Hamantashen (Hamentaschen, Hamantaschen, etc)-Yeast Risen

If you prefer the cake/cookie type click here:
http://eattheblog.blogspot.com/2010/02/hamentaschen.html

I kept it simple this year doing only one flavor of filling. In years past, I'd do prune, and apricot as well but in the end the mohn (poppyseed) would disappear first, and I'd end up eating the prune ones. make the filling the day before (or several) as it keeps well, and needs to be well chilled before using. The recipe I used does not have you soak and then grind the seeds-but do it anyway. The texture is nicer, and while I can't guarantee it won't stick in your teeth, it will be less painful should it happen. I soaked mine overnight, strained it reserving the liquid, and then ground t in the food processor before continuing on with the recipe. More cleaning up, I suppose, but worth it in my opinion.


I used the recipe in Taste of Tradition by Ruth Sirkis

You Will Need:

Filling:

1 1/2 cups poppy seeds
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon butter
3 tablespoons raisins (I chopped these)4 tablespoons honey
4 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon  grated lemon rind

Boil the milk, sugar, and poppy seed. Reduce to a simmer and cook until milk is absorbed. Stir in remaining ingredients. Chill well before using.

Dough:

1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup warm milk
1 cake fresh yeast (I substituted 2 1/4 teaspoons granulated dry yeast)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
4-5 cups plain flour
2 large eggs at room temp
1/4 cup very soft butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon rind, grated
2 drops food colouring (I skipped this)

Combine the yeast and water. Stir to dissolve. Stir in the milk, sugar, salt, and 2 cups of the flour. Let stand 10 minutes. With a hand mixer, add the eggs, butter, extract, and rind. Mix well for a few minutes to develop the gluten. By hand, stir in enough remaining flour to make a workable dough, but resist the urge to add too much thus making it dry. The dough should be elastic, and not sticky, but it shouldn't be hard to knead.

Place dough in an oiled bowl, turn once to coat, then cover and let rise until doubled-about 2 hours. Punch down dough, knead briefly, then return to the bowl for a second rise of 45 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Grease a couple baking sheets.

Roll the dough to 1/8 thickness (if you can-don't worry if it comes out 1/4). I used a wide-mouth canning jar band, but a coffee mug will do (or a large biscuit cutter) to cut the circles. Place a bit of filling in the centre, and pinch into triangles. You can brush the edges with egg if you wish, but I rather like the way they split open a bit, and if you are making several fillings, it helps identify them. Place on baking sheets leaving about 2 inches between. At this point you may brush them with an egg wash, or a bit of milk or cream (I did cream). Bake 15 minutes, rotate pan, and bake another 10-12, or until golden. Cool on racks. You can make these larger or smaller. They freeze well, and re-heat nicely in the oven, but they will not last long otherwise. They are best eaten within a day or two at most.