Kurtoskalacs (Chimney Cake)
Sweet yeasted dough wound around a spit and roasted over open coals until crackling and caramelized in sugar — created by the Szekely Hungarian community of Transylvania, in what is now Romania, first recorded in a 1784 cookbook.
Vegetarian
⚠ Contains: Gluten, Dairy, Egg, Tree Nut. Always check your own ingredients — this isn't a guarantee for severe allergies.
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 1/4 tsp instant yeast
- 1/2 cup warm milk
- 1/4 cup butter, melted
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup sugar, for coating
- Chopped walnuts or cinnamon, for topping (optional)
Steps
- Dissolve the yeast in the warm milk with a pinch of the sugar and let sit 5 minutes until foamy.
- Mix the flour, remaining sugar, salt, eggs, melted butter, and yeast mixture into a smooth, slightly sticky dough. Cover and let rise for 1 hour.
- Divide the dough into strips and wrap each strip in a spiral around a greased wooden or metal roasting spit, slightly overlapping the edges.
- Roll the wrapped dough in sugar to coat evenly.
- Roast over hot charcoal or in a very hot oven, rotating constantly, until the sugar caramelizes and the dough is golden and cooked through, about 15-20 minutes.
- Slide off the spit, and while still warm, roll in chopped walnuts or cinnamon sugar if desired.