Bejgli – Traditionalóll (Traditional Hungarian Christmas Cake)

Ah, now we’re talking 🎄🇭🇺 — Bejgli is the classic Hungarian Christmas roll, usually filled with poppy seeds (mák) or walnuts (dió). It’s festive, rich, and surprisingly doable at home.

Here’s a traditional recipe:

Bejgli – Hungarian Christmas Cake

Makes: 2 rolls

Ingredients

For the Dough:

500 g (4 cups) all-purpose flour
200 g (1 cup) unsalted butter, cold & cubed
100 g (½ cup) sugar
1 egg
2 egg yolks
20 g (½ oz) fresh yeast or 1 packet dry yeast
150 ml (⅔ cup) milk, lukewarm
Pinch of salt
Zest of 1 lemon (optional)

For the Filling (choose one):

Poppy Seed Filling:

200 g (1 cup) poppy seeds
100 ml (⅓–½ cup) milk
50–80 g (¼ cup) sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1–2 tsp honey (optional)

Walnut Filling:

200 g (1 cup) ground walnuts
100 ml (⅓–½ cup) milk
50 g (¼ cup) sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

For Brushing:

1 egg yolk
1 tbsp milk

Instructions

1. Prepare the dough

Warm milk slightly, dissolve yeast with a pinch of sugar, let it bloom 5–10 min.
Mix flour, salt, sugar, and lemon zest.
Rub in butter until crumbly.
Add yeast mixture, egg, and yolks → knead into smooth dough.
Cover and let rise 1–1.5 hours until doubled.

2. Make the filling

Heat milk + sugar, stir in poppy seeds or walnuts, cook gently until thick. Cool.

3. Assemble the rolls

Divide dough in two. Roll each into a rectangle (~25×30 cm).
Spread filling evenly, leaving 1–2 cm border.
Roll tightly along long side. Seal edges by pinching.
Place on baking tray lined with parchment, seam side down.
Brush with egg wash.

4. Bake

Preheat oven: 180°C (350°F)
Bake 35–45 min until golden
Optional: cover loosely with foil after 25 min to avoid over-browning

5. Cool

Let cool completely before slicing (slicing warm = filling squishes out)

Tips & Traditions

Bejgli is best after 1–2 days, flavors meld and dough softens.
Some people sprinkle poppy seeds or powdered sugar on top.
You can freeze: wrap cooled rolls tightly, freeze up to 3 months.

If you want, I can give a step-by-step shortcut version that’s easier for home bakers but still tastes like grandma’s Bejgli — fewer steps, less waiting, same festive flavor.