Beigli - Traditional Hungarian Nut Rolls

Beigli – a traditional Hungarian nut roll recipe filled with walnuts: this is a real treat for Christmas!

These delicious traditional Hungarian nut rolls or beigli are something you definitely have to try!

There are two kinds of beigli or Hungarian pastry rolls: the rolls filled with a poppy seed filling (which I have to try soon) and this walnut version, which is kind of similar to the Romanian Sweet Bread with Walnuts - Cozonac that my grandmother always used to make for Christmas and Easter in Romania.

Maybe the Hungarian beigli was the inspiration for the Romanian cozonac, I cannot say, but they are both really delicious! You will find similar pastry rolls filled with poppy seeds or walnuts all over Eastern Europe, so I think it would be really difficult to determine where exactly they originate from.

How to make the pastry?

The pastry is made with lard; the traditional way to make it.

Food processor:

• Let the lard come to room temperature. Place it together with the flour in the food processor and pulse until mixed.
• Dissolve the fresh yeast and the sugar in the lukewarm milk. If using instant yeast, mix it with the flour without mixing it first with the milk
• Add the fresh yeast-milk mixture to the flour-lard mixture and add the egg yolk, whole egg, and salt. If using instant yeast, add the lukewarm milk now as well.
• Knead until the dough is smooth and doesn't stick to the walls of the machine anymore, 2-3 minutes or depending on the instructions of your food processor. Place the dough on the working surface and knead shortly with the hands. Form a ball.

No food processor:

• Cut the lard into the flour using a butter knife. Add the lard cut in small pieces to the flour and keep cutting through it with a knife until roughly incorporated.
• Add the fresh yeast, which you have dissolved in milk (or the instant yeast mixed with the flour), and the rest of the ingredients needed for the dough.
• Knead until the dough is smooth and doesn't stick to your hands anymore. Form a ball.
• Place the dough into a large bowl, cover with a cloth and let rise in a warm place for about 40-60 minutes or until doubled in size.

How to make the filling?

• Place the ground walnuts, sugar, and milk in a small pot and bring to a boil.
• Take off the heat, let cool for about 5 minutes, then add the rum (or rum aroma), vanilla sugar (or vanilla extract/aroma) and the lightly beaten egg whites.
• Mix well.

How to form a nut roll?

• Place the dough on the working surface and knead shortly again. Divide it into two equal parts.
• Roll one half of the dough with a rolling pin to form a rectangle of about 35x28 cm/ 14x11 inches.
• Spread ½ of the walnut filling onto the rectangle leaving about 2 cm/0.8-inch space at the bottom and the sides of the rectangle and about 5 cm/ 2 inches space at the top of the dough rectangle.
• Fold the sides of the dough over the filling to keep it from coming out during the baking. Roll the pastry starting at the bottom side and carefully fold the upper side over the roll, pressing gently to seal the roll as tightly as possible.
• Place it on a baking tray lined with baking paper, smooth it side up, and let it rest for about 15 minutes.
• Repeat with the second dough portion and the remaining walnut filling.

Egg wash:

• Mix the leftover egg yolk and 1 tablespoon of milk. Brush the pastry with this mixture and make some holes on the top of the beigli using a fork. This will keep them from splitting.

More rolls

Recipe

Beigli - Traditional Hungarian Nut Rolls

These delicious traditional Hungarian nut rolls or beigli are something you definitely have to try!

4.50 from 42 votes

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Course: Bread

Cuisine: Hungarian

Prep Time: 1 hour hour

Cook Time: 35 minutes minutes

Additional Time: 1 hour hour

Servings: 2 loaves

Calories: 233kcal

Author: Adina

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Ingredients 

Dough:

• ▢ 530 g all-purpose flour 18.7 oz/ 4 ⅓ cups + 1 tablespoon
• ▢ 125 g lard 4.5 oz/ ½ cup, room temperature
• ▢ 25 g instant dry yeast 0.25 oz 0.9 oz fresh yeast or 1 sachet
• ▢ 150 ml lukewarm milk 5 fl.oz/ ⅔ cup
• ▢ 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• ▢ 1 egg yolk
• ▢ 1 whole egg
• ▢ a pinch of salt

Walnut filling:

• ▢ 250 g ground walnuts 8.8 oz/ 2 cups
• ▢ 100 ml milk 3.5 fl.oz/ ⅓ cup + 1 ½ tablespoons
• ▢ 100 g granulated sugar 3.5 oz/ ½ cup
• ▢ 1 tablespoon rum or a few drops rum aroma
• ▢ 1 tablespoon vanilla sugar or a few drops vanilla extract/aroma
• ▢ 2 egg whites one from the pastry, one from the egg needed for brushing the pastry

Egg wash:

• ▢ 1 egg yolk
• ▢ 1 tablespoon milk

Instructions

Dough:

• Combine: Place the flour and the soft lard in the food processor. Pulse until mixed.
• Dissolve the fresh yeast and the sugar in the lukewarm milk. If using instant yeast, add it to the flour.
• Add the yeast-milk mixture to the flour and lard, and add the egg yolk, whole egg, and salt. If using instant yeast, add the lukewarm milk now as well.
• Knead until the dough is smooth and doesn't stick to the walls of the machine anymore. Place the dough on the working surface and knead shortly with the hands. Form a ball.
• Dough in a food processor: If making the dough without a food processor, mix the flour and the lard with the help of a butter knife. Add the lard in small pieces to the flour and keep cutting through it with a knife until roughly incorporated. Add the dissolved yeast and the rest of the ingredients and knead until the dough is smooth and doesn't stick to your hands anymore. Form a ball.
• Let dough rise: Place the dough in a large bowl, cover it with a cloth and let rise in a warm place for about 40-60 minutes or until doubled in size.

Nut filling:

• Prepare filling: Place the ground walnuts, sugar, and milk in a small pot and bring to a boil.
• Add ingredients: Take off the heat, let cool for about 5 minutes, then add the rum (or rum aroma), vanilla sugar (or vanilla extract/aroma), and the lightly beaten egg whites. Mix well.

Beigli:

• Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius/ 360 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Roll dough: Place the dough on the working surface and knead shortly again. Divide it into two equal parts. Roll half of the dough with a rolling pin to form a rectangle of about 35x28 cm/ 14x11 inches.
• Fill dough: Spread ½ of the walnut filling onto the rectangle leaving about 2 cm/0.8-inch space at the bottom and the sides of the rectangle and about 5 cm/ 2 inches space at the top of the dough rectangle.
• Fold the sides of the dough over the filling to keep it from coming out during the baking. Roll the pastry starting at the bottom side and carefully fold the upper side over the roll, pressing gently to seal the roll as tightly as possible.
• Rest rolls: Place it on a baking tray lined with baking paper, smooth side up, and let rest for about 15 minutes.
• Repeat with the second dough portion and the remaining walnut filling.

Egg wash:

• Brush pastry: Mix the leftover egg yolk and 1 tablespoon of milk. Brush the pastry with this mixture and make some holes on the top of the beigli using a fork. This will keep them from splitting.
• Bake in the preheated oven for about 30-35 minutes or until deeply golden and cooked through.

Notes

I don't recommend using cup measuring for this recipe. Always use a digital kitchen scale (the Amazon link opens in a new tab); it guarantees the best results (Amazon affiliate link).

Nutrition

Serving: 1thick slice | Calories: 233kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 29mg | Sodium: 21mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 6g

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