Homemade Nutella filled rugelach pastries

בס"ד

 

I made this homemade rugelach recipe with a brioche-style dough containing butter, milk, and a whole lot of Nutella filling. And the result? Amazing!
Well, almost. The taste is perfect, even if you fail at rolling the dough thinly. This rugelach comes out super delicious thanks to the rich dairy dough.
So why did I say they are nearly perfect? Continue reading below.

 

The dough of this rugelach is quite similar to the one I used in the pesto filled brioche. I made a few small changes, and I got this superb dough, which you can make from it more than just rugelach.
I will try to publish more recipes with it soon but meanwhile, enjoy this delicious dairy rugelach pastries.

This rugelach is not to be confused with rugelach cookies. Rugelach cookies, which many may be familiar from Ina Garten's rugelach, are made without yeast and basically resemble a cookie, but these ones - rugelach pastries - are the real deal!
They have a bit of a crunchy exterior and a wonderfully soft interior.

 

Rugelach is of the Jewish Ashkenazi cuisine. This odd word "rugelach" is pronounced "Rug-a-lah" in Yiddish, but in Israel, we pronounce it "Rog-ah-lah." I've seen that "rog" means "ray" in different languages, but if you pronounce it as we do in Israel, it means "calm for you," and you know a good pastry makes you calm and relaxed, am I right?

So why did I write nearly perfect about the rugelach?
Well, some of them opened during baking and lost their form. Don't get me wrong; the opened rugelach was still outstanding. Just a bit odd, haha.

I filled this rugelach with Nutella, but you can, of course, fill them with whatever filling you prefer. Keep this recipe, especially when wintertime is almost here.
It's so enjoyable munching fresh, tasty rugelach pastries you made on your own when it's pouring outside, alongside a cup of coffee or tea. And to be honest, even on a hot summer day, it's perfect to have a rugelach near me :-)

 

 

A few things before we get started:

*The rugelach taste better when they're out of the oven, but you can enjoy them a couple of days later too. All you need to do is warm them in the microwave for a few seconds, so they'll get a bit of their freshness back.

*Can you make this rugelach parve (non-dairy)? This recipe is a dairy version of rugelach. I haven't tried making them non-dairy, and I actually don't recommend making them non-dairy because that's their charm. But, you still want to make then non-dairy? Then there shouldn't be a problem to substitute the milk for water and the butter for margarine and, of course, the Nutella to a non-dairy hazelnut spread.

*Can you use other fillings than Nutella? Of course.  You can fill with any filling you prefer.

*Yeasted dough can be hard to work with sometimes. If you want to make braids for challah or buns or just need to roll the dough thinly, It is recommended to let the dough rest for a few minutes between each process. When you knead a dough, you form a gluten net. This form gives the dough its elasticness. But that same gluten needs, often, a rest. If you handle the dough a lot, it will shrink. If you see that the dough is hard to handle and shrinks, let it rest a bit, and continue from where you stopped.

Have you made the recipe? Then don't forget to share with me on my Instagram, Facebook, or in the comments section down below.
You can also try this other sweet recipe of pampering non-dairy yeast cake or this Georgian salty treat of khachapuri Atzruli pastry.

 

 

 

Nutella filled rugelach/recipe: con delight
I measured using universal cups and spoons
Ingredients for about 52 rugelach:
For the dough:
1/2 kilo white flour, sifted (500 grams/1.1 pounds)
1 Tbsp. dry yeast
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup sugar
2 L eggs
100 gram (3.5 oz.) butter, melted (you don't need to melt it entirely. See video)
2/3 cup milk

Filling:
Nutella or another favorite spread

Coating:
1 L egg yolk
1 Tablespoon milk

Brush after baking:
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup water

Preparation:
Mix in the mixer's bowl the flour and yeast using a spoon. Add the sugar and salt and mix again. Add the liquids: butter, eggs, and milk and start kneading for 10 minutes.
You will get a smooth, elastic dough. Transfer to a greased bowl, and grease the dough from each side. Cover with nylon wrap and let rise for about 45 minutes to an hour. Rising time in winter may vary.

Once the dough has risen, transfer to a working surface and knead it to let air bubbles out. Divide into two parts—one set on the working surface, and the other return to the mixing bowl.
Start rolling the dough as thin as possible. Cut a rectangle and now roll it again since the cut shrank the dough a bit.

Spread Nutella generously and cut the dough in half horizontally, making two smaller equal rectangles. Cut each rectangle into triangles (see video), and roll each triangle to a tiny rugelach. Place on a baking tray with baking paper, where the rugelach open edge is at the bottom.
Do so with the second dough and with the leftovers we had from cutting a rectangle. It is harder to make rugelach from the leftovers, but it's worth not throwing good dough and getting more delicious rugelachs. Brush with the egg and milk mixture. Let rise for about 30-40 minutes.

Preheat oven to 180C/356F, turbo.
Once the rugelach are done rising, bake in the middle rack of the oven for 20-25 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare the sugar syrup: Heat water and sugar in a pot. Cook for a few minutes until the sugar dissolves. When you see many bubbles formed, that is the time to remove it from the heat. Let cool.

Once the rugelach is out of the oven, brush with the sugar syrup, wait a bit, and indulge in this pampering delight.
After making, I suggest keeping the rugelach in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. And each time you want one, heat it a bit in the microwave, and they will be almost as new.