Hungarian Walnut and Poppy Seed Rolls (Diós és Mákos Kalács)

4.43 from 14 votes

Hungarian Walnut and Poppy Seed Rolls (Diós és Mákos Kalács)

This all-time favourite Hungarian pastry is super soft in texture with delicious fillings of walnuts and the poppy seed. A traditional holiday pastry.

Prep Time40

Cook Time45

Rising time:2

Total Time3 25

Course: Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: Hungarian

Servings: slices

Calories: 128kcal

Author: Rose

Equipment

large baking pan
small sauce pan
nut or coffee grinder and poppy seed mill

Ingredients

DOUGH:

1 package dry yeast (2 ¼ tsp)
½ tsp sugar
¼ cup warm milk
2¼ cups all-purpose flour, plus a little extra when kneading
½ cup COLD unsalted butter
2 large egg yolks, room temperature
2 tbsp sugar
4 tbsp sour cream, room temperature
¼ cup room temperature milk
1 egg, beaten

POPPY SEED FILLING:

⅓ lb poppy seed, ground
3 tbsp sugar
3/4 cup milk
1 tsp lemon, juice
2 tsp lemon, zest

WALNUT FILLING:

½ lb walnuts, ground
2 large egg whites, beaten to soft peaks
¼ cup sugar
2 tsp orange, zest

Instructions

DOUGH: first rising/proofing

In a small bowl, stir together warm milk, sugar and yeast and set aside in a warm place, covered with towel until it foams and yeast starts to activate, about 10 minutes.
In a large bowl, add flour and cut in cold butter. Using a pastry blender or your hands (I prefer to do) mix together flour and butter until it resembles pastry dough, crumbly. Make a well, and add the egg yolks, sugar, sour cream and yeast mixture. Begin mixing and slowly add the milk, you may or may not need all of it. Once the dough comes together, form a ball and it should come away from the bowl. Then transfer to a flat surface and knead for about 5 minutes until a soft consistency is reached and bubbles should be forming. If dough is sticky, add a little flour at a time while kneading. Avoid adding too much flour.
Place dough into a large clean bowl, and cover with a towel over the bowl, set in warm place and allow to double in volume, about 1 to 1½ hours. Option is to divide the dough in equal portions forming a ball and place each ball into a bowl and cover.

POPPY SEED FILLING: can make ahead

Grind the poppy seed with a poppy seed mill, a stand grinder attachment or a coffee grinder. Add poppy seed to a medium sauce pot, with milk and sugar. Simmer for a couple of minutes, then add lemon juice and zest. Once the milk has dissolved and texture is still slightly wet but not dry transfer to a bowl and allow to cool. Avoid over cooking the poppy seed mixture too long as it will dry out.

WALNUT FILLING:

Beat egg whites, once they have started to form peaks, add sugar and continue to beat until soft peaks form, not stiff, as it will make the filling dry. Fold in walnuts and orange zest. Set aside.

DOUGH: second rising/proofing

Once dough has doubled, divide the dough into 2 balls or if already in 2 balls, then roll out each to 12 x 17 inch (30 cm x 43 cm) rectangular, about ¼ inch thickness . Spread one section with walnut filling and the other with poppy seed filling, leaving about 1/2 inch from the edges and roll lengthwise, tuck in the ends.
Place in a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover with towel and allow to double in size, about 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Brush with egg wash, create small slits or poke holes using a fork on top of pastry to release air through while baking and bake for 30-35 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool in pan for about an hour.
Carefully transfer each roll to a cooling rack to cool completely. When ready to serve, cut each roll into 18 slices. Enjoy with tea or coffee!

Nutrition