Túrós Béles
12-14
servings
Dessert
Course
Print Recipe
Ingredients
Directions
Ingredients
2 lb
white all-purpose flour
2 tbsp
dry yeast
1 lb
sour cream
2
sticks butter
4 tbsp
sugar
1 tsp
salt
Filling
1 lb
cottage or ricotta cheese
2
egg yolks
6 tbsp
powdered sugar
Zest of one lemon
1 c
raisins soaked in rum for 10 minutes*
Strain the raisins, and do not add the rum to the filling mixture
*Show Note
1 tbsp
vanilla extract
1 tbsp
cinnamon
4 oz
chopped walnuts
Topping
2
egg yolks
Powdered sugar
This recipe for Hungarian yeast pastry envelopes filled with sweet cheese was sourced from a late mother’s visit in a dream.
Directions
- Start with the dough: Put the sour cream, half a stick of butter, the sugar, and the salt in a pot, mix, and heat slightly.
- Put the flour and yeast in a big bowl, make a well in the middle, and pour in the warm sour cream mixture. Knead well, powder with some extra flour, and leave to rise for an hour.
- Heat oven to 350 degrees.
- Divide dough in three. Roll one third to a thin leaf, smear with the remaining butter (make sure it is soft), fold in two, and roll again. Repeat twice and then do the same with the other parts of the dough.
- Make the filling: Mix all ingredients (except for the rum the raisins soaked in) well.
- Make the túrós béles: Cut the leaves of dough to 2-by-2-inch squares. Put one tsp of filling in the center of each square. Fold the four corners of each square to the center, to form the shape of a little envelope, and pinch tightly so the envelope will not open.
- Transfer envelopes to large baking pans lined with baking paper. Brush with the yolks, mixed with a little water.
- Bake for about half an hour, until golden.
- Take out of oven and dust liberally with powdered sugar.
- Serve at room temperature.
Gil Hovav
Gil Hovav is an Israeli author and TV presenter. He was born in Jerusalem in 1962 and lives in Tel Aviv with his partner and their daughter. One of his memoirs, Candies from Heaven, was published in English.