Beigli - Traditional Hungarian Nut Rolls

Beigli – a traditional Hungarian pastry roll filled with walnuts, a real treat for Christmas!

Course Bread

Cuisine Hungarian

Prep Time 1

Cook Time 35

Additional Time 1

Servings loaves

Calories 233kcal

Author Adina

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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