How to Make Chocolate Rugelach, a Favorite Jewish Pastry
Rugelach (/ˈruːɡələx/; roo-ge-lahkh; Yiddish: רוגעלך) and Hebrew: רוגלך), other spellings: rugelakh, rugulach, rugalach, ruggalach, rogelach (all plural), rugalah, rugulah, rugala, roogala (singular), is a Jewish pastry of Ashkenazic origin. It is very popular in Israel, commonly found in most cafes and bakeries. It is also a popular treat among American and European Jews.
Traditional rugelach are made in the form of a crescent by rolling a triangle of dough around a filling.Some sources state that the rugelach and the French croissant share a common Viennese ancestor, crescent-shaped pastries commemorating the lifting of the Turkish siege,possibly a reference to the Battle of Vienna in 1683. This appears to be an urban legend however, as both the rugelach and its supposed ancestor, the Kipferl, pre-date the Early Modern era, while the croissant in its modern form did not originate earlier than the 19th century (see viennoiserie). This leads many to believe that the croissant is simply a descendant of one of these two.
An alternative form is constructed much like a strudel or nut roll, but unlike those, the rolled dough and filling are cut into slices before baking
The name is Yiddish, the Jewish language of eastern Europe. The ach ending (ך) indicates plural, while the el (ל) can be a diminutive, as, for example, shtetlekh (שטעטלעך, villages) is the plural of shtetl (שטעטל, village), the diminutive of shtot (שטאָט, town). In this case, the root means something like "twist" so the translation would be "little twists," a reference to the shape of this cookie. In this context, note that rog (ראָג) means "corner" in Yiddish,. In Polish, which influenced (and was in turn influenced by) Yiddish, "róg" can mean "corner", but can also means "horn"—both the kind on an animal and the musical kind. Croissant-shaped pastries, which look like horns, are called in Polish "rogale" pl:Rogal świętomarciński. That word is almost identical in pronunciation and meaning to the Yiddish "rugelach".
Alternatively, some assert that the root is rugel, meaning royal, possibly a reference to the taste. This explanation is in conflict with Yiddish usage, where the word keniglich (קעניגליךּ) is the dominant word meaning royal.
Finally, in modern Hebrew, they are known as roglìt (רוֹגְלִית), a post biblical Hebrew word meaning "trailing vines", though the name rugelach (רוגלך) is still commonly used by Hebrew speakers. The Yiddish word ruglach probably came first. The modern Hebrew is probably a neologism, chosen for its similarity to the Yiddish and its descriptive meaning.
This much-loved Jewish cookie is ubiquitous in Israel nowadays, where varieties range from average pastry at neighborhood grocery stores to gourmet delicacies at the country's best bakeries. This recipe takes the treat up a notch.
Rugelach, a much-loved Jewish pastry, is ubiquitous in Israel nowadays, where varieties range from merely-average cookies sold at neighborhood grocery chains to gourmet delicacies at the country’s best bakeries.
This lightly yeasted pastry has its roots in the Ashkenazi communities of Eastern Europe, where it was made with traditional fillings such as fruit jams, poppy seed or nuts. From there, it followed Hungarian and Polish Jewish immigrants to Israel and the United States.
But the versions prepared in each country diverged. American bakers, in the name of convenience, substituted a sour-cream or cream-cheese dough in place of the yeast dough.
Professional Israeli bakers, on the other hand, took the pastry up a notch – making an all-out laminated yeast dough just like that used for croissants, with many thin layers of butter.
While rugelach is popular year-round, it's also traditional to eat it over Hanukkah, along with the fried foods eaten for the holiday.
The secret to bakery-quality rugelach is just a little advance planning. Leave yourself extra time, in order to make the dough a day in advance, and let the dough rest as needed between steps. This makes the dough more manageable and pliable, which is necessary when you’re rolling it out into the fine, butter-filled layers that give these pastries their lovely texture.
Auntie Eddie Kaplan Wacks's Rugalach Recipe:
After my folks abandoned me for Israel the for Kaplan sisters ( my father's first cousin) alternated in inviting me for Friday night dinner . The youngest Anita Kaplan Dubowitz relied entirely on her wonderful maid and companion and the meals tended to be Chicken Pies and deserts indigenous to the Cape Coloured Community , Sylvia Kaplan Schiff's roast were excellent and always to perfection. Auntie Lakey Kavalsky meals tened to be fish and always milkadik.Dinning with her was as close as I have got to dinning with Elizabeth R at one of her state Banquets. Her home was filled with antiques and she had a quite elegance unmatched by any of her sisters especially Aunt Eddie Kaplan Wacks who loved to bobamise with a down to earth lack of tact...... farible updates she narrated with excellence and spice, always adding new twists. But it was the seating arrangement that I always found most amusing. there was the large adult table where she , her hubby and son and daughter-in-law Leslie and Rhona wacks sat and there was the bridge table where I was directed and sat with her grandkids Samara and Rael Wacks ( a decade or more younger than me) sat. I , the in my late 20's used to ponder whether entrance to the adult table was 30, 35, or 40.
So one Thursday she canceled me without a bobmise that would lead to a small fabrible with her but then said she was baking a fresh batch of rogalach and I should pop in and get so. I did and between telling me about bridgehands and sending garooses to my folks and sister Leah, Lena, Lousiana , Lacey, Lala but any never remembering her name was actually Lesleigh ( the same as her only son) , I got the Kaplan Heritage Recipe for rugalach.
Recipe Makes 20-24 rugelach pastries.
Ingredients
For the rugelach dough:
2 cups flour
2 tbsp sugar
1/4 teaspoon yeast
1 large egg at room temperature
1/4 cup softened butter (50 grams(
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup milk
For folding the dough:
100 grams softened butter (1/2 cup)
For the rugelach filling:
1/4 cup chocolate
1/4 cup softened butter (50 grams)
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
For the glaze:
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons water
Directions
Ideally, start a day before you plan to make the rugelach. Put flour in a bowl. Add yeast, sugar, softened butter, egg and milk. Mix to form a dough. Add a bit more flour or milk if needed, a teaspoon at a time, until the dough comes together as a soft, but not sticky, ball. Knead for a few minutes, and then set aside. Wrap in plastic.
Let the dough rest in the refrigerator for a minimum of one hour, but ideally overnight.
On the day you want to make the rugelach, preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit).
Take out the dough, and let the butter soften until room temperature. Lightly flour a large work surface. Roll out the dough into a large rectangle. Spread evenly with the butter, leaving the edges clean. Fold into thirds (left and right), and then fold into thirds again (top and bottom). Re-wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
In the meanwhile, make the filling: Put the chocolate and butter in a microwave-safe bowl, and microwave for 30 seconds, until it starts to melt. Mix in the sugar and cocoa until smooth. ( the original recipe was melt in a dish on the stove)
Take the dough out of the fridge, and roll it out into a long rectangle about 30 centimeters (12 inches) deep and 3 millimeters (1/8 inch) thick. Spread with the filling, leaving the edges clean. Fold in half lengthwise, so that the rectangle becomes a long strip about 15 centimeters (6 inches) deep. Roll out lengthwise a bit more, until the dough is close to 3 millimeters (1/8 inch) thick again.
Using a sharp knife, cut the dough into elongated, 15-centimeter (6-inch) long triangles with bases of 6-7 centimeters (2 inches). Starting at the base of each triangle, roll into a croissant shape. Arrange finished rugelach on a baking sheet covered with baking paper.
Place the rugelach in the oven, and bake until lightly golden, 20-25 minutes.
While the rugelach are baking, prepare the syrup: Bring sugar and water to a boil in a small saucepan.
When rugelach are golden, remove from the oven and brush with syrup.
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