I first saw this pastry in Gasztroangyal, a Hungarian series presenting our country’s regions and traditional foods. The recipe’s original name was twisted challah (sodort kalács), but the German grandmother of the lady, who made this delicious pastry in the video, was unable to pronounce the word ‘sodort’, she called it ‘csotros’ instead.
I diverged from the original recipe because it calls for 500 g / 1 lb of honey (no, it’s not a typo). I spread less honey on the top of the cake and simplified the baking process. Feel free to use more sugar and/or honey if you prefer a sweeter taste.
Ingredients:
- 500 g (~4 cups) flour
- 25 g (~2 1/2 tsp dry yeast) fresh yeast
- 300 ml (~1 1/4 cups) milk
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 tbps sugar
- 50 g (~4 tbsp) melted butter
- pinch of salt
- 5-6 tbsp honey
- 80 g (~1 cup) ground walnuts
Combine yeast, 1/2 tablespoon of sugar, a tablespoon of flour and 200 ml of lukewarm milk in a small bowl. Set aside until the yeast starts to foam.
Sift the flour in a large bowl. Add egg yolks, 1 1/2 tablespoon of sugar, salt, rest of the milk, melted butter and the activated yeast. Using dough hooks knead the dough until smooth and pliable. Cover and let it rise in a warm place until it doubles in size.
After dough has risen, knead gently on a floured surface and roll it out into a 2,5 cm / 1 inch thick rectangle. Cut the rectangle into 2,5 cm / 1 inch wide strips. Scatter 1-2 tablespoons of sugar on the pastry board, roll out each strip on the sugared board to make them a little bit longer and twist each end of the strip in the opposite direction to get a wavy surface.
Place the strips in a baking pan lined with parchment paper, starting from the middle to form a spiral shape. Allow sufficient space between strips as they will rise. Spread honey on top, then sprinkle ground walnuts evenly.
Let the dough rest for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 200°C/392°F. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.
