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Kakaós csiga

Kakaós csiga: soft yeast snails swirled with buttery cocoa sugar

Walk into any Hungarian bakery at seven in the morning and the window will hold trays of kakaós csiga, cocoa snails, glossy on top and dark-striped inside. Children eat them on the way to school with a carton of chocolate milk, and office workers grab one with a coffee. The dough is soft and milky, rolled up with butter, cocoa and sugar so the swirl turns fudgy and slightly sticky; a brush of syrup after baking keeps them shiny and moist for a day. Where most people go wrong is spreading the filling on too-warm dough, which tears; let the risen dough rest for a few minutes after rolling. Chef's tip: roll the dough up from the long side quite tightly and cut with dental floss or a very sharp knife, so the snails keep their round shape.
Total time
120 min
Difficulty
medium
Serves
12
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Ingredients

Serves12

For the dough

For the filling

For the glaze

  • 1 ¾ oz caster sugar
  • 3 ½ tbsp water

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What you'll need

Fresh ingredients (3)

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Method

0/8 done
  1. Step 1: Stir the ¼ oz fast-action dried yeast into the 1 cup milk. Mix the 1 ⅛ lb strong white bread flour, 1 ¾ oz caster sugar and ½ tsp salt in a bowl, add the milk and the 1 egg and knead for 8 minutes, until smooth.

    10 min
  2. Step 2: Knead in the soft 2 ½ oz unsalted butter until the dough is shiny and elastic. Cover and leave in a warm place for 1 hour, until doubled.

    60 min
  3. Step 3: Mix the 1 ⅜ oz unsweetened cocoa powder with the 3 ½ oz caster sugar.

    1 min
  4. Step 4: Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface into a 40 × 30 cm rectangle and rest it for 5 minutes. Spread with the 2 ⅞ oz unsalted butter right to the edges and scatter evenly with the cocoa sugar.

    8 min
  5. Step 5: Roll it up tightly from a long side and cut into 12 slices about 3 cm thick. Set them cut-side up on two lined trays, tucking the loose end underneath.

    6 min
  6. Step 6: Cover and rise for 20 minutes, until puffy. Heat the oven to 375°F (350°F fan).

    20 min
  7. Step 7: Bake for 18–20 minutes, until golden and the swirls look set rather than wet.

    20 min
  8. Step 8: Meanwhile boil the 1 ¾ oz caster sugar with the 3 ½ tbsp water for 1 minute until clear. Brush it over the hot snails as soon as they come out of the oven, then cool on a rack.

    3 min

Nutrition per serving

Calories
330 kcal
Protein
7 g
Carbs
50 g
Fat
12 g
Fibre
3 g

Nutrition values are estimates.

K
Recipe by

KrazyBadal

All recipes by this chef →

Good to know

How long does kakaós csiga take?
About 120 minutes in total: 95 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
How many people does it serve?
12 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
Is it vegetarian?
Yes. It has no meat or fish.
What can I use instead of milk?
Oat, soy or almond milk, same amount (use unsweetened for savoury dishes).
What can I use instead of fast-action dried yeast?
Fresh yeast, three times the weight.

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