Hungarian Sweet Rolls Recipes

AUTHENTIC HUNGARIAN WALNUT ROLLS

Steps:

• Mix filling in a medium bowl using only ¼ cup of the boiled milk. The mixture should be thick.
• If the filling is not spreadable, use the rest of the milk. I used all of it. It will thicken as it sits.
• Note: You can make the filling ahead of time and freeze it until you are ready to use it. Just thaw at room temperature when you are ready to use.
• Sift flour and salt together in a medium bowl and set aside.
• Beat the cream cheese and butter together with a stand mixer or a hand mixer until completely incorporated and creamy (3-5 minutes).
• Reduce the speed of the mixer and slowly add in the flour. I used 5 additions and completely mixed in the flour each time. The dough will be soft but not sticky.
• Divide the dough into 4 equal parts and flatten each to ¾" thick. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until hard, at least 2 hours.
• Pre-heat the oven to 375F. Move the oven rack one setting higher than the center.
• Dust each side of the dough with flour. Generously coat a flat surface (countertop, marble board, etc.) with granulated sugar. Plop the dough on top and press gently to push some crystals into the dough. The sugar will keep your dough elevated off the rolling surface enough to keep it from sticking. Lightly coat the rolling pin with flour throughout the process, using as little as possible.
• With a pastry wheel or sharp knife, trim the dough into a square and then cut the square into 16 smaller squares. My dough never rolled out into a perfect circle so I would just cut as many 1 1/2 " squares a possible, saving the scraps for later.
• Place a dollop of filling in one corner of each square. I used ½ teaspoon.
• Starting in the corner with the filling, roll the dough around the filling from corner to corner, gently pressing down as you roll. Grab the roll on both sides and pinch as you bend the roll to create a crescent shape. Gently move it to a parchment covered baking sheet, placing the Rolls no closer than 1" apart.
• Repeat with all remaining squares.
• Sprinkle the middles of the Rolls with just a touch of granulated sugar.
• Bake 12-14 minutes or until the bottom edges are a golden and you can smell them. They should puff up slightly in the middle. With experience you can see when the dough is cooked. Let cool slightly on the pan on a wire rack and then move them gently to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Repeat with all remaining dough. Refrigerate and re-roll your scraps. Amazing.
• For a more traditional cookie, you can omit the granulated sugar and dust the final, cooled cookie with powdered sugar. I will warn you that it won't be as divine.

HUNGARIAN NUT ROLLS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm milk. Add the sugar, salt, butter, sour cream, eggs and 3 cups flour. Beat on medium speed for until smooth, 3 minutes. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough (dough will be sticky). , Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour., Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, combine the sugar, butter, egg and cinnamon. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat; gently stir in walnuts and apple. Cool completely., Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide into 4 portions. Roll each into a 12x10-in. rectangle. Spread filling to within 1/2 in. of edges. Roll up jelly-roll style, starting with a long side; pinch seams to seal. Place seam side down on greased baking sheets. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes., Bake at 350° for 30-40 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool. Combine icing ingredients; drizzle over loaves.

HUNGARIAN SWEET ROLLS

Steps:

• For the dough: Pulse flour, yeast, and salt in food processor until blended. Add butter and pulse until flour is pale yellow and resembles coarse cornmeal, ten to fifteen 1-second pulses. Turn mixture into large bowl. (To do this by hand: Use large holes on box grater to grate frozen butter into bowl with flour mixture, then rub flour-coated pieces between your fingers until flour mixture turns pale yellow and coarse.).
• Beat egg yolks, sour cream, and vanilla in bowl. Using rubber spatula, fold yolk mixture into flour mixture, pressing mixture against sides of bowl to form sticky dough. Divide dough into 2 pieces and flatten each into 4-inch disk. Wrap disks in plastic and refrigerate until well chilled, at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours.
• For the filling: Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 400 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. With electric mixer at medium-low speed, beat egg whites in large bowl until frothy, about 1 minute. Increase speed to medium and gradually add sugar until incorporated, about 1 minute. Add vanilla, increase speed to high, and beat until whites hold soft peaks, about 2 minutes. Using rubber spatula, fold in walnuts.
• Heavily sprinkle work surface with confectioners' sugar. Working with one piece of dough at a time, form rolls according to photos. Arrange 12 rolls on each baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart. Bake until tops are golden brown and puffed, 15 to 18 minutes, rotating and switching baking sheets halfway through baking time. Serve warm or at room temperature.

AUNT BETTY'S HUNGARIAN NUT ROLL

Steps:

• Dissolve yeast in warm water in a bowl according to package instructions. Let stand until yeast softens and begins to form a creamy foam, about 5 minutes.
• While yeast softens, combine sugar, 1/2 cup plus 1 1/2 tablespoons shortening, butter, egg yolks, egg, vanilla-butternut flavoring, nutmeg, and salt in a mixing bowl. Beat using an electric mixer until creamy and thoroughly combined.
• Combine flour, milk, and yeast mixture in a separate bowl; mix into egg mixture until well combined and a dough forms. Set aside to rise in a warm area until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
• Knead risen dough down gently; cut into 4 equal pieces. Set the pieces aside and let rise for an additional 20 minutes.
• While rolls rise, beat egg whites using an electric mixer in a mixing bowl until stiff. Add pecans, sugar, honey, and vanilla extract; beat to combine.
• Roll out each piece of dough using a lightly floured rolling pin on a lightly floured work surface, to approximately 13x18-inch rectangles, 1/4-inch thick.
• Spread pecan mixture approximately 1/4-inch thick onto the dough. Roll up dough, beginning from the side. Place rolls 2 1/2-inches apart on a rimmed baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden, about 45 minutes.

HUNGARIAN POPPY SEED ROLL

Steps:

• Dissolve the yeast and granulated sugar in 1/4 cup of lukewarm milk. Set aside for 10 minutes until the liquid forms a foamy mixture. Combine the flour, icing sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Cut in the butter. Mix well. Make a well in the center and add the yeast mixture and egg yolks. Mix gently, gradually adding 1/4 to 1/2 cup milk until the dough can be formed into a ball. Cover with a cloth and let rise until doubled in size (2 hours). Grind the walnuts and poppy seeds separately. Mix the ingredients for the two fillings separately in a medium saucepan and simmer over a low heat for 15 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from the stove and allow to cool. Divide the dough into two halves and roll each half on a floured surface into 12x18 inch rectangles. Spread the nut filling on one rectangle and the poppy seed filling on the other, leaving a margin of at least an inch on all edges. Turn up the sides to prevent leaking and roll the beigli lengthwise to form two 12-inch rolls. Brush the tops of the rolls with egg whites, poke a few holes in them with a fork.