WHY I LOVE THIS RECIPE: I keep trying to recreate hamantaschen like we used to buy from Chicago bakeries. I found this recipe from an old The Jewish Festival Cookbook. It is close to how I remember the bakery version. You can smell the fragrant yeast dough as it bakes.
Traditional Yeast Hamantaschen
Ingredients
- 1 envelope dry yeast
- ¼ cup lukewarm milk
- ⅓ cup sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 cup scalded milk
- 2 eggs, slightly beaten
- 1 egg yolk, slightly beaten
- ⅓ cup Solo Filling or Jam
- ¼ cup simple syrup, maple syrup or agave syrup
Instructions
- Dissolve the yeast in the ¼ cup lukewarm milk, making certain that the milk is not too warm.
- Stir in 1 tablespoon of sugar and set aside.
- In a deep mixing bowl, combine the butter, remaining sugar, salt and scalded milk, and stir until all are blended.
- When lukewarm, stir in the yeast.
- Add the eggs and about 2 cups of the flour and beat to a smooth batter. Add remaining flour to make a tender dough.
- Turn out on a floured board and knead for about 2 minutes.
- Grease a large mixing bowl, grease the whole surface of the large ball of dough and place dough in a bowl. Cover.
- Let rise in a warm, not hot, place to double its bulk (Takes from 2-4 hours).
- Again knead on a floured board for about a minute.
- Roll out ⅛ of an inch thick, Cut into3- to 4- inch circles. Place about a teaspoon of filling on each.
- To shape true hamantaschen, pinch edges of the circle together over the filling.
- Then fold over the flap and pinch these edges firmly together.
- Arrange well apart on a greased cooky sheet.
- Cover with a cloth and let rise again in a warm place to double in bulk.
- Brush tops with the egg yolk, thinned with a little water (to make it easier to apply).
- Bake in a moderate oven (350°) for15-20 minutes.
- Brush with simple sugar syrup to make shiny and keep them fresh.
Notes
This recipe is taken from The Jewish Festival Cookbook (circa 1960s) Fannie Engle and Gertrude Blair
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