I grew up in Budapest. One floor down lived my childhood friend Mari. The friendship with Mari was the only one that survived space and time. The last time we talked on the phone she was in a lot of pain. She passed away in September 2020. Mari had a deep connection to Leilah and Olivia. I truly miss her. But that's not the story.
Mari had an older sister, Zsuzsa. When Zsuzsa was a new bride and didn't feel like cooking, she went to the bakery and bought a dozen pozsonyi kifli. When hubby came home from work she said she was too tired to cook: baking the pozsonyi took all her energy. It's not that difficult to make pozsonyi. But the husband didn't know that. Take this story with a grain of salt. Zsuzsa told somebody and somebody told Mari and Mari told me. Haha I never made pozsonyi without recalling the story of Tormássy Zsuzsa and the pozsonyi.
POZSONY NUT CRESCENTS
Pastry:
3-1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup icing sugar
1/2 tsp instant yeast
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup + 3 Tbsp cold butter
2 egg yolks
1/4 cup sour cream
Filling:
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup icing sugar
1/2 tsp instant yeast
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup + 3 Tbsp cold butter
2 egg yolks
1/4 cup sour cream
Filling:
2 cups ground walnuts
1/2 cup sugar
1/8 cup hot milk
Glaze:
1/2 cup sugar
1/8 cup hot milk
Glaze:
2 egg whites, lightly beaten
1 egg yolk, lightly beaten
1 egg yolk, lightly beaten
• In a large bowl combine the flour, baking powder, icing sugar, instant yeast and the salt.
• Chop the cold butter into small bits and add to the flour mixture.
• With clean hands rub the butter into the flour until well combined.
• Add the egg yolks and the sour cream.
• Kneed the dough until just smooth and cover with a clean tea towel.
• Let the dough rest for 1/2 hour.
• Meanwhile prepare the walnut filling:
• Bring 1/8 cup of hot milk to boil.
• Gradually add some of the hot milk to the ground walnuts.
• Form 24-26 balls.
• Flatten the dough balls, slightly stretching the two ends.
• Roll them into ovals.
• Slightly beat the egg whites with a fork.
• Brush the egg white around the edge of each oval.
• Set aside the remaining egg white for later use.
• Divide the filling between the ovals.
• Roll up each oval and pinch the edges together.
• Turn the pastries over with the seals down.
• Form crescents and place them on a prepared baking sheet
• Brush the crescents with lightly beaten egg yolk.
• Let the crescents rest on the counter for 45 minutes.
• When the egg yolk is no longer tacky, brush the tops with egg white.
• Move the baking sheet with the crescents into the fridge and chill for 45 minutes.
• Remove crescents from the fridge and poke [the sides] of each crescent three times with a toothpick.
• Bake the crescents in a preheated oven at 375F until golden brown.
