Bejgli with walnuts
Bejgli is a traditional Hungarian dessert made from yeast dough filled with walnuts or poppy seeds. There is probably no house in Hungary that does not serve this roll during Christmas.
A characteristic feature of this roll is the so-called marbled crust that forms on the dough after it is baked. Such a crust is obtained by brushing the yeast dough first with the yolk and then with the egg white.
The recipe for walnut bejgli can be found below. You can also prepare bejgli with poppy seeds the same way, just replace the walnuts with ground poppy seeds. Happy baking 🙂
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Ingredients for bejgli with walnuts.
- 500 g all-purpose flour
- 10 g fresh yeast
- 100 ml milk
- 50 g caster sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- 100 g margarine
- 100 g unsalted butter
- a pinch of salt
Walnut filling:
- 400 g walnuts
- 150 g caster sugar
- 1 tablespoon of honey
- a few drops of vanilla extract
- 200 ml milk
- 2 egg whites
- 1/2 teaspoon of grated lemon zest
Brushing:
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 egg white
How to make bejgli with walnuts.
Put the yeast, 4-5 tablespoons of lukewarm milk, a tablespoon of caster sugar and a tablespoon of flour in a cup. Mix, then set aside for 10 minutes. Sift the remaining flour with caster sugar into a bowl. Add a pinch of salt, risen yeast, the remaining milk and the egg yolk. Knead for a minute, then add the lukewarm, melted butter and margarine. Knead the dough for about 7-8 minutes, then wrap it in cling film and place it in the fridge for an hour.
Pour the milk with honey and sugar in a pot and bring it to boil. Add finely chopped or ground walnuts, grated lemon zest and vanilla extract into the hot milk. Stir thoroughly with a spoon and set aside to cool completely. Whisk the egg whites until stiff and when ready, stir it into the cold walnut mixture.
Remove the dough from the fridge and divide it into two parts. Roll out each part into a rectangle measuring 25 by 35 centimetres. It is best to do this on baking paper as it is easier to roll the dough up afterwards. Put the walnut filling on each rolled out part of the dough, spreading it evenly, leaving 1 centimetre empty along all sides. Next, fold 1.5 centimetre of the shorter sides of the dough towards the center, slightly press it down to the level of the filling and roll the dough.
Line a baking tray with baking paper and carefully place the bejgli on it. Brush them with beaten egg yolks, then place in the fridge for 30 minutes. After taking the bejgli out of the fridge, brush them again with egg yolks and put in the fridge for another 30 minutes. Afer that, brush them with egg whites, prick in several places with a fork or a toothpick and set aside to rise. The egg whites should be almost completely dry.
Put the risen bejgli in the oven preheated to 190 degrees Celsius for 45 minutes. Let the baked bejgli cool down before slicing.
Good to know when making bejgli with walnuts.
Prick the bejgli with a fork or a toothpick so that the air can escape from the dough during baking. If there is air in the dough, it will crack. It may still happen even after pricking. In such situation, place the bajgli straight and press the sides with something and allow it to cool down.
Are you looking for recipes for rolls? If so, try our recipe for Pumpkin roll.
