Bejgli

Ingredients

• 1¼ lbflourfor the dough
• 5⅔ ozbutterfor the dough, cold; partly replaced by margarine
• 2⅛ ozlardfor the dough; replace with more butter for a vegetarian version (optional)
• 2⅛ ozpowdered sugarfor the dough
• ⅔ ozYeastfor the dough
• 1 tspsaltfor the dough
• 2egg yolkfor the dough
• ½ cupmilklukewarm, for dissolving the yeast
• ⅓ cupCreamfor the dough, sometimes with a little water; alternatively sour cream
• 1eggfor glazing, sometimes separated into yolk and white
• 8¾ ozwalnutsground, for the walnut filling
• 8½ ozPoppy seedground, for the poppy seed filling
• 9⅔ ozsugarfor both fillings combined
• ¾ cupmilkfor the fillings, brought to the boil; sometimes replaced by water
• 3½ ozraisinsfor the fillings
• ½ ozvanilla sugarfor the fillings
• 1lemonunwaxed, zest grated, for dough and fillings
• 1orangeunwaxed, zest grated, for the fillings
• 1 tspcinnamonground, for the fillings
• 3 tbspjamtart, e.g. apricot; loosens the filling
• rumto taste, for the fillings (optional)

Method

1. Start the yeast, rub in the fatDissolve the yeast in the lukewarm milk with a pinch of sugar. Rub the flour together with the cold butter, and the lard if you're using it, between your fingertips until crumbly; for a vegetarian version, replace the lard with the same amount of extra butter.
2. Knead and rest the doughAdd the powdered sugar, salt, a little of the grated lemon zest, the egg yolks, the cream and the yeasted milk to the flour, and knead everything into a firm, smooth dough. Cover and let it rest somewhere cool for at least 20 minutes, or overnight if you like.
3. Make the walnut and poppy fillingsFor the fillings, bring the milk and sugar to the boil and pour half over the ground walnuts and half over the ground poppy seeds. Divide the remaining lemon zest, the orange zest, raisins, vanilla sugar, cinnamon, jam and, if you like, a few drops of rum extract between the two fillings and mix well. Let the fillings cool completely.
4. Roll out the dough thinlyDivide the dough into equal pieces and roll each one out thinly, without any flour, into a rectangle the length of your baking sheet.
5. Fill and roll up tightlySpread the filling evenly over the dough, leaving the edges clear. Fold the edges in and roll the dough up tightly. Place the rolls on the baking sheet with plenty of space between them.
6. Glaze the rolls twiceBrush the rolls with beaten egg, or with just the yolk at first. Let them rest somewhere cool, then brush them a second time with egg, or with the white, and let it dry.
7. Preheat and prick the rollsPreheat the oven to about 355 °F (350 °F). Prick the tops and sides of the rolls all over with a wooden skewer.
8. Bake until golden brownBake the Bejgli for 30 to 40 minutes until golden brown. If they're browning too quickly, cover them with parchment paper or foil.
9. Cool, wrap and storeLet the rolls cool completely, then wrap them in plastic wrap and store somewhere cool and dry, or freeze them until the holidays.

Tips and variations

For mini Bejgli, shape the filling into ropes about 1.5 cm thick, wrap each one just once in dough, trim it and press the seam closed; after glazing and pricking, cut into pieces 2 to 2.5 cm wide and bake them well spaced for 20 to 25 minutes. Instead of boiled milk, you can use a sugar and water syrup for the fillings, and sour cream works in place of the cream in the dough. If you like, spread a thin layer of jam over the dough before the filling, or try other fillings such as apple, quark with potato, cocoa or chestnut purée with rum. Leftover Bejgli gets a second life after the holidays: baked with an egg-and-milk custard into a Bejgli cake and topped with mascarpone cream. To serve, cut into slices that aren't too thin, so the spiral of dough and filling really shows.