Mom’s Old-Fashioned Rugelach

This post is sponsored by Red Star Yeast. All opinions are mine alone.

Soft and fluffy mom’s old-fashioned rugelach are always a hit! These yeast leavened rugelach are light and tasty, and you can fill them with anything your heart desires.

So did you know that original rugelach recipe didn’t actually call for cream cheese? It’s true! Cream cheese based rugelach are a modern Americanized version, if you will. But I love those flaky ones nonetheless.

But today I want to share with you my mom’s yeast leavened rugelach recipe. It was a staple in our family, and later in my college dorm too. My college friends know and rave about these little pastries to this day!

By the way, Grant is the latest fan of these gems! He can eat an entire piece all by himself. (Did you catch that on Instagram stories?)

Anyway, if you’re afraid of working with yeast for some reason, don’t you worry. It’s going to be super easy!

I learned to work with yeast from an early age. Thanks to my mom. Growing up I watched her bake homemade breads, rugelach and other goodies with such an ease.

And there’s really nothing to be afraid of. Especially with this recipe. You’ll need a bowl and a wooden spoon. That’s it! Well, even wooden spoon is optional, just use your hands. Plus, it doesn’t require extensive kneading!

The only thing to keep in mind when working with yeast is that yeast thrives in a warm environment. For example, you’re not going to use cold milk here. Warm it up! But not too hot either, or you’ll kill the magic power of yeast.

Today, I’ve partnered up with my favorite yeast brand, Red Star Yeast, to share this recipe with you. It’s truly my go-to yeast brand that I love and trust. Everything bakes nice and fluffy every single time.

I especially love Red Star Platinum yeast, because you’ll notice the superior rise and consistent quality. Also it requires no proofing, easy peasy!

Now here’s the step by step visuals for you to follow along.

Oh and you can fill them with whatever filling your heart desires! Thick jams, nuts, raisins, dried cherries, or combination of jam and nuts. Brown sugar and cinnamon would be great too!

Here I filled mine with Nutella. And if I had some hazelnut, I’d have crushed and sprinkled them as well. You can even have them plain, it’d still be tasty!

Oh how I wish you could just reach in and grab one. Or two! But you’ll just have to make these yourself. Hope you’ll enjoy! And thanks for reading!

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Mom's Old-Fashioned Rugelach

Soft and fluffy mom’s old-fashioned rugelach are always a hit! These yeast leavened rugelach are light and tasty, and you can fill them with anything your heart desires.

Yield: 4 dozen pastries

Ingredients:

For dough:

• 4 cups (500gr) all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup (50gr) sugar
• 1 packet (about 1 ½ teaspoons) Red Star Platinum Superior Baking Yeast
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 ¼ cup (300ml) buttermilk (or milk)
• 1/3 cup (80ml) vegetable, or canola oil

For filling:

• Nutella, or jam, or raisins, or any kind of dried fruit, nuts, whatever your heard desires

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, yeast and salt.
2. Stir in buttermilk (or milk) (NOT hot!) and vegetable oil.
3. Mix until dough ball forms.
4. Transfer the dough on lightly floured surface and knead for a minute to make a smooth ball.
5. Cover with the bowl and let rest for about 30 minutes.
6. Divide the dough into 4 equal parts and knead into smooth balls.
7. Working with each dough ball one at a time, roll them into a thin 11-inch circles.
8. Spread the filling of your choice (about 3-4 tablespoons of Nutella in my case) on each circle, if you want with filling. Then cut it into 12 equal wedges, as if you’re cutting a pizza. (If using dry filling like raisins, place it in the wide end of the wedge.)
9. Roll the triangles into a spiral, not too tight, but not too loose either.
10. Arrange the rolls on a baking sheet, lined with parchment paper or silicone mat.
11. Rest for about 20 minutes to rise.
12. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C).
13. Bake the rugelach for about 20 minutes, or until nice and golden brown.
14. Cool completely before serving.
15. Store cooled pastry in an airtight container for up to 3 days. These also freeze well. To freeze, place the rugelach in a freezer bag and freeze for up to 2 months. Bring it to room temperature before serving.

All images and text ©Shinee D. for Sweet & Savory by Shinee

All photographs and content on Sweet & Savory by Shinee is copyright protected, unless otherwise noted. Please do not use any of my photos without my authorization. If you would like to share my recipe, you may re-write the recipe in your own words, or simply link back to this post for the full directions. Thank you for your cooperation!