Sunday, September 28, 2014

Nut Roll - Traditional Hungarian Pastry

Grandma made the most nutty pastry rolls! The Nut Roll is a traditional Hungarian pastry that is a sweet bread known as Beigli. Grandma Julia Nagy made her Beigli or Hungarian Nut Roll usually during the holidays of Christmas and Thanksgiving. Beigli [pronounced BAY-glee] is really a Hungarian sweet bread with special fillings. It is the filling that makes this nut roll pastry so tasty and nutty! My favorite nut roll fillings include chopped walnuts or chopped pecans.

hungarian nut rolls by buttonwood bakery
Growing up in Northeastern Ohio, we ate a lot of European recipes thanks to my grandmother who if she were alive today would surely be FAMOUS for her RECIPES! You know those traditional Hungarian recipes for these comfort foods: stuffed cabbage, hungarian goulash, hungarian spaetzle, langos, nut roll, poppy seed roll, butter horns, kifli, strudel, apple pie, crepes suzette and oh so many other traditional Hungarian goodies!

At the top of my traditional Hungarian pastries "favorites" list was grandma's recipes for Hungarian nut rolls along with Hungarian poppy seed rolls! I am so grateful, and proud, to have grown up in the Cleveland, Ohio area. I am so thankful for having a grandma who instilled, in me, a love and passion for Eastern European foods and culture.

My grandmother was an amazing cook who prepared dishes and desserts that I will always treasure. Another one of grandma's favorites to prepare is the Hungarian Nut Roll. I can honestly say that I miss her as I'm sitting here writing this lens to commemorate another of her favorite recipes. I love nut rolls! Be sure to drop me a note in my guestbook and tell me about your experience with nut rolls. Yumm Yumm!

Delicious Photo Credit: Nut Rolls by Buttonwood Bakery.

Cast Your Vote For the Hungarian Nut Roll
Get on the roll you all -- ah, nuts! Have you ever had a bite of a nut roll?
  • Yes, many many times
  • Yes, perhaps once or twice
  • No, never have

hungarian nut roll on pretty plate by jaguarjulie

My Confession : I Truly Love Hungarian Nut Rolls
After all, I am authentically Hungarian, you know? "Ah, Nut Rolls! If you are crazy about nuts, like I am, you are surely going to dig the nutty nut roll. Make mine warm with a dollop of butter."

My special friends at Bubba's HomeBaked make their nut rolls from their grandmother's old-country, heirloom type recipe. May I make a suggestion to you. If you have never tried Hungarian Nut Rolls, please take a moment to try some from Bubba's HomeBaked.

I have sampled their recipe for both Hungarian Poppy Seed Rolls and Hungarian Nut Rolls and rate them right up there with the authentic and best-ever Hungarian recipes of my grandma. Even my mom tried them and raved about the great taste and texture! They are delicious; just like my grandma used to bake.

P.S. Yumm, yumm, see that delicious picture of yummy nut roll in my introduction? Ah, you will want to try Buttonwood Bakery where you can actually buy some yummy Hungarian Nut Rolls. --The Brand Ambassador for Traditional Hungarian Nut Rolls, JaguarJulie!

P.S. I was the Official Squidoo Comfort Foods Contributor! Did you know that? Well, you probably guessed it. Yes! Nut rolls are some of my favorite comfort foods.

jaguarjulie and grandma julia nagy in cleveland ohio kitchen

Grandma's Cooking the Best!
My grandmother's nut rolls were so good that they melted in your mouth. She also made the best ever poppy seed rolls. I simply can't pick which traditional Hungarian rolls I liked the best. BOTH!

Wrapped Package of Bubba's HomeBaked Poppy Seed and Nut Roll
Don't these look delicious even in the package?

bubbas homebaked package of poppy seed and nut roll

Beigli :: Hungarian Sweet Bread - Pastry Roll
Beigli is an authentic Hungarian pastry roll that is often served for Christmas. It is sweet and has many varieties of fillings, the most common of which are poppy seeds and walnuts.

Beigli :: Hungarian Sweet Bread - Pastry Roll

Yummy Nut Roll from Bubba's HomeBaked
The most Traditional and Authentic Hungarian Nut Roll Recipes!

nut roll and poppy seed roll on a pretty plate - jaguarjulie
The very first time that we ordered a nut roll from Bubba's HomeBaked, we got one of each and it didn't last long. Here is a picture of the actual nut roll AND poppy seed roll that we had. After sampling these rolls a number of times, we came up with our favorite manner of preparation. We cut almost a one inch slice of the nut roll and placed it in a small corning ware dish. On top, we spread a bit of butter, covered, and then microwaved until the butter melted and the nut roll was warm. This was incredibly delicious to eat the roll with the warm walnut filling!

#1 Hungarian Nut Roll Recipe
For nut rolls, butter and sweet cream are important elements!

bubbas homebaked nut roll
Ingredients
1 square of yeast or 1 envelope
1/4 cup warm milk
1/2 pound butter
4 egg yolks
1/2 pint sweet cream (half and half)
4 cups flour
1 teaspoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions
Let yeast dissolve in milk for a few minutes. Melt butter. Mix butter with beaten yolks in big bowl. In a separate bowl, sift flour, sugar and salt together. Mix yeast mixture with butter and egg yolks, sweet cream, and then flour mixture. Beat with wooden spoon or spatula until smooth or use hands to mix. The mixture will absorb the flour, cleaning the sides of the bowl. Shape into 3 balls and refrigerate overnight.

Roll out each ball into rectangle 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. Sides will be about 12 by 16 inches. With paring knife, even off sides slightly. Spread with nut filling to within 1/2 inch of sides. Roll from short side up long side. Place the three rolls side-by-side on a 10 by 14 inch baking pan or cookie sheet and let rise in a warm area for 3 hours. Brush top with beaten egg. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour.

Nut Filling
1 pound nut meats, finely chopped
1-1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 egg whites beaten to stiff stage

Instructions
Mix together nuts and sugar and then add vanilla. Fold in beaten egg whites. Use 1 to 1-1/4 cups filling per roll. Yields 3 rolls. --www.johnekolbasz.com.

Another Order of Nut Roll from Bubba's HomeBaked!
Wish we had scratch and sniff and TASTE!!

Bubba's HomeBaked Traditional Hungarian Nut Roll and Poppy Seed Roll

#2 Hungarian Nut Roll Recipe - Like Grandma's!
My grandmother gravitated to sour cream in her recipe!

hungarian nut roll on pretty plate
Ingredients
6 to 6-1/2 cups sifted flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoon sugar
2 yeast cakes or 2 packages dry yeast
1/2 cup warm milk
1 cup sour cream
2 sticks butter or margarine, melted or very soft
3 eggs, beaten

Instructions
Dissolve yeast in milk. Combine the rest of the ingredients; add yeast and milk mixture, blending very well. Divide dough into four or six parts depending on length of nut roll wanted. Roll about 1/4 inch thick, spread with nut filling and roll up jelly roll fashion. Let rise for 1 hour or until doubled in size. Bake in 350 degree oven for 30 to 40 minutes.

Nut Filling
1 to 2 pounds ground walnuts
2-1/2 cups sugar
2 sticks butter or margarine melted
2 eggs
1 large apple grated
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions
Combine all ingredients except the butter. Add the melted butter and mix well. Heat in large saucepan until the ingredients blend well and thicken slightly. Spread on rolled dough after the mixture has cooled. You can freeze any extra and use as a topping for an apple pie or top baked sweet potatoes or use in a coffee cake recipe. --www.johnekolbasz.com.

Nut Roll from Buttonwood Bakery

nut roll from buttonwood bakery
I am thrilled to find another bakery online from which you can order the Nut Roll. They don't pay me anything to promote them either. For all these years that I have been telling you about this bakery, I haven't earned a penny!!

What Buttonwood Bakery says about their Nut Roll: Bite into our amazing Nut Roll and savor the taste of freshly chopped California walnuts overflowing in every mouthful. Wrapped in our tender, sweet dough and baked to golden perfection. A holiday favorite that's great anytime! -- Buttonwood Bakery

nut roll beigli in hungarian
Beigli = Hungarian
Potica = Slovenian
Gubana, Guban'ca = Slovenian
Orechovnik = Slovak
Makowiec = Polish
Povitica = Croatian

More Yummy Hungarian Nut Roll Recipes - aka Beigli

Making Nuts Rolls? Don't Forget the Walnuts!

Ah, delicious walnuts shelled and ready to chop! Diamond Shelled Walnuts - 16-Ounce Bags (Pack of 6)

* Perfect for making Hungarian Nut Rolls *
* Contains walnuts in 16 ounce bags *
* Packets of 6 = 96 ounces total *
* Healthy protein, fiber, vitamins, minerals *
* Healthy anti-oxidants and omega-3 fatty acids *
* Originated in California *

Be sure to get Diamond Shelled Walnuts, 16-Ounce Bags (Pack of 6)!

the fancy product label from bubba's homebaked nut roll
Read All About IT!!!!
Feast your eyes on the product label and salivate.

Love Hungarian Nut Rolls?

Have you had the pleasure to taste a Hungarian nut roll? Where may I ask? Do you make nut rolls? Have any tips or serving suggestions you'd like to contribute?

Love that nut roll ??? Sometimes YOU feel like a nut; sometimes YOU don't!!! - Maybe you prefer poppy seed rolls? Drop me a line!

hungarian fan pride

History: Nut Roll : Traditional Hungarian Pastry was originally created on Squidoo by JaguarJulie on June 8, 2008. On November 19, 2010 this lens earned the Squidoo Purple Star Award for quality content. Highest lensrank ever achieved: #33 overall. This was a top lens with 24 days on the Top 100 list. Lens #369 in the quest for Giant Squid 400 Club.

4 comments:

Tracy A. Minton-Matesz said...

Hi, I know this is an older post, but wanted to share that my husband and I made your recipe ~ with a couple tweaks ~ and it was great. The #1 Nut Roll. My husband's mother made Traditional Hungarian Nut Rolls every year to give away to family and friends. Both his parents (John and Ruth Matesz) passed away in 2020. We could not find her recipe, but when I found yours online, my husband said it seemed very similar to ingredients and process he remembered her doing. In one of the three rolls, we actually used dates instead of sugar. A little thicker to spread but it came out quite good! It was an after thought, as we realized (after already making all the walnut sugar filling) that one of the recipients doesn't eat sugar or much grain for that matter. So, I used some of the extra filling to make Date Walnut Cookies, and gave many away to my mom's assisted living residents. The other change we did was used half sprouted wheat flour. It was still just as light, while making it a little more whole grain, without losing the integrity of being a pastry! So many people on special or restrictive diets these days! Sometimes you just have to enjoy a pastry as it's meant to be! But that said, they came out fantastic. A hit by all the family members who tried it.

I wrote a blog post w/ my tweaks, but just linked to your recipe rather than copy it all over. I hoped you wouldn't mind! Here it is: https://www.thehypercarnivore.com/2021/12/traditional-hungarian-nut-roll-updated.html

Almost forgot. My husband Don was wondering if he or his parents may have known you? His dad is Hungarian, and grew up in the Hungarian neighborhood of Toledo. Don also grew up in Toledo.

Julie Ann Brady said...

Tracy, so good to hear from you and also that you were able to use the recipe as a base to add your tweaks. I saw your article and was impressed by the almost "meaty" filling with the rich color and more filling. I didn't notice a comment section or I would have left a comment there. Most of my Hungarian relatives lived in Northeastern Ohio, but after doing AncestryDNA, I have found literally a few thousand relatives who live all over Ohio and other states and even countries. Good to hear from you. I see you are a prolific writer and have many nutritional articles.

Steve said...

What is the difference between Beigli and Povitica?

Julie Ann Brady said...

Hi Steve ... both are really the same but named for different countries of production.

What is the history of beigli?
Ultimately, the first mention of beigli was in the 1830 edition of The Hungarian National Cookbook written by István Czifray. Beigli became popular in Hungary in the second half of the 19th century when Hungarians started celebrating Christmas with German traditions.

What nationality is povitica?
Belokranjska povitica (English: White Carniola rolled pastry) is a Slovenian national dish. It was supposedly brought to the White Carniola region by the Uskoks, who were Croatian Habsburg soldiers that inhabited the areas of the eastern Adriatic area. The name itself, povitica, explains the preparation.

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