Name: Hungarian Walnut Roulades (Beigli)
Yield: Makes two 9-inch rolls
Cuisine: Hungary
Ingredients: 7 tablespoons (¾ stick plus 1 tablespoon) unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes, chilled; 1 large egg, separated, yolk and white beaten separately; 2 tablespoons raisins; ½ cup water; 2 tablespoons candied orange peel; pinch of ground cinnamon; 2 pitted prunes, coarsely chopped; ½ cup cake or bread crumbs; 1 teaspoon active dry yeast; 2 cups unbleached flour; pinch of salt; 3 tablespoons sugar; ½ cup milk, heated to 105° to 115°F; ⅔ cup sugar; Grated zest of 1 lemon; 2 tablespoons honey; 2¼ cups coarsely chopped walnuts

Preparation info

Makes
two
9 inch rolls

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

Kaffeehaus

By Rick Rodgers

Published 2002

About

Christmas is the time for beigli; the nut-filled roulades are sold in every bakery in Budapest. Like Vienna’s Faschingkrapfen, what used to be a holiday treat can now be found year-round, but they are still considered a special treat. And like our fruitcake, there are very good ones and not so good ones, and some fresh or not so fresh, so they can be the butt of Hungarian jokes. But a first-class beigli, with its firm but tender crust, crackled exterior, and moist filling, is a delig