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fluffy romanian pastries sprinkled with walnuts in a basket
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5 from 1 vote

Mucenici - Romanian Pastries

Mucenici - Moldavian or Romanian pastries soaked in syrup and topped with honey and walnuts, these soft and fluffy pastries are really addictive.
Prep Time1 hour
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time1 hour 15 minutes
Course: Sweets
Cuisine: Romanian, Moldavian
Servings: 40
Calories: 153kcal
Author: Adina

Ingredients

  • Yeast pastry:
  • 60 g/ 2.1 oz fresh yeast OR 4 ½ tablespoons active dry yeast
  • 400 ml – 430 ml/ 13.5 oz – 14.5 fl.oz/ about 1 ¾ cups lukewarm milk
  • 200 g/ 7 oz/ 1 cup sugar
  • 1 kg/ 35.3 oz/ 8 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 egg + 2 tablespoons milk
  • Syrup and topping:
  • 100 g/ about ¾ cup ground walnuts
  • 200 ml/ 6.7 fl.oz/ scant 1 cup water
  • 100 g/ 3.5 oz/ ½ cup sugar
  • ½ teaspoon rum aroma more to taste
  • 3 tablespoons clear honey
  • 3 tablespoons lukewarm water

Instructions

Yeast pastry:

  • In a small bowl mix together the crumbled yeast, 50 ml/ 1.7 fl. oz/ about ¼ cup of the lukewarm milk, 2 tablespoons of the sugar. Sprinkle lightly with 1 tablespoon of the flour and let stand for 10-15 minutes.
  • Place the rest of the flour, sugar, and salt into the bowl of your kitchen machine. Mix well. Pour the yeast mixture on top and add most of the remaining lukewarm milk. Keep about ¼ cup of it aside and only add it if necessary when kneading. The dough should be smooth and elastic. Knead the dough with the kitchen machine for about 5 minutes. Turn the dough on the working surface and knead it with the hands for 2 or 3 minutes more.
  • Place into a bowl, cover with a clean kitchen cloth, and let rise for about 40-45 minutes in a warm place.
  • Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius/ 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line two baking trays with baking paper.
  • Knead the risen dough shortly and divide it into 40 small balls. Roll each ball into a 30 cm/ 12 inches long dough “rope”. Form an 8 out of this “rope”.
  • Mix the egg and 2 tablespoons milk in a small bowl. Brush the mucenici with this mixture and bake the first tray in the preheated oven while you form the second batch of pastries.
  • Bake each tray for about 10 to 15 minutes, depending on your oven. The pastries should be golden brown.

Syrup and topping:

  • The syrup should be ready when the mucenici are baked. Roast the walnuts and assemble the ingredients before you start forming the pastries.
  • Roast the ground walnuts in a pan for a few minutes, until fragrant. Set aside.
  • Place the water and the sugar into a small pot, bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes. Add the rum aroma.
  • Mix the honey and the lukewarm water in another small bowl.
  • Take the first tray of pastries out of the oven. Brush the second batch of the pastries with the egg-milk mixture and place it in the oven.
  • Generously brush the baked pastries with half of the sugar syrup. Brush them with half of the honey mixture as well and sprinkle them with half of the roasted walnuts. Repeat with the second tray of yeast pastries.
  • Enjoy warm or cold. Although best when served on the day you baked them, they are still good the next day. Keep them well wrapped in a clean kitchen cloth.

Nutrition

Serving: 1mucenic | Calories: 153kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 5mg | Sodium: 35mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 9g