If you happened to read the title of today’s post aloud, in the presence of others, and someone countered your exclamation with bless you, I would not be surprised. Kürtőskalács isn’t exactly the most common word, and furthermore, I imagine it is one most folks aren’t entirely familiar with.
Referencing onesweetharmony.com, Kürtőskalács is the Hungarian word for Chimney cakes, which originate from the Székelys (Transylvanian Hungarians). It’s a type of cake that appears in a spiral form, hence its name, and it is baked by rotating the dough on a spit over an open fire. Popular toppings include cinnamon, sugar, ground walnuts and coconut.
I thought I would share a recipe to create homemade Kürtőskalács, but I will say this isn’t exactly a recipe for beginners. It comes from the website I linked above.
“EQUIPMENT
- Rolling Pin (for the dough)
- 4 smaller wooden rolling pin or 2 larger wooden rolling pin alternative: beer cans
- aluminum foil optional
- 1 Large Mixing Bowl if you knead with your hand
“INGREDIENTS
“For the Dough
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ tsp instant dry yeast
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- 3 tbsp confectioners powder sugar
- 1 ¾ cup lukewarm milk
- 1 egg
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 tbsp melted butter
- pinch of salt
- lemon zest from 1 lemon
- 1 cup sugar to roll on the chimney cakes before baking them
“Sweet Sugary Topping
- ½ cup white granulated sugar
“Ground Walnuts Topping
- ½ cup white granulated sugar
- ½ cup ground walnuts or other nuts
“Shredded Coconut Topping
- ½ cup white granulated sugar
- ½ cup Shredded Coconut or Coconut Flakes
“Cinnamon Sugar Topping
- ⅓ cup white granulated sugar
- ½ cup Cinnamon Sugar
“INSTRUCTIONS
- In a small bowl add warm milk, 1 tbsp sugar, and yeast. Mix well then let sit for 10 minutes until the mixture becomes foamy.
- In a large bowl pour the remaining sugar, yeasty mixture, softened butter, eggs, salt, and lemon zest. Combine everything with a stand mixer or your wooden spoon. Pour the flour into the wet mixture and mix until a dough forms.
- If kneading by hand, lightly flour the work surface, and knead for 8-10 minutes, until the dough is no longer sticky and springs back when poked with the finger.
- Grease a large bowl with oil, then place the dough into it. Cover with plastic wrap. Let proof for at least 45 minutes or until double in size.
- Once proofed, roll the dough into a rectangular shape about 1.5 inches in thickness. Use a knife to cut 4 equal strips.
- Use your hands to roll each strip of dough into long coils around 1 inch in thickness. Each coil should be about 20-25 inches in length.
- Roll the pin around a few times, while applying a little pressure to flatten the dough and make the swirls stick together. Repeat the process for the remaining chimney cakes.
“Now the Magic Starts
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Roll the chimney cakes through sugar only, pressing gently to help them stick. Ensure all sides are covered evenly. This helps with the beautiful caramelization that will appear on the outside.
- Place the rolling pins with chimney cakes on top of a deeper tray. The handles should rest on the edges of the tray, so the chimney cakes do not touch the bottom of the tray.
- Bake for 10 minutes, then rotate the rolling pins on the other side. Bake another 10 minutes or until is golden brown in color.
- After baking the chimney cakes and still hot sprinkle them with your chosen toppings.
- Serve immediately,” the recipe states.
If you’re not confident making these yourself, at least give yourself the privilege of sampling one. You won’t regret it.
ontheedgeofeverything 
