Hungarian Kiflies

Kiflies (pronounced "keeflees") are a pastry with roots in Eastern Europe. This version comes from my Hungarian grandparents and has been a holiday staple in our family. This year I made them alongside my mom and aunt. My daughter helped a bit too.

This recipe is bit of work. It requires a lot of rolling and filling over the course of two separate days, but the results are outstanding. Invite someone over to help and spend some quality family time together.

Day One: 

Ingredients - dough

1 lb. unsalted butter, chilled
12 egg yolks
1 c. sour cream
6 c. all purpose flour, sifted (plus extra for rolling)
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Instructions

In a large bowl, cut the butter into small pieces (even better if you use a large cheese grater), and work it into the flour along with the salt, using your hands until the butter pieces are roughly pea-sized. You can use a pastry blender, but I find that fingers work better. Imagine the motion you use when rubbing a dog's ear.

Add the remaining ingredients  and mix well until the dough is smooth, similar to pie dough. You can use a hand mixer or stand mixer for this. Shape the dough into 1-inch balls and place into a large bowl, with wax paper between layers (expect roughly 100-120 balls). Place in a refrigerator to rest overnight (don't try to do it all in one day - resting the dough will create better structure and flavor).

Dough balls - End of Day 1. They need a rest in the fridge - overnight. Don't skip this.

Day two:

Ingredients - filling

2 lb. walnuts - grind very fine

1 lb. confectioners sugar

12 egg whites

1 lemon - juice and zest.

Instructions

Preaheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Beat the egg whites to stiff peaks, then slowly add the sugar and continue beating. Add the lemon zest and juice. Fold in the ground walnuts.

Roll the dough balls paper thin on a well floured mat. If you have a warm kitchen or warm hands, the dough will roll better if you leave the bowl in the fridge and only take out a few dough balls at a time. Dust the mat and roller with flour as needed If  dough is sticky.

Roll the dough balls paper thin.

To fill the kiflies -
Place a small amount of filling in the center of each kifli and spread very thin, stopping just short of the edge of the dough. Think "spreading butter" vs. "filling a pastry"- using too much will burst the kifli.

Gently roll and shape into crescent. Use a light hand here - pinched ends or crimped areas will cook before the rest of the kifli is finished. Place on an ungreased baking sheet with seam side up. Bake at 350 degrees for about 12 minutes or until lightly brown. Watch this carefully, the residual heat make bake them a bit faster after a few batches. Remove and cool completely  on a rack. Dust with powdered sugar.

Don't pinch the ends!

You may find a rhythm after a few batches and be able to roll and fill one sheet in the time it takes a second sheet to bake.

Enjoy!