Nut Rolls From Judy Simkos Pa Cookbook Food

AUTHENTIC HUNGARIAN WALNUT ROLLS

Steps:

• Mix filling in a medium bowl using only ¼ cup of the boiled milk. The mixture should be thick.
• If the filling is not spreadable, use the rest of the milk. I used all of it. It will thicken as it sits.
• Note: You can make the filling ahead of time and freeze it until you are ready to use it. Just thaw at room temperature when you are ready to use.
• Sift flour and salt together in a medium bowl and set aside.
• Beat the cream cheese and butter together with a stand mixer or a hand mixer until completely incorporated and creamy (3-5 minutes).
• Reduce the speed of the mixer and slowly add in the flour. I used 5 additions and completely mixed in the flour each time. The dough will be soft but not sticky.
• Divide the dough into 4 equal parts and flatten each to ¾" thick. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until hard, at least 2 hours.
• Pre-heat the oven to 375F. Move the oven rack one setting higher than the center.
• Dust each side of the dough with flour. Generously coat a flat surface (countertop, marble board, etc.) with granulated sugar. Plop the dough on top and press gently to push some crystals into the dough. The sugar will keep your dough elevated off the rolling surface enough to keep it from sticking. Lightly coat the rolling pin with flour throughout the process, using as little as possible.
• With a pastry wheel or sharp knife, trim the dough into a square and then cut the square into 16 smaller squares. My dough never rolled out into a perfect circle so I would just cut as many 1 1/2 " squares a possible, saving the scraps for later.
• Place a dollop of filling in one corner of each square. I used ½ teaspoon.
• Starting in the corner with the filling, roll the dough around the filling from corner to corner, gently pressing down as you roll. Grab the roll on both sides and pinch as you bend the roll to create a crescent shape. Gently move it to a parchment covered baking sheet, placing the Rolls no closer than 1" apart.
• Repeat with all remaining squares.
• Sprinkle the middles of the Rolls with just a touch of granulated sugar.
• Bake 12-14 minutes or until the bottom edges are a golden and you can smell them. They should puff up slightly in the middle. With experience you can see when the dough is cooked. Let cool slightly on the pan on a wire rack and then move them gently to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Repeat with all remaining dough. Refrigerate and re-roll your scraps. Amazing.
• For a more traditional cookie, you can omit the granulated sugar and dust the final, cooled cookie with powdered sugar. I will warn you that it won't be as divine.

HUNGARIAN NUT ROLLS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm milk. Add the sugar, salt, butter, sour cream, eggs and 3 cups flour. Beat on medium speed for until smooth, 3 minutes. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough (dough will be sticky). , Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour., Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, combine the sugar, butter, egg and cinnamon. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat; gently stir in walnuts and apple. Cool completely., Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide into 4 portions. Roll each into a 12x10-in. rectangle. Spread filling to within 1/2 in. of edges. Roll up jelly-roll style, starting with a long side; pinch seams to seal. Place seam side down on greased baking sheets. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes., Bake at 350° for 30-40 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool. Combine icing ingredients; drizzle over loaves.

JOANNA'S NUT ROLL

Steps:

• Heat 2 cups of milk in a saucepan over low heat until the milk just comes to a simmer; remove from heat, and let cool. Mash the cake yeast with the warm water in a bowl, and set aside.
• In a bowl, whisk together the flour with 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and 1 teaspoon of nutmeg. In a separate large bowl, mash the butter with 1 cup of sugar and the salt until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Beat in 2 eggs and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. After milk is cooled to a warm temperature, stir the yeast mixture into the scalded milk, and stir the milk mixture to the creamed butter mixture. Beat in 3 cups of flour until completely incorporated, and beat in remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until the mixture forms a smooth dough that's almost sticky. Dough will be very soft.
• Turn the dough out onto a well-floured work surface, and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Place the dough into an oiled bowl, and turn the dough over to coat all sides with oil. Cover with a floured kitchen towel, and let rise in a warm place until doubled, 2 to 3 hours.
• Punch down the dough, cut into 6 equal pieces, and roll each piece into a ball. Cover with floured kitchen towel, and set the balls into a warm place to rise until doubled, 40 minutes to 1 hour.
• While dough is rising the second time, make the nut filling: tear toasted bread into a few pieces, and grind toast with walnuts and pecans in a food grinder, or process in the work bowl of a food processor until finely chopped. Place the nuts into a bowl; mix in 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, 1 cup of honey, 1/2 cup of sugar, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, and 1 teaspoon of nutmeg until thoroughly combined. Mix in milk, a little at a time, to make a workable mixture.
• Beat egg whites to stiff peaks in a bowl with an electric mixer, and gently fold the egg whites into the nut mixture until completely combined.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Roll out each piece of dough on a floured surface into a 12-inch square; brush with melted butter. Spread 1/6 of the nut mixture onto each square of dough, and roll each into a log; pinch ends and seam tightly together, and tuck the ends underneath the roll. Place filled rolls on the prepared baking sheet, seam sides down.
• Beat egg yolks and 1/2 cup of milk together in a small bowl, and brush the rolls with the egg yolk mixture. If desired, allow to rise 30 more minutes (for more puffy rolls). Poke holes in the rolls every 4 inches.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, 50 to 65 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the center of a roll will come out clean. Brush rolls with melted butter after removing from oven; allow to cool on racks.

JUDY'S WARM HAM AND CHEESE ROLLS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Split the rolls in half horizontally. Combine the butter, onion, mustard, poppy seeds, and Worcestershire sauce in a small saucepan and place over low heat until the butter melts, stirring to blend.
• Brush the butter mixture evenly on both cut sides of the rolls. Place the ham on the bottom halves and top with the cheese. Place the top halves on the sandwiches and press lightly. Nestle the sandwiches together on a large piece of foil, wrap tightly, and seal the edges.
• Place the wrapped rolls on a baking sheet and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the rolls are warmed through. Remove from the oven and let sit for about 5 minutes before unwrapping and serving warm or let cool to room temperature.
• Like Judy, you can assemble these sandwiches ahead of time and keep them in the refrigerator until you are ready to heat and serve. They can even be frozen for up to 2 weeks. Just be sure to wrap them tightly and heat thoroughly before serving.

VICTORIA SKONIECZKI'S (GRANDMOM'S) NUT ROLL (MAKOWIEC)

Steps:

• Place walnuts in a food processor. Process until roughly ground.
• Melt 3/4 cup butter in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in 1/2 cup sugar until dissolved, about 1 minute. Remove from heat. Add ground walnuts and maple flavoring; stir to combine.
• Mix 2 cups flour, yeast, 3 tablespoons sugar, and salt together in a bowl.
• Combine sour cream, 1 cup butter, and water in a saucepan over low heat. Warm until melted, about 2 minutes; do not boil. Remove from heat; let stand until cool enough to dip a finger in, about 3 minutes.
• Add sour cream mixture to the flour mixture slowly. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes, scraping the bowl as you go. Add eggs and 1 additional cup flour; stir briefly to combine. Beat on high speed for 2 minutes more. Stir in remaining flour 1 cup at a time until a soft dough forms.
• Turn dough out onto a floured surface; knead several times and roll into a ball. Let rise for 10 minutes. Grease 2 jelly roll pans.
• Divide dough into 4 pieces; roll each out to a 14x12-inch rectangle. Spread 1/4 of the filling over each rectangle, leaving a 1-inch space around all edges. Roll each up lengthwise, jelly-roll fashion; pinch seams closed. Place, seams down, on the prepared pans. Cover with a damp cloth; let rise in a warm place for 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden, about 35 minutes. Place rolls on a rack to cool completely, 2 to 3 hours.