The Hungarian Girl » baking

Hungarian Christmas honey cookies

The Hungarian Girl — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 05:06:59 +0000

Honey cookies also known as mézeskalács are a traditional Christmas treat in Hungary and are often sold at festivals and markets. Similar to gingerbread, these cookies are made with honey and spices and are decorated with white sugar icing. This recipe is an adaptation from Nora Papp’s recipe, who is the creator and editor of Wise Lady, a blog about Hungarian food.

Hungarian Christmas Honey Cookies. Photo by Nora Papp.

Ingredients

Dough:

1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter
1/2 cup (115 grams) granulated sugar
3 1/2 cups (435 grams) all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp unsweetened cocoa
5 tbsp honey
2 large eggs

Decoration:

1 egg white
1 1/4 cup (275 grams) confectioners’ sugar
1 tsp lemon juice

Directions

Sift together flour, baking soda, and spices into a large bowl. Set aside.

Using an electric mixer beat butter, sugar and eggs.

In a small pot over high heat, melt honey. Add to mixture and beat well, continue by adding the flour mixture gradually. If dough is too sticky, add more flour.

Gather into ball. Divide in half and flatten into discs. Wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or until firm.

Preheat oven to 350 °F (180 degrees °C) and line a standard baking sheet with parchment paper.

Hungarian Christmas Honey Cookies. Photo by Nora Papp.

On a lightly floured surface, roll dough until it’s 1/8-inch’s thick. Cut out desired shapes and place on baking sheet.

Bake cookies for about 8-10 minutes or until golden brown and firm to the touch.

For icing, beat egg whites until foamy. Add lemon juice and beat again for 2 minutes. Add sugar gradually and beat until completely incorporated. If icing is too runny, add more sugar until smooth and creamy.

Put icing in a pastry bag fitted with a small plain round tip. Pipe designs on cookies. Let icing set completely at room temperature, about 1 hour.

Homemade almond paste

The Hungarian Girl — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 16:19:49 +0000

Almond paste is used in a variety of cakes and pastries such as stollen, strudel, macaroons, etc. It is a very common ingredient used throughout Central and Eastern Europe. Unlike marzipan, almond paste has less sugar and more almond flavor. The following is a standard recipe for making almond paste.

If you do not have a food processor, you may use a nut or spice grinder to process the almonds. A stand mixer with a dough hook can be used to combine the rest of the ingredients.

Ingredients

1-1/2 cups (200 grams) whole blanched almonds
1-1/2 cups (165 grams) confectioners’ sugar
1 egg white
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/2 teaspoons almond extract
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

Place almonds in a food processor; cover and process into a fine powder.

Add the confectioner’s sugar, egg white, vanilla extract, almond extract, and salt and continue to blend until a stiff paste forms. Use paste immediately, or cover with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Hungarian poppy seed bread pudding

The Hungarian Girl — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 16:17:33 +0000

Mákos Guba - Hungarian Poppy Seed Bread Pudding

Mákos guba is a popular dessert in Hungary that is baked for Christmas. It contains poppy seeds which was originally meant as a fertility charm, to ensure a plentiful harvest in the coming year.

Ingredients

2 large eggs
1/4 cup (60 grams) unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup (100 grams) firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 1/2 cups (620 ml) whole milk
2 tbsp dark rum
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 cups (6 slices) day-old bread cubes
1/4 cup (45 grams) poppy seeds
2-3 tbsp honey
1/4 cup (32 grams) confectioners’ sugar for dusting

Directions

Preheat oven to 350° F (180° C) and butter a 3-quart baking dish.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs until the yolks and whites are blended. Whisk in the melted butter, brown sugar, milk, rum, and vanilla.

Add the bread cubes into the prepared baking dish and drizzle egg mixture over it.

Bake for about 30 minutes or until the top is lightly browned and the liquid is absorbed by the bread. Meanwhile, grind the poppy seeds in a food processor or coffee grinder.

Remove pudding from oven and sprinkle with poppy seeds and honey. Place back in oven for additional 10 minutes.

When pudding is done, add a dusting of confectioners’ sugar and serve hot.

Pie dough

The Hungarian Girl — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 16:58:30 +0000

The best pie dough is often made by using cold ingredients.

This recipe makes a rich and flaky dough that can be used for a variety of pies and tarts.

You can also add ground cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, or ginger to personalize your dough.

Ingredients

2/3 cup (155 grams) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
6 tablespoons (90 grams) cold vegetable shortening, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 2/3 cups (425 grams) pastry flour
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons ice water

Directions

Sift flour, salt, and sugar into a large bowl. Stir until ingredients are combined.

Scatter the butter and shortening pieces over the flour mixture. Using your hands, begin to rub the butter and shortening until the mixture forms large, coarse crumbs. Work as quickly as possible.

Add the ice water 1 tablespoon at a time until the mixture begins to hold together. Just be careful not to overwork the dough or it will become tough.

Shape dough into a flat disk, cover in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Use in pie or tart recipe of your choice.

Almond cake

The Hungarian Girl — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 01:05:03 +0000

Almond Cake. Photo taken by tedkaiserphoto.com

This cake is incredibly rich and moist. It is excellent with coffee or tea.

Ingredients

Cake

2 cups (250 grams) all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
7 oz (200 grams) almond paste
3/4 cup (170 grams) unsalted butter
1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
1 tsp almond extract
3 large eggs
1/2 cup whole milk

Glaze (optional)

2 cups (220 grams) confectioners’ sugar
1 tsp almond extract
3-4 tbsp whole milk

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C) and butter a 9-cup Bundt pan or patterned ring mold.

Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together into a large bowl; set aside.

Using an electric or stand mixer with a large bowl, beat the almond paste and butter until combined. Add the sugar and beat until smooth and creamy. Beat in the almond extract. Slowly add the eggs one at a time, beating each addition until fully incorporated before continuing.

Add the dry ingredients in 3 additions alternately with the milk, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Beat until incorporated.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake the cake until it is well risen and firm, or a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean, about 40-50 minutes.

Remove cake from pan and place on wire rack to cool.

For the glaze, cream all ingredients until smooth. If glaze is too thick add more milk. Pour glaze over cake and serve.

Dinner rolls

The Hungarian Girl — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 01:25:06 +0000

Photo taken by tedkaiserphoto.com.

This is one of my favorite recipes for homemade dinner rolls.

Ingredients

1 cup (250 ml) of warm water
2 packages (16 grams) of active dry yeast
1/2 cup (115 grams) unsalted butter, melted
1/2 sugar (115 grams)
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon salt
4 1/4 cups (470 grams) all-purpose unbleached flour, plus extra for kneading
1/4 teaspoon olive oil

Directions

Using a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in warm water and let stand until foamy for about 5 minutes.

Stir in the melted butter, sugar, eggs and salt. Mix until incorporated.

Add the flour, 1 cup at a time while mixing with a wooden spoon. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic for about 5 -7 minutes. The dough should be soft but not sticky. If the dough is too sticky, add more flour.

Form the dough into a large ball and transfer it to a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm, draft-free spot until it doubles in bulk for about 1 1/2 – 2 hours.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (baking) paper.

Punch down the dough and turn it out onto a clean work surface. Divide the dough into 24 equal pieces. Roll each piece against the work surface into a small round ball about 2 inches in size. Cover loosely with kitchen towel and let them rise until puffy and doubled in size for about 30-40 minutes.

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven, and preheat to 375F (190C).

Place the balls on the prepared pan, spacing them evenly out. Ensure the pieces have enough space so they don’t expand together when baking in oven.

Bake for about 17 minutes or until puffed and golden brown. Serve immediately.