Hungarian beigli - poppy seed and nut rolls

Just last month I published a recipe of an unusual bun called Chimney cake. I learnt how to make it when I traveled to Hungary. And here's another recipe which I picked up during my travels to that country. Traditionally Hungarians would cook Beigli only for Christmas, but nowadays Hungarian bakeries offer them all year round. And thank goodness for that, otherwise I'd miss out on such an amazing treat! They are packed with flavours and taste amazing!

The rolls do somewhat resemble an English Yule log and I would imagine they would be ancient ancestors to the rolls which we all enjoy at Christmas now. But these poppy seed and nut rolls are definitely different in many ways. To start with they are made with yeast dough. And the filling is a rich combination of nuts, seeds, jam and raisins. Maybe this year you will decide make them for your Christmas table instead of a Yule log? Believe me, you and your guests will not be disappointed!

Hungarian beigli - poppy seed and nut rolls

Recipe (makes two rolls):

For the dough :
500 g of flour
230 g of margarine
25 g of fresh yeast (or 7 g of dry yeast)
150 ml of milk
1 Tbsp of sugar
2 eggs (plus 1 egg for egg wash)
a pinch of salt

For poppy seed filling:
150 g of poppy seeds
100 ml of water
75 g of sugar
zest of 1/2 lemon
juice of 1/2 lemon (it's a little bit more than 3 Tbsp)
50 g of any jam (I used apricot)
50 g of raisins (or sultanas)
1-2 Tbsp of rum or cognac for soaking raisins

For nut filling:
150 g of roasted nuts (traditionally the rolls are made with walnuts, but I used peanuts)
75 g of sugar
50 ml of milk
zest of 1/2 lemon
50 g of any jam (I used apricot)
50 g of raisins (or sultanas)
1-2 Tbsp of rum or cognac for soaking raisins

You will have to make the dough the night before, as it is so enriched with fat that it takes long time to rise.

Dissolve yeast in warm milk. Mix flour with salt and sugar. Rub margarine into the flour till the mixture resembles crumbs (just as it would when you make crumble or streusel). Pour in the yeast mixture, add eggs and knead the dough for about 10 minutes till it becomes elastic. Place the dough in a large bowl, cover with cling film and put in a cool place (about 15-16C). In winter I just put in a closet where we do not switch on the heating. In summer you can place the bowl in a bucket of cold water. I have not tried to put the dough in the fridge, so I do not know what kind of result you will get.

Also the night before you will need to soak your raisins in rum or cognac. I used rum.

Next morning first finish preparing your filling. Whiz nuts  in a food processor till they resemble bread crumbs. Remove them from the processor. Now whiz your soaked raisins till they resemble paste.

For the poppy seed filling: mix poppy seeds with water and boil in a saucepan till all water evaporates (about 5-10 minutes). Cool to room temperature, then add the rest of the ingredients. Mix everything together.

For the nut filling: mix all the ingredients together.

Both fillings should be quite thick, but still of a spreadable consistency. If the filling is too thick add a tiny bit of water.

Now take your dough (you will see that it has risen) and divide it into 2 equal parts.Shape the first part as a rectangle and roll it with a rolling pin to about 5 mm thick. The length of the roll will depend upon how large your baking tray is. Mine is 35 cm long. So one side of my rectangle is 35 cm. As for the other side, it does not matter. I just will keep on rolling until the dough reaches 5 mm in thickness.

Take the poppy seed filling and evenly spread over the dough (leaving a couple centimetres from the edges). Carefully start rolling the dough from the 35 cm side, forming a firm roll. The firmer you roll the better the end result will be. Once you've finished pinch the dough together, pinch the edges and fold them under the roll. Transfer the roll onto a baking tray lined with baking parchment.

Repeat the same with the second piece of dough, using the nut filling.

My tray is 27 cm wide, so I can fit both rolls in it. In order to prevent them from sticking to each other while proofing and baking I fold baking parchment in an inverted V-shape in the middle. You can put the rolls onto 2 separate trays. Cover the rolls with cling film and let proof at room temperature (23-24C) for about 40 minutes.

Bake in a pre-heated to 220C oven (gas 6) for 15 minutes. Then reduce the heat to 200C (gas 5) and bake for a further 15-25 minutes until golden brown. Mine took 40 minutes to bake.

Cool on the tray for 10 minutes then transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.

Enjoy!