HUNGARIAN ROLLS...SALTY & SWEET
You would not believe your eyes when you visit grocery stores in Hungary, or pretty much anywhere else in Europe, and witness the astonishing amount and variety of breads and rolls available for purchase. Your options are limitless and it makes it really hard to choose.
I have never baked my own bread or rolls from scratch but decided to give it a try. Of course I could have picked a cooler day; no air-conditioning in my mother's kitchen, plus had to overcome the challenges of trying to locate all the tools needed for this crazy "roll baking adventure" of mine.
I picked a fairly simple roll called "Kifli", in Hungarian, and decided to prepare some of them plain with either a salt or poppy-seed topping, and some with different stuffing inside. I also used lactose free milk and cheese in consideration of Diana, who is unfortunately lactose intolerant. Things moms will do for their daughters...:)
Ingredients for 32 medium size rolls:
- 1 kg / 2.2 lb flour
- 6 dl / 2 & 1/2 cup milk (lactose free or regular)
- 2 dl / 3/4 of cup of oil
- 5 teaspoons of salt
- 5 dkg / 1 & 3/4 ounces of active yeast (you can substitute with dry yeast if you like)
- 1 teaspoon of sugar
- 1 egg yolk
For stuffing and toppings:
- prosciutto
- cheese, sliced and shredded
- nutella
- poppy-seed, salt
- any other toppings or ingredients of your choice
In a small bowl mix 3/4 of a cup of milk (warmed to room temperature) with the active yeast and 1 teaspoon of sugar. Break yeast up but no need to mix it too well. Set it aside, preferably in a warm spot for yeast to rise. This should take about 10 to 15 minutes. You should see liquid slowly bubbling and doubling in size.
Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl add flour and salt, shift it through. When yeast mixture is ready, add to flour, add the rest of the milk, oil and mix it with a fork.
Now it is time to get your hands dirty, mix dough well until you get a smooth texture. Cover bowl with kitchen cloth and set it aside to rest and rise for about an hour. This is a good time to prepare your toppings and stuffing.
Your dough should be doubled by now, time to divide it into 4 equal parts. Place each dough on floured pastry board and roll it out with a rolling pin into a thin, large circle. Cut it into 8 equal slices.
Roll each slice up empty or stuff it with your choice of ingredients before forming rolls. Line baking dish with baking sheet and place rolls in, brush it with egg yolk, top it with cheese, salt, or poppy-seed. Bake it at 200 C/375 F for about 20 minutes or until golden brown. What a treat for your entire family!
