Chimney Cake/Kürtőskalács is a spit cake made with yeast dough (raised dough), wrapped around baking spit, and rolled in granulated sugar. 
I saw an oven for the first time when I was in Sweden, my mom had never baked a single thing. I thus grew up in a house where baking was an unknown art. The first real thing I baked was banana bread with help of one of our family friend. Because hubby loves banana bread, I ventured into baking bread; and my first bread was a brick, very thick, and not edible. After years of doing very mistake possible and rectifying them the yeast and me are friends, we like each others companion. I thus joined “Daring Bakers Challenge” in 2009. It has helped me to learn lot of new dishes and techniques. Today I am proud to host this month “Daring Bakers Challenge”, and for this I choose two recipes, chimney cake or Kürtőskalács, other is Ensaimda.
Since I have learned something from every challenge, I wanted to try a traditional recipes but one new for the challenge. So when I came across this Kürtőskalács aka chimney cake, a traditional Hungarian wedding pastry, I got hooked. Some of you may have memories associated with this pastry as it is one of the most traditional as well as important street foods in Eastern European countries. In the small villages of Hungarian-speaking regions in Romania, more predominantly the Székely land, Romania, families prepare this delicious pastry for every special occasion (weddings, christenings) the way they learned it from previous generations. Grandmothers wake up in the early morning to knead the fresh yeast dough and fire up the brick oven at the back of the house. By the time the wood is smoldering, the dough is ready to be wrapped around a wooden cylinder, rolled into sugar and slowly baked on the fire. Traditionally it is made on a grill or brick oven; nowadays it is made in electric oven.
Another coiled treat is the famous Spanish coiled breakfast pastry Ensaimda, a pastry from Majorca, Spain. Even though the traditional recipe uses lard, I used butter here without a filling. First yeast dough is rolled out until extremely thin, butter is spread on one side and the dough is rolled into a rope and then shaped into a coil.
Both are brioche kind of yeast dough made it into a sweetened treat. I think I will write about Ensaimda as separate post otherwise this post is going to be huge one. Chimney cake or Kürtőskalács is famous street food as well as common pastry made in the backyard grill. Since I don’t have grill in my hand, I used both baked and roasted version of chimney cake, both turned out be delicious. My kids enjoyed a lot. I used my only one rolling pin which I have it my hand to make chimney cake, if you want you can make wooden spit here is link to make it by yourself. I tried twice and both time it worked like a charm. So don’t worry about putting your rolling pin in the oven.
Here comes the recipe
Yeast
After proofing
Adding flour
Mixing
Smoothie dough ready for fermentation
Roller and foil
Wrap like this
brush with butter
Shape the dough into rectangle
Cut out thin strips like this
Wrap around prepared rolling pin
tightly spread to make it tight
Brush again with butter
roll it in sugar
Bake
After baking
Tap like this to remove from the foil
Chimney Cake/Kürtskalács
Ingredients
- 1¾ cups 8½ oz (240 gm) all-purpose (plain) flour
- 2¼ teaspoons 1 packet (7 gm) active dry yeast OR 2 teaspoons instant yeast OR 14 gm (½ oz) fresh yeast
- 2 tablespoons 1 oz(30 gm) sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon ¾ gm salt
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 3 tablespoons 1½ oz (45 gm) melted butter
- ½ cup 120 ml milk, lukewarm temperature
- For brushing the rolling pin
- melted butter
- sugar
- For the topping:
- Approximately ½ cup 3½ oz (100gm) sugar
- For walnut sugar topping
- About 1 cup 4 oz (115 gm) ground walnuts, mixed with about ½ cup (3½ oz) (100 gm) sugar
- 2 teaspoons 10 ml (¼ oz) (6 gm) cinnamon
Instructions
- If you are using active dry yeast, add ½ teaspoon sugar to lukewarm milk and set aside for 5-10 minutes until it proofs (becomes foamy).
- After proofing
- You can use the other yeast types directly along with the flour.
- In a large bowl combine, flour, sugar and salt. To this add egg, milk, melted butter, and yeast Stir the mixture until it comes together to form a dough, and then knead for about five minutes.
- It will be sticky. Don’t be tempted to add any flour. Grease your hand if needed.
- Transfer to a well greased container
- Allow the dough to rise for 60 minutes at room temperature until doubled in volume
- Prepare the rolling pins by covering them with aluminum foil, do at least two or three layers, to protect the pins from burning in the oven.
- Like pictures above
- Make sure to cover the rolling pins very well. Brush them with melted butter.
- The risen dough after 60 minutes.
- Punch down the dough and divide into 4 equal parts about 4 oz (115 gm) of each.
- On a well floured surface spread one portion of the dough
- Shape into ⅙ inch (4 mm) thick square-shaped sheet.
- Using a pizza cutter cut the dough into a long ribbons of about ½ inch (13 mm) wide.
- Wrap one end of the dough strip around the spit/rolling pin, tucking in the end so the dough doesn’t unwind.
- Keep the dough very thin (under ¼ inch (6 mm)) as you stretch and wind it on the rolling pun. Then roll the whole thing slightly on the counter top to flatten it/press it together.
- Brush with melted butter
- Roll in sugar
- Place in roasting pan and bake in a preheated moderately hot oven 375°F/190?C/gas mark 5 for 25 minutes.
- If using roast function (375 F/190 C) in the oven it will take about 20 minutes.
- If you are grilling (broiling) over the fire cooking time is about six minutes, until it starts to take on a dark golden color. Turn the rolling pin at once least once (or more) throughout baking time to ensure uniform cooking.
- When cake is done roll it in sugar again
- If you are using other toppings brush more butter, then roll the finished cake in the toppings of your choice.
- Tap the mold on a table top to release the cake and set it up right to cool.
- It will release easily like this
Notes
Nutrition
Pin it for later
This is Swathi ( Dr. Ambujom Saraswathy Ph.D) from Zesty South Indian Kitchen who loves to explore cuisines from all over the world. Whenever possible I try to to give an Indian touch to several of the world cuisine, and has weakness for freshly baked bread. All the recipes you see here are created by me and approved after taste-test by my family.
kaveri says
Hey Swathi
We r on a vacation in Prague and I saw these on the streets. I immediately remembered you posting this. I tasted them here and I must say they r delicious and very addictive. Would love to try it st home sometime soon
Kate @The Semisweet Sisters says
Those look amazing! I've never seen Chimney Cake's before!
Reeni says
I can't believe you didn't have an oven growing up because you are such a talented baker! This is proof of that! These are gorgeous!
Mireille says
this is such a unique recipe
Gloria says
Awesome looking chimney cake.. You have explained each step so well dear.. I will soon try this..
Kanchi says
Wow.. looks great, I'm sure it tastes great too-:)
Choc Chip Uru says
That is so difficult to make, I love it! You are super talented 😀
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Tandy | Lavender and Lime says
Thank you for hosting such a great challenge! You make the chimney bread look so easy to make 🙂
Susan says
These are really amazing, Swathi. Very intriguing. Your detailed instructions guarantee success.
Priya Srinivasan says
Awesome Swathi!!! Simply superb, i have bookmarked this, but wondering how am i going to do with a belan inside my oven!!! hmm, let me try!!! 🙂 Kudos to your efforts!!!
bhawya says
Wat a brilliant idea u hav implemented on baking it.. absolutely super cool.. I want to be part of ur baking challenge. Few months I enrolled my name for this. But I couldn't participate due to my personal work. How to participate it Again?
beena stephy says
Super recipe
Korena says
Thanks for such a completely novel and tasty challenge Swathi!
Radha says
Wow awesome Recipe...
Babitha costa says
nice shape,will be fun to do this
Rebecca says
Thanks for a great challenge! This was really fun to do. It's always exciting to get to make something I've never heard of before. Keep up the baking!
Evelyn says
Thanks for the wonderful challenge. You did a great job guiding us. I enjoyed every minute of the challenge.
Ronda Chesser Porter says
I have never seen anything that looks quite like this. However, they sound wonderful and look slightly crispy - which I LOVE!
Aara says
This is a wonderful recipe for sure 🙂
traditionallymodernfood says
Kids will love it:-) amazing idea Swathi
Dini @ giramuks kitchen says
Thank you for a fantastic challenge! 🙂 It was so much fun. I will definitely be making the Chimney Cakes soon! The Ensaimada is now one of my husbands favourite things to eat 🙂
Shweta says
Wow, these look super tempting. Loved the detailed steps.
Deepa says
Delicious and wholesome looking baked banana bread. Excellent preparation.
Deepa