 3.38 oz, or approx. 1/2 cup.