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Rohalyky

Rohalyky (рогалики): small sour-cream crescent cookies rolled around plum jam or walnuts

Around Christmas and Easter, tins of rohalyky pile up on the sideboards of Ivano-Frankivsk and Ternopil: little horns of tender dough wrapped around thick plum butter or sugared walnuts, then buried in icing sugar. The dough is made with sour cream and lots of butter, so it bakes flaky and light rather than crunchy, and the filling stays sticky inside. They keep for a week in a tin and are offered to every guest with tea or coffee. Where most people go wrong is using runny jam, which bubbles out and burns on the tray; you need very thick povydlo-style plum butter or a jam that holds its shape on a spoon. Chef's tip: keep half the dough in the fridge while you roll the other half; warm dough tears and the crescents lose their neat layers.
Total time
75 min
Difficulty
medium
Serves
16
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Ingredients

Serves16

For the dough

  • 10 ½ oz plain flourplus extra for rolling
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 7 oz buttercold, diced
  • 5 ½ oz sour creamthick

For the fillings

To finish

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Method

0/6 done
  1. Step 1: Mix 10 ½ oz plain flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 1 tbsp sugar and 1 pinch salt. Rub in 7 oz butter until only pea-sized pieces remain, then add 5 ½ oz sour cream and press into a smooth dough. Divide in two, wrap and chill for 30 minutes.

    35 min
  2. Step 2: Stir 2 ⅞ oz walnuts with 2 tbsp sugar and ½ tsp ground cinnamon for the nut filling. Heat the oven to 350°F (325°F fan) and line two trays with baking paper.

    3 min
  3. Step 3: On a floured surface roll one piece of dough into a 28 cm circle about 3 mm thick and cut it like a pizza into 16 wedges.

    5 min
  4. Step 4: Put half a teaspoon of 4 oz thick plum butter (povydlo) on the wide end of half the wedges and a pinch of the nut filling on the rest, then roll each one up from the wide end towards the point and curve it into a crescent. Repeat with the second piece of dough.

    15 min
  5. Step 5: Arrange point-side down on the trays and bake for 18–20 minutes, until puffed and golden on the bottom and pale gold on top.

    20 min
  6. Step 6: While still warm, roll the rohalyky in 1 ⅜ oz icing sugar, then cool on a rack and dust again once cold.

    5 min

Nutrition per serving

Calories
190 kcal
Protein
2 g
Carbs
19 g
Fat
12 g
Fibre
1 g

Nutrition values are estimates.

K
Recipe by

KrazyBadal

All recipes by this chef →

Good to know

How long does rohalyky take?
About 75 minutes in total: 45 minutes to prepare and 30 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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