I’ve been baking since my early teens and, if you know me, that was a way long time ago. Never, in all those years, have I ever made a yeasted cookie. I didn’t even know they existed. It was only through serendipity that I found myself making a batch for guests.
A good friend’s parents come to visit for a month from Florida each year to help her with projects, see their grandson, and have a change of scenery. We always invite them over at least once to share a meal and catch up. This year I wanted to do something Hungarian, as they are originally from that country.
My first thought was to make langos, a traditional fried bread that is served with garlic cloves rubbed over it. I used to order it every time I ate at Bravo Fono at Stanford Shopping Center in Palo Alto. That restaurant has since closed and I really miss the taste of langos. But I am not fond of deep frying and rarely have that much vegetable oil in the house, so I nixed that idea. My thoughts turned to something sweet, my bailiwick.
Looking up different types of Hungarian cookies, I happened upon the kifli, a crescent-shaped cookie made from a yeasted dough and filled with a meringue/nut mixture. I was intrigued as the dough not only took yeast, but basically had no sugar, and there was very little sugar in the filling. A sweet treat that is only faintly sweet. Sounded perfect.
And so I embarked on a new baking experience. The yeast mixture is very quick to make, just a few minutes, and then the dough is split in two, shaped into flat rounds and rests in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours (or overnight). The filling is basic, with whipped egg whites, ground walnuts (or almonds), a bit of sugar and a tinge of lemon juice. Again, just a few minutes time. Each dough round is rolled out into a circle, cut into 8 pie-shaped wedges and then each wedge is filled with the meringue mixture before rolling up and bending it into a crescent shape. (Actually, bending probably isn’t necessary, but I was following the recipe.)
A twenty-minute bake and a sprinkling of powdered sugar and you have some of the most lovely cookies that pair well with both tea and coffee. Again, not remarkably sweet and with a slight crunch from the ground nuts. They were a hit and the three experts claimed I hit the Hungarian nail on the head. And given that they were quite large, they worked perfectly the next morning as a breakfast pastry. Bonus!
Recipe after the jump….
Hungarian Kifli
Cookie Dough
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup cold salted butter, diced
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
½ tablespoon sugar
½ cup sour cream
2 egg yolks, beaten
½ teaspoon vanilla
Filling
2 egg whites
¾ cup ground walnuts or almonds
4 tablespoons granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon lemon juice
Mix the sugar, sour cream and yeast in a small bowl. Allow to sit for 5 minutes so that yeast dissolves into the sour cream.
Cut the butter pieces into the flour with a pastry blender. Stir the yeast mixture well and add to the flour along with the egg yolks and vanilla. Mix thoroughly by hand until all ingredients are well combined.
Split your dough in half, and pat into a flattened round. Wrap each in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 2 hours (up to overnight).
When ready to bake, take dough out and let soften for 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Meanwhile, beat the 2 egg whites with a hand mixer, adding sugar intermittently. Stir in ground nuts and lemon juice.
Sprinkle counter with ¼ cup all-purpose flour and ¼ cup granulated sugar. Roll out one round of dough into a thin circle about 12 inches in diameter. Cut into 8 pie pieces with a knife or pizza cutter. Place one teaspoon of your filling on wide end and roll toward point. Shape like a crescent and place on baking sheet. Repeat with second round of dough.
Bake for 20-22 minutes. Let cool and then sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving.
Yield: 16 large cookies
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