Hungarian Nut Roll

Have you heard of a Hungarian Nut Roll? Well I hadn't until a couple of years ago when Megan said it may be a good item to sell in the bakery. For two years, based on the name and an incorrect assumption, I thought the nut roll was a sort of refrigerator cookie, and boy was I wrong! The Hungarian Nut roll is a sweet yeast dough that is rolled into a rectangle and spread with a filling of finely chopped walnuts and sugar, or a sweet poppyseed filling, then rolled up, baked, and sliced.

Megan and I have been practicing with her grandmother's secret Hungarian Nut Roll recipe, and in doing research on nut roll recipes I can say that I have yet to come across duplicate recipes so it seems all grandmothers' recipes are indeed secret! Megan's paternal grandmother, Henrietta Thomas, was known to her sons and grandchildren as Butch (I have loved this since hearing it years ago!) It seems Henrietta was strict, but could bake up a delicious Hungarian Nut Roll! 

Megan and I have been playing around with her grandmother's recipe, and it's been such fun experimenting in the kitchen. Do we stay with the same flour amount, or reduce it? Do we dice the apples or grate them? Do we keep the raisins or toss them? Do we add cinnamon or stick to nutmeg? After many attempts, our friends (and Doug's coworkers) are getting happy and fat!

I'm so excited that these two birds will be offering a traditional recipe from Megan's family. Both she and I have written about the connections of food before, the way our memories are coated in scent and taste; and the smell and taste of the Thomas heritage will be a cozy one indeed.

Here are some of our nut roll attempts. . . .

Hungarian Nut Roll slice and ready to be served

Hungarian Nut Roll just out of the oven

Hungarian Nut Roll with the Optional Icing!

Construction continues on the bakery, and we are getting more and more excited every day to start offering our baked goods to our friends, family, and community!

~ Trilety

Construction Begins

On Monday, March 18th, our general contractor (Kirk Larson of Barry Larson and Son, Inc) started on our renovation project in the old post office on Main Street in Elkhorn. The first day was demolition day. How fun!

Since then, we have had one progress meeting (we will have one of these every two weeks until the end of the project). The progress meetings are attended by Trilety and Barbi and myself, as well as our architect, the general contractor, and any subcontractors involved at that time.

We ran into an issue with the plumbing. It had not been updated to Omaha code since Elkhorn was annexed in 2007. The pipe service was smaller than what is now required (3/4" instead of 1 1/2"). It's not an easy or minor thing to change, and there were no records of its size which is why it was a surprise. So our plumbing will be up to code, which the city really appreciates.

Though it made a lovely office space for Hayes Environmental, it was exciting to see the building in its skeletal state. All existing walls and carpeting and even ceiling had been torn out. Duct work will go into the ceiling, drywall will lay over the new framework, and plumbing fixtures will be installed.

This is estimated to be an 11-week project which will put completion at the beginning of June. At this point there are no major set-backs and we appear to be on schedule. With that said, we understand that set-backs can and often do occur so we'll have to keep you updated on the process.

And of course some photos:

 

Thanks for checking in!

~Megan