Kürtőskalács

Kürtőskalács (Hungarian Chimney Cake)

A sweet, yeasted dough spiralled around a wooden spit, rolled in sugar and slowly baked until the outside caramelises into a crisp, golden shell — traditionally cooked over coals at Hungarian Christmas markets and eaten warm, dusted with cinnamon or ground walnuts.

Prep

30 min

Cook

25 min

Total

55 min

Serves

6

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •500 g (1 lb 2 oz) plain (all-purpose) flour
• •50 g (¼ cup) caster (granulated) sugar, for the dough
• •7 g (1 packet (2¼ tsp)) instant (fast-action) dry yeast
• •1 tsp fine sea salt
• •240 ml (1 cup) warm whole milk, around 38 °C / 100 °F
• •2 whole large eggs, lightly beaten
• •60 g (¼ cup) unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
• •1 tsp vanilla extract
• •1 tsp lemon zest, finely grated; optional but traditional
• •120 g (½ cup) caster (granulated) sugar, for the caramelised coating
• •2 tsp ground cinnamon, for dusting
• •80 g (1 cup) walnuts, finely chopped; toasted, for dusting — optional topping

Steps

1. 1 Make the dough: whisk flour, sugar, yeast and salt in a large bowl. Add warm milk, eggs, softened butter, vanilla and lemon zest and mix to a soft dough. Knead on a lightly floured surface for 8–10 minutes until smooth and elastic, or 6 minutes in a stand mixer with a dough hook.
2. 2 First rise: shape into a ball, place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover and leave in a warm spot for 60–75 minutes, or until roughly doubled in size.
3. 3 Make the cinnamon sugar coating: on a wide plate combine the 120 g caster sugar with the ground cinnamon. Spread the chopped walnuts on a second plate.
4. 4 Shape the dough: knock back the risen dough and divide into 6 equal pieces (about 130 g each). Roll each piece on a clean surface into a rope roughly 60 cm long and 1 cm thick, tapering slightly at one end.
5. 5 Prepare the spits: grease each wooden spit (or dowel) thinly with softened butter. Wrap each dough rope around a spit by laying the thicker end on the spit and rolling it down the length in slightly overlapping spirals, pressing the tapered end to seal so it doesn't unravel.
6. 6 Second rise: place the rolled spits on a tray, cover with a tea towel and prove for 20–25 minutes, until visibly puffy.
7. 7 Roll to coat: hold each proved spit horizontally over the cinnamon sugar and roll it slowly so the dough is evenly coated on all sides.
8. 8 Cook over coals (traditional): set up a medium-low fire of hardwood charcoal and wait until the coals are glowing and covered in a thin layer of white ash. Hold each spit over the heat about 15–20 cm above the coals and turn continuously — a steady pace, roughly one rotation every 2–3 seconds — for 12–15 minutes. The sugar will melt, the dough will turn deep golden, and a crisp caramelised crust will form.
9. 9 Oven substitution: if you don't have coals or a spit, shape the dough as above, bake on parchment at 200 °C (400 °F) / gas mark 6 for 18–22 minutes on a flat baking sheet, then brush generously with melted butter and roll in cinnamon sugar while still hot. Note: the result is a flat, bun-like kürtőskalács rather than the traditional hollow chimney.
10. 10 Finish: while the cake is still on the spit, roll it again in cinnamon sugar and/or toasted chopped walnuts so the hot caramel grabs the topping. Slide off the spit and serve immediately — kürtőskalács is eaten warm, when the shell is crisp and the inside is soft and pulling apart in steamy threads.
11. 11 Doneness cues: the crust should be a deep, even amber and sound hollow when tapped; the inside should register at least 90 °C (195 °F) on an instant-read thermometer poked into the thickest part — pale, gummy dough means it needs more time.