Ingredients
Dough
- 500 gplain flour
- 200 gcold butter or lard, cubed
- 80 gsugar
- 10 gfresh yeast or 4 g instant
- 2egg yolks
- 150 mlsour cream
- 1 tspsalt
- zest of 1 lemon
Poppy seed filling
- 300 gground poppy seed
- 200 mlmilk
- 150 gsugar
- 50 graisins
- zest of 1 lemon
- 1 tspvanilla
- 1 tbsphoney
Walnut filling
- 300 gground walnuts
- 180 mlmilk
- 150 gsugar
- 50 gapricot jam
- zest of 1 orange
- ½ tspcinnamon
To finish
- 1egg yolk, for the first coat
- 1egg white, for the second
Directions
- Rub the butter into the flour until it looks like coarse crumbs, then mix in the sugar, salt, yeast and lemon zest. Bind with the yolks and sour cream into a firm dough without kneading. Chill 1 hour.
- For each filling, bring the milk and sugar to a simmer, stir in the ground poppy seed or walnuts and cook 3 minutes until thick. Add the remaining ingredients and cool completely. The fillings must be spreadable but not wet.
- Divide the dough in two and roll each into a rectangle about 30 by 25 cm and 4 mm thick.
- Spread the filling over, leaving 2 cm clear at the far edge, and roll up firmly from the long side into a tight log. Roll tightly — the gap that forms between dough and filling in a loose roll is the classic bejgli fault.
- Set the logs seam down on a lined tray and chill 30 minutes.
- Brush all over with egg yolk and let it dry completely, about 15 minutes in the fridge. Then brush with egg white and chill again for 20 minutes.
- That two-stage glaze, each layer dried before the next, is what produces the marbled crackle on the surface that a proper bejgli is judged by.
- Prick each log right through to the base in several places with a skewer, so steam escapes rather than bursting the seam.
- Bake at 180°C (350°F) for 35–40 minutes until deep gold and crazed on top. Cool completely before slicing — warm bejgli crumbles and the filling runs.
- Made for Christmas and Easter; poppy seed is said to bring wealth and walnut wards off ill fortune.
Technique
- Both glaze coats must dry before the next step. Rushing them gives a smooth shiny log rather than a cracked one.
- Prick it properly. An unpricked bejgli splits along the seam and empties itself onto the tray.
- The dough is short and barely leavened. Do not knead it like bread or it toughens.
Substitutions
- Lard in place of butter, which is traditional and gives a shorter crumb.
- Shop-ground poppy seed is essential — whole seeds will not soften and taste of nothing.
Variations
- Chestnut purée filling, a common third option.
- Makowiec and kutia, the closely related Polish and Ukrainian poppy-seed Christmas breads.
History
Hungary’s Christmas and Easter cake; poppy seed is said to bring wealth, walnut to ward off ill luck.
Frequently asked questions
What is Bejgli?
Bejgli is a dessert from Hungary: rolled pastry log filled with dense poppy seed or walnut paste. Hungary’s Christmas and Easter cake; poppy seed is said to bring wealth, walnut to ward off ill luck.
How long does Bejgli take to make?
Bejgli takes 45 min plus 2 hr chilling of preparation and 40 min of cooking. The recipe makes 2 logs, about 20 slices. It is rated hard to make.
What can I substitute in Bejgli?
Yes, within limits. Lard in place of butter, which is traditional and gives a shorter crumb. Shop-ground poppy seed is essential — whole seeds will not soften and taste of nothing.
What is the most important thing to get right in Bejgli?
For each filling, bring the milk and sugar to a simmer, stir in the ground poppy seed or walnuts and cook 3 minutes until thick. Add the remaining ingredients and cool completely. The fillings must be spreadable but not wet.
