Name: Hungarian Croissant - Kifli
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 1 h
Ingredients: 350g flour; 250 ml milk; 25g fresh yeast; 25g butter; 1 tsp sugar; 1 tsp salt; approx 1 Tbsp water or milk (for the glaze); approx 1 Tbsp butter (for the pan); approx 1 Tbsp flour (for the pan)

Hungarian Croissant - Kifli

18 Apr 2016

by Emese

Prep Time

40 minutes

Cook Time

20 minutes

Total Time

1 hour

Background

Kifli is a staple food in Hungary. Its shape, the crescent moon, is a reference to the victory over the Ottoman Empire who occupied the country for 150 years. The name kifli can be translated to "croissant", although it's not made of a pastry but a yeast dough. So it's eaten as a bread roll and also used to make sandwiches and puddings. This recipe is a traditional one, so it requires fresh yeast, which you can get in Polish food stores or online if you live in the UK.

Ingredients

350g flour
250 ml milk
25g fresh yeast
25g butter
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
approx 1 Tbsp water or milk (for the glaze)
approx 1 Tbsp butter (for the pan)
approx 1 Tbsp flour (for the pan)

Instructions

Mix all the ingredients and knead for about 15-20 minutes. At first the dough will be quite sticky, but after 10 minutes it should be elastic and come away from the edge of the bowl and your fingers. If not, add a bit more flour, little by little.
When the dough is ready, divide it into two, then roll them out on a lightly floured work surface to 5mm thickness.
Cut each sheet into four, then one by one, roll them out as thinly as possible.
Starting from the widest point, roll each one up into a croissant shape, forming a crescent moon.
Grease and flour a baking tray. Place them in the tray, allowing plenty of space between them to double in size. Using a silicon brush, brush the tops with milk or water. Let them prove for about 15-20 minutes, whilst the oven heats up.
Now turn on the oven to 200°C.
Put another tray, filled with water, on the bottom shelf.
Bake the kifli rolls for 15-20 minutes until golden.
Let them cool on a wire rack.

Tips

This is the basic, traditional recipe - you can sprinkle the kifli with caraway seeds, sesame seeds, coarse salt, poppy-seeds etc. before baking.
In Hungary it's also popular to sprinkle granulated sugar on the top and eaten with tea or coffee for breakfast
I like putting raisins, dried cranberries, cherries or chocolate bits in the dough too!
The most popular kifli in Hungary is the vajas kifli, which has more butter in the dough.