Gigi's Hungarian Almond Roll #BBB

Our bake for this month was quite the delicious treat!  Thanks to Feeding My Enthusiasms for the pick! This Hungarian Almond Roll was published in Sunset magazine way back in 2001, a recipe shared by a friend from Hungary who always made in for the holidays.  It is definitely a treat for company, and sweet but oh so good.  I reduced the sugar in my dough by half and it could probably go down to 1 tbsp or omit completely.  But this lovely roll was devoured within a few days, either room temperature or reheated, both were excellent!  (It reminds me of an almond Danish.)  I used dried cranberries as my fruit option to add a little zing to the flavor.  (It also just occurred to me that this would be delicious with a tiny bit of rose or orange flower water added!  Do Hungarian recipes do that?)

 

 

We would love for you to try this delicious, company worthy bread and bake along with us this month!  New recipes are posted every month on the 16th. Check out our Facebook group to see the participants' baking results during that time.

 

Gigi's Hungarian Almond Roll
Makes one 2-pound loaf
From Sunset Magazine, Dec 2001

1 pkg active dry yeast (7 g) (I used 2 tsp)

6 tbsp warm water (90 g)

2 tbsp sugar (25 g) (Originally ¼ cup, may be reduced further or omitted IMO)

1 large egg yolk (16 g)

6 tbsp butter, cut into small pieces and softened (85 g)

~1½ cups all-purpose flour (about 188 g)

½ tsp salt

 

ALMOND FILLING

1 cup unblanched almonds (145 g) (I used almond flour)

¾ cup raisins (110 g) (I used dried cranberries)

¾ cup sugar (150 g)

¾ cup milk (180 g)

1 tsp grated lemon zest (2 g) (More would be completely acceptable)

pinch salt 

½ tsp vanilla

GLAZE
1 egg yolk (16g)
1 tbsp milk or water (15g)

Have all ingredients at room temperature except warm water, which should be about 108-110 degrees F.

In a small bowl, sprinkle yeast over the 6 tablespoons warm (about 110ºF) wate.  Let stand until softened and foamy, about 5 minutes.  Mix yolk into the yeast mixture.  In a bowl or stand mixer, add sugar, yeast mixture, flour and salt and combine to a shaggy dough.  Knead in the 6 tbsp butter.  Knead until a soft and supple dough forms, 5-10 minutes by mixer and 10-15 minutes by hand.  The dough will be very smooth and should pull away from the bowl cleanly.  

Cover dough and let rise in a warm place until it's puffy enough to hold an impression when pressed with a finger (dough won't double in volume), about 1 hour.  (I left mine for much longer while I worked on the filling and it did get quite puffy.)

While the dough is rising, make the almond filling. Almond Filling: In a food processor, whirl 1 cup unblanched almonds to fine meal. (I used almond flour as an easy substitute that didn't make me clean the food processor!)  In a a 10-12-inch nonstick frying pan, combine almonds, 3/4 cup raisins, 3/4 cup sugar, 3/4 cup milk, and 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest. Stir over high heat until mixture is thick enough to hold a clean trail for a few seconds when you draw a spoon across pan bottom. Remove from heat and stir in 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Let cool at least 30 minutes.

Deflate and gather the dough, shaping into a smooth ball. Set in the center of a floured pastry cloth or clean, smooth-textured dish towel. Pat the dough into a general square/rectangle shape, then roll out into a 14-inch to 15-inch square.  (If you want a thicker filling layer, roll a smaller square.  The larger the square/rectangle, the thinner the filling but the more layers when rolled up.)

Spread or evenly dot Almond Filling over dough to within 1-inch of edges. Lift cloth from one side to roll dough into a compact loaf. Gently lift loaf and lay, seam side down, on a buttered 12-inch x 17-inch baking sheet. Pinch ends to seal, then fold under.

Cover loaf loosely with plastic wrap and let stand in a warm place until dough is slightly puffy, about 45 minutes.

In a small bowl, mix remaining egg yolk with milk. Brush loaf with yolk mixture; discard any remaining.

Bake loaf on the center rack in a 325ºF regular or convection oven until rich golden brown, about 45 minutes. Transfer to a rack and let cool at least 1 hour. Serve at room temperature. Cut cross-wise into 1/4-inch thick slices.

The rest of the Bread Baking Babes

• Blog from OUR Kitchen – Elizabeth
• Judy’s Gross Eats – Judy
• My Diverse Kitchen - Aparna
• Bread Experience - Cathy
• Thyme for Cooking - Katie
• My Kitchen in Half Cups - Tanna
• Feeding My Enthusiasms - Elle 
• Karen's Kitchen Stories - Karen