Cookbook:Kifli

Kifli Crescents are Hungarian pastries.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup milk (warmed)
• 1 tbsp yeast
• 1 tsp sugar
• 3 cups flour
• 1/2 lb. butter (1 cup)
• pinch salt
• 3-1/2 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 3 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 tsp vanilla

Procedure

1. Mix together milk, yeast and 1tsp sugar and set aside. Ensure it does not clump.
2. Using a pastry knife, Mix flour, butter, salt in a bowl.
3. Add 3-1/2 tbsp sugar and baking powder to the flour mixture.
4. In a separate bowl, mix 3 egg yolks. Add the yeast mixture. Then add sour cream and vanilla.
5. Mix the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients. Should have the consistency of peanut butter cookie dough. Add flour if sticky. Knead well and let stand 2 hours in a warm place. To allow the dough to rise, we place the bowl with the dough (covered with a tea towel) onto the top rack of our oven and place a bowl of hot water on the lower rack. Leave the oven off and it will gently warm and allow the dough to rise.
6. Divide the dough into 5 equal sized balls. Sprinkle sugar on a board, put a dough ball on the board, and roll out into a circle about 12 inches across. Flip the dough over and put more sugar on the board. Cut like a pizza into wedges about 1-1/2 inches at widest. Put filling on each wedge (about 1 tsp each) and roll in sugar. Bake on a cookie sheet at 325 F for 15 min until golden brown.

• filling can be walnut filling, jam, etc.

This recipe makes 60-80 Kifli.

Alternate Recipe

Vanilla Kifli is the traditional Hungarian holiday cookie.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 egg yolks
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup vanilla sugar
• 2 (1 ounce) squares semisweet chocolate, chopped

Procedure

1. Cream together the butter with the sugar in a large mixing bowl. Beat in egg yolks and vanilla. Gradually beat in flour.
2. Turn into a ball, cover and let stand at room temperature for 2 hours.
3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
4. To form the crescents, roll about 1 Tbsp of the dough in the palms of your hands. Then continue rolling to form a rope about 3 inches long and 1/2 inch thick. Bend rope to form crescent. Repeat with remaining dough, placing on ungreased cookie sheets about 1 inch apart.
5. Bake for about 10 to 12 minutes. Cookies should be white in color. Let cool on cookie sheets for 5 minutes to prevent breaking. Then, while cookies are still warm, carefully roll in vanilla sugar. (May be found in bulk food stores). Repeat with remaining cookies. Cool cookies completely.
6. Melt chocolate in a double boiler set over low heat. When cookies are cool, dip tips of each cookie in melted chocolate, then set on waxed paper to dry.