Trdelník: Slovak chimney cakes with walnuts and cinnamon

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1. Dissolve the yeast in the warm milk, cover with a kitchen towel, and let stand for 5 minutes.

2. Melt the butter, pour it into a bowl, and let cool. In another bowl, beat the egg yolks with half the sugar. Add them to the butter, then pour in the milk and yeast mixture.

3. Sift the flour with a pinch of salt. Gradually add it to the mixture, stirring constantly to minimize lumps. Knead into a dough and let rest in a warm place for 30 minutes.

4. While the dough rises, grind the walnuts in a blender and mix them with the remaining sugar and cinnamon.

   Wrap cardboard cylinders in aluminum foil or plastic wrap and coat them all over with oil.

5. Divide the dough into 8 pieces. Roll each piece into a rope 1.5 cm thick and wrap it around a cylinder. Brush the dough with lightly beaten egg whites and sprinkle with the walnut and cinnamon mixture. Rest the cylinders across the edges of a baking pan so they do not touch the bottom, and bake at 180°C (350°F) for 25–30 minutes.

6. Serve trdelník hot, as in Slovakia, or cooled and sprinkled with chocolate, as it is also served in Hungary. For the coating, use anything fine enough to stick to the crisp caramel.

   Tip: You can also buy trdelník molds in stores.

   

Tip: Wrap the rope of dough tightly around the cylinder, with each coil touching the next so they join during baking. Rotate the cylinders several times during baking so the trdelník browns evenly all around.

This recipe was translated from the Slovak original: Slovenský trdelník s orechmi a škoricou ako z trhov