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Flódni
Four-layer poppy seed and fruit pastry
Flódni: Hungarian-Jewish layered pastry with poppy seed, walnut, apple and plum jam
Four stripes of filling, black poppy seed, golden apple, nutty walnut and dark plum jam, stacked between thin sheets of shortcrust: that is flódni, the Hungarian-Jewish pastry of Budapest's old Jewish quarter around Kazinczy and Dob streets. Jewish families bake it for Purim and Hanukkah, and the bakeries of the seventh district sell it by the slab all year. Each cut slice should be moist, dense and not too sweet, best with a glass of tea or black coffee. Many families make the dough with a little sweet white wine and use margarine so it can follow a meat meal; this version keeps it alcohol-free with grape juice, and you can swap the butter for a firm baking margarine to make it dairy-free. The usual slip is rolling the sheets too thick, so the pastry swamps the fillings; each one should be barely 3 mm. Chef's tip: bake it a day ahead and slice it cold with a hot, wet knife, because the layers settle overnight and cut cleanly.
- Total time
- 150 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 16
Ingredients
For the pastry
- 1 ⅛ lb plain flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 3 ½ oz icing sugar
- 1 pinch salt
- ½ cup white grape juicechilled
For the poppy seed layer
- 7 oz ground poppy seeds
- 2 ⅞ oz caster sugar
- ¾ cup milk
- 1 lemonzest only
For the walnut layer
- 7 oz ground walnuts
- 2 ⅞ oz caster sugar
- 2 tbsp apricot jam
For the apple layer
- 4 tart applespeeled and coarsely grated
- 1 ⅜ oz caster sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
For the plum layer and top
- 10 ½ oz thick plum butter (szilvalekvár)
- 1 eggbeaten, for glazing
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Method
0/11 doneStep 1: Mix the 1 ⅛ lb plain flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 3 ½ oz icing sugar and 1 pinch salt in a bowl. Rub in the 9 oz cold unsalted butter or firm baking margarine with your fingertips until the mixture looks like coarse breadcrumbs.
8 minStep 2: Add the 2 egg yolks and the ½ cup white grape juice and bring it together quickly into a smooth, firm dough without kneading. Divide it into 5 equal pieces (weigh them, about 190 g each), flatten into rectangles, wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
32 minStep 3: Meanwhile make the poppy layer: warm the ¾ cup milk with the 2 ⅞ oz caster sugar in a small pan over a medium heat, stir in the 7 oz ground poppy seeds and the 1 lemon and simmer for 3 minutes, until thick enough to hold a trail. Cool.
5 minStep 4: Mix the 7 oz ground walnuts with the 2 ⅞ oz caster sugar and the 2 tbsp apricot jam; add a spoon of water if it is too stiff to spread.
3 minStep 5: Squeeze the grated 4 tart apples firmly in a clean cloth to remove their juice, then mix with the 1 ⅜ oz caster sugar and 1 tsp ground cinnamon. Wet apple is what makes flódni soggy, so squeeze hard.
5 minStep 6: Heat the oven to 350°F (325°F fan) and line a 20 × 30 cm tin with baking paper, letting it hang over the sides. Roll out one dough piece on a floured sheet of paper to the size of the tin, about 3 mm thick, and lay it in the base.
6 minStep 7: Spread the poppy filling evenly over the base, right to the edges. Roll a second sheet, lay it on top and press lightly.
5 minStep 8: Spread the walnut filling, cover with a third sheet, then the apple, a fourth sheet, then the 10 ½ oz thick plum butter (szilvalekvár). Top with the last sheet and press gently all over so the layers stick.
10 minStep 9: Brush the top with the beaten 1 egg and prick it all over with a fork so steam can escape.
2 minStep 10: Bake for 55–60 minutes, until the top is deep golden and the edges are crisp and pulling away from the tin. Cover loosely with foil after 40 minutes if it browns too fast.
60 minStep 11: Cool completely in the tin, ideally overnight, then lift out by the paper and cut into 16 bars with a hot knife. It keeps for 5 days in a tin.
5 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 390 kcal
- Protein
- 7 g
- Carbs
- 46 g
- Fat
- 20 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does flódni take?
- About 150 minutes in total: 90 minutes to prepare and 60 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 16 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of baking powder?
- ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda + ½ tsp cream of tartar per 1 tsp.
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