BEIGLI AKA CHRISTMAS WALNUT ROLL

Another must-have dessert for the holidays! This recipe is from my mom, probably given to her by my grandmother. Consequently,  I have been making these for over 20 years. Traditionally, we make it with both poppy seed and walnut fillings but my kids prefer the latter and so do I. And taking into consideration the fact that I have two more desserts to prepare for Christmas, I was easily convinced to only make the walnut one. It is not only great for after dinner treats but also fantastic in the morning, accompanying your coffee with a couple of pieces warmed up in your microwave for a few seconds. Now you know what I am having for breakfast for the next couple of weeks!

Ingredients for the dough:

• 55 dkg / 1.2 lb of flour
• 20 dkg / 1 cup of butter
• 5 dkg / 1/4 cup of sugar
• 1 egg (plus egg yolk for later brushing your pastry)
• 1 dl / 3.4 oz cup of sour cream
• 1 package of active dry yeast (7gr)
• pinch of salt
• milk can be added to dough as needed to achieve better consistency (I didn't use any)

With a pastry cutter, mix butter, flour, and salt well until you achieve a crumbly mixture. Add sugar to flour mixture. In a small bowl mix together egg, sour cream and yeast. Add yeast mix to flour mix and incorporate all ingredients well with your hands, forming a nice, playable dough. If necessary, you can add a little bit of milk to help achieve the right consistency.

Divide dough into 3 equal balls. Dust your board with flour and roll out first ball into a rectangular shape. 

Ingredients for filling:

• 50 dkg / 1.1 lb of ground walnuts (or same amount of ground poppy seed)
• 3.5 dl / 11.8 oz of milk
• 30 dkg / 0.66 lb of sugar
• 1 package of vanilla sugar (you can substitute with a couple of teaspoons of vanilla extract)
• 1 cup of raisins
• zest of one lemon

In a heavy sauce pan, bring milk, sugar, vanilla sugar, and raisins to a boil. Turn heat down and add ground walnuts and lemon zest. Mix well and cook on medium heat until mixture thickens, about 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cool it in refrigerator completely.

Spread third of your filling on dough evenly. Fold in ends, then carefully roll up dough into a log. Place log onto a baking sheet prepared with parchment paper. Repeat these steps for the other two balls.

Brush rolls with egg yolk and prick logs with toothpick on the top for the heat to escape and in hopes that your dough will not break while baking. Do not worry, if it does break a little while in the oven, it will taste just as delicious. 

Refrigerate rolls overnight and bake them the following day in a preheated oven of 375 F/190 C for about 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Cool it completely before cutting. Dusting with powdered sugar is optional. Have a beautiful and tasty Christmas!