Beigli is Christmas! It is a wonderful Hungarian dessert, and it is always made at Christmas time. Traditionally, there are two kinds of beigli, one roll is made with poppy seeds, and the other is made with walnuts. They are always made together. And as with many traditions, there is a belief that poppy seeds bring prosperity in the new year and walnuts will keep trouble away.
Tip : Poppy Seed filling is not easy to make. Fortunately, prepared poppy seed filling is available in a canned format. I found that the best is SOLO brand poppy seed filling and it is from Europe.
Ingredients
Dough
- 1/3 cup lukewarm milk
- 1 package Fleischmann’s dry yeast
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 pinch of kosher salt
- 1/2 lb + 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2 whole eggs 1 separated for brushing pastry
- 2-3 tbsp sour cream
Walnut Filling
- 2/3 cup golden raisins divided between the poppy seed and walnut rolls
- 1/3 cup dark rum
- 3 1/2 cups walnuts coarsely chopped
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 lemon zest and juice from a half a lemon
- 1/3 cup milk
Poppy Seed Filling (Canned)
- 1/3 cup golden raisins
- 1/3 cup dark rum
- 2 12.5 oz SOLO brand cans of Poppy Seed Filling
Instructions
- Gather all ingredients before starting the recipe for dough.
Dough
- Mix 1 package Fleischmann’s dry yeast , 1/3 cup lukewarm milk and 1 teaspoon of sugar in a small bowl, stir to combine and set aside for about 5 minutes.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 1/2 lb + 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, 1 pinch of kosher salt , 1 whole egg, the remaining sugar and the dissolved yeast. Add 2-3 tbsp sour cream and knead until the dough comes together, 2-3 minutes. If the dough seems a bit dry, add another tablespoon of sour cream.
- Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead until you can form a smooth round ball, 5-7 minutes
- Cut the dough into 4 equal portions, cover with cling wrap and refrigerate 2 hours or overnight.
Walnut Filling
- Gather ingredients for the fillings before starting.
- Remove dough from fridge while preparing walnut filling.
- Combine 2/3 cup golden raisins with 1/3 cup dark rum and set aside to soak for about 1 hour. Reserve to use with poppy seed and walnut rolls.
- Place 3 1/2 cups walnuts in a re-sealable plastic bag, seal the bag, and using a rolling pin, break up the whole pieces of walnuts until you have reached a coarse consistency.
- Pour walnuts into a mixing bowl and combine 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1 lemon zest and juice from a half a lemon, 1/3 cup milk with half of the reserved raisins and the rum. Reserve the remaining half of the raisins to sprinkle over poppy seed rolls.
- Mix walnut mixture until well combined, set aside.
Assembly
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Prepare a large cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- Flour working surface and roll out one ball of dough to a rectangle about 9 x 12 inches
- Spread half of the walnut filling on the dough, spreading to within an inch of the edges, then turn the edges on 3 sides over the filling. Top with 1/2 of the reserved raisins. Roll towards you, not away from you.
- Roll the dough into a log, repeat with the next ball of dough and the remaining walnut filling,
- Place the rolled dough, seam side down, on a cookie sheet, and roll out the next ball.
Poppy seed filling
- Spread the prepared poppy seed filling on the rolled out dough.
- Sprinkle the remainder of the reserved raisins on top of the filling before rolling the dough.
Preparation for Baking
- Using a fork, prick holes the length of each roll.
- Separate one egg into 2 small bowls and slightly whip the egg yolk and egg white separately.
- Brush the top and edges of each roll with the beaten egg yolk and allow to dry, about 20 minutes.
- When dry, brush the top and edges of the rolls with the beaten egg white.
- Bake in a 375℉ oven for 30 minutes, or until the top of the rolls are a golden brown.
