I did it! I cooked Thanksgiving lunch for 13 people!! The turkey was spatchcocked (thanks to my brave boyfriend and a pair of poultry shears), the kitchen wasn’t a complete mess and there was enough leftover stuffing to be made into waffles for lunch the next day. HURRAH!
The challah rugelach went down well as pre-lunch snacks for anyone hanging around in the kitchen. They were super easy to make too, they just took a bit of forethought as the dough requires resting overnight in the fridge before baking. They were inspired by the bread-y rugelach I had in New York which Hana introduced me to (pic just above). They weren’t exactly the same but I’ll keep working on the recipe every now and then until I’m happy. For now, here’s the recipe I used, for those who wanted to know!
Ingredients
- 200 ml (roughly 3/4 cup + 2 tbsp) lukewarm water
- a 7g , (1/2 oz) packet active dried yeast
- 50 g (1/4 cup) raw sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 500 g (4 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour
- 60 ml (1/4 cup) vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs
- Filling:
- 100 g (3.6 oz) bittersweet chocolate (70% cocoa solids)
- 100 g (3.6 oz) unsalted butter (see notes)
- 3 tbsp granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
- Glaze , (optional):
- 1 egg , , beaten
- 2 tbsp milk
Instructions
- Mix the water, yeast and sugar in a jug and set aside for 5 minutes.
- In a large bowl place the salt and flour and stir to combine.
- Once the yeast mixture is slightly frothy, beat the vegetable oil and eggs into it then pour into the bowl along with the dry ingredients. Stir together and then beat the mixture (with your hand shaped a bit like a claw) against the sides of the bowl to knead it. Keep kneading/beating the dough in the bowl for about 6-10 minutes - it will be stretchy but still sticky and quite wet! Cover with oiled cling film and leave to rise somewhere warm until doubled in volume (1 to 2 hours). Punch the dough down in the bowl, cover with the clingfilm and leave in the fridge overnight.
- In the morning punch the dough down and turn out onto a clean work surface lightly dusted with flour. Divide the dough into 8 balls.
- Make the filling: melt together the chocolate and butter over a low heat in a small saucepan. Once it's just melted, take it off the heat and stir in the sugar and cocoa powder. Set aside.
- Take one ball of dough, roll it out into a circle which is around 5mm thick. Spread the filling over the surface of the dough in a light layer. Cut the dough up into 12 wedges (like a pizza). Take one wedge and roll it up starting at the base of the triangle so it looks like a mini croissant. Place onto a baking tray lined with baking paper - repeat with the rest of the wedges. Set them aside to prove for 15 minutes while you preheat the oven to 180 C (350 F).
- Brush the rugleach with a mixture of beaten egg and milk using a pastry brush (if desired) and then bake for 9-12 minutes. Transfer baked rugelach to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Repeat the rolling, filling, cutting, shaping and baking with the rest of the dough balls.
- Baked rugelach will keep best in a sealed container for up to 3 days but they're best the day they're made.
Notes
I’m not one to comment on posts, but I just wanted to mention how much I appreciate this one! I’ve been on the hunt — searching & testing recipes — for a good yeast rugelach . Unlike most bakeries in NY, rugelach in Israel are on the bread end of the “bready” vs. “flakey” spectrum. Save for Breads bakery, whose rugelach taste more like a mini babka, I haven’t seen many people use recipes like this. Anyway, if you’re going to tinker with the recipe, I would definitely recommend treating the dough like you would a croissant, and laminating it before filling & rolling.
Ooh thanks for the tip! I will try laminating the dough next time 🙂 The ones I had were from some bakery on the Lower East side – they came in a bag of about 30 rugelach and were yeasty and ever so slightly flakey
<3 <3 <3
can I make 96 and eat them all myself
Uh yes I think that’s okay
Yeeeeessss!
Hooray for a successful Thanksgiving! I ate my weight in leftovers alone last week. Aaaaaaand now I want to do it again but with this rugelach.
This is definitely a labor of love. Baking is such a tricky thing. Anyway I applaud you for trying and the determination to make it better each time.
These look delish and what a perfect addition to your holiday menu! I have to try to remember to make these. Hello perfect Chiristmas breakfast!
YASS I LOVE YOU!!! Cannot wait to try these. What is this LES bakery you speak of? I’m going to have it hit it up during my next trip to NYC!
I just recently tried Rugelach (at a Fairway market in NYC) and fell in LOVE! I definitely want to try your recipe now. Thanks for sharing!
Whoa. Just like fat cinnamon rolls and rugelach all in one! I LOVE it!
These look absolutely delicious! xx
These sound so lovely. And I’m so glad that the Thanksgiving dinner went well!
Wow! These sound out of this world. I can’t wait to try!