Hungarian Beigli – Christmas Poppy Seed and Walnut Roll Cake
Hungarian Beigli is a traditional walnut and poppy seed roll which is served in many Hungarian families at Christmas as a special treat. The Christmas meal table would be incomplete without these rolls. Here is my recipe:
Prep. time: 2 hours
Ingredients:
For the dough:
500 grams (17,6 ounces) of flour
100 grams (3,5 ounces) of butter
100 grams (3,5 ounces) of lard
1 teaspoon of sugar
50 grams of (1,8 ounces) of powdered sugar
120 ml (1/2 cup) of milk
2 whole eggs
15 grams (0,5 ounces) of compressed yeast
1 sachet of vanilla flavored sugar (1 flat tablespoon)
Zest of half a lemon
Pinch of salt
For the walnut filling:
200 grams (7 ounces) of finely ground walnuts
1 handful of coarsely chopped walnuts
100 ml (1/2 cup) of milk
100 grams (3,5 ounces)) of powdered sugar
A pinch of ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons of raisins – optional
2 tablespoons of apricot jam
1 coffee spoon of lemon zest
1 coffee spoon of orange zest
For the poppy seed filling:
250 grams (8,8 ounces) of ground poppy seeds
100 ml (1/2 cup) of milk
100 grams (3,5 ounces)) of powdered sugar
2 tablespoons of raisins – optional
1 coffee spoon of lemon zest
Other:
1 egg for eggwash
Directions:
Dissolve 1 teaspoon of sugar in the lukewarm milk, then add the yeast, wait a few minutes until blooms.
Mix the flour with the butter and lard by hand. The mixture will be quite crumbly.
Add 2 whole eggs, the powdered sugar, pinch of salt, vanilla sugar, lemon zest and the yeast/milk mixture. Knead thoroughly. Add more flour if necessary.
Divide the dough into 4 balls, cover and let rest for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, you have time to make the walnut and poppy seed filling.
Walnut filling: In a pan heat the milk with the sugar, bring it to a boil. Take the pan off the heat, add the ground and coarsely chopped walnuts, the raisins, the lemon and orange zest, the cinnamon and the apricot jam. Mix well and let it cool completely.
Poppy seed filling: In a pan heat the milk with the sugar, bring it to a boil. Take the pan off the heat, add the ground poppy seeds, the raisins and the lemon zest. Mix well and let it cool completely.
Heat the oven to 180°C (355°F). Line a pan with parchment paper.
On a floured surface roll out each piece of the dough into a rectangle measuring about 12×14 inches (30×35 cm).
Spread the walnut or poppy seed filling on the dough and roll up lengthwise. Carefully transfer the rolls onto the baking sheet, prick the sides to allow vapor to escape and brush with egg wash.
Bake the rolls until golden brown. Keep the rolls in a cool and dry place and slice them only before serving.
Wanting to make this for my Hungarian son in law for Christmas! I could use some help with the measurements conversion! Please!!!
Hello Charity,
Sorry for my late response. Yes, how can I help you?
Agnes
Perfect recipe – just like Grandma made – and not just for Christmas!!!
The Poppy Seed roll is my all time favorite!!!!! I have only tried to make it once, from a recipe my mother had. In this recipe it calls for one sachet of vanilla sugar. How much is a sachet of sugar?
Hello Mary,
One sachet is about 10 grams – a flat tablespoon.
Kind regards,
Agnes
This by far the easiest recipee I’ve seen and it’s in english! My grandma and aunt both make this! Love this it reminds me of when I was a child back home!
I’m going to try it! Thanks for recipe!
Hi Gabirela,
Thanks, I hope it will turn out delicious. Please let me know!:)
Agnes