Best Rugelach in the World!

MarkIsCooking · December 27, 2009

eGulletiers - HELP! I'm on my first trip to Israel in 20 years and my friend insisted I go to the Marzipan Bakery in Jerusalem while I was here to buy the chocolate rugelach, which of course didn't take much convincing.

OMG!! Here's an article about the place.

If you scroll down, you'll see a photo of some of these heavenly creations. They're baked, shoulder to shoulder to fill sheet pans. They come out hot on a regular basis. Our group bought boxes of these and they're all gone! The tenderness and even gooey-ness of these is totally different from the often dry or less moist variety I so often find.

Here's the task. Is anyone familiar enough with these that I could get my hands on either a recipe or some guidance on how to re-create these without the 10+ hour flight from Boston?

Would be eternally grateful!!

-Mark

**Aloha Steve** · December 27, 2009

OMG!! Here's an article about the place.
Here's the task. Is anyone familiar enough with these that I could get my hands on either a recipe or some guidance on how to re-create these without the 10+ hour flight from Boston?

Hi Mark, have you asked them for the recipe ? Perhaps after you assure them you aren't going to move to Jerusalem and open next door :wink: , they will give it ?

Please post if you get it.

Edited for grammer, natch.

Edited December 27, 2009 by Aloha Steve (log)

MarkIsCooking · December 27, 2009

I haven't asked. It's a crazy open market type place and I would be willing to ask if I could get there again. I have tried to find their website but it doesn't seem to work. I will try anything I can think of, but I thought someone here might unlock the question easily. We'll see.

JeanneCake · December 28, 2009

IMHO, the best rugelach dough has cream cheese in it; most recipes have you roll into a circle and put the filling (usually some combination of nuts, sugar and dried fruits) and then you cut it into wedges and roll it.

My guess is that in a commercial setting, it makes more sense for them to do it like croissant (cutting the dough into triangles). Whatever they are using for chocolate has to be able to survive the time in the oven without leaking and making a mess... but the article does mention they are oily? Did you find them oily?

What is/are chalot? Is it the name of a specific type of pastry?

rooftop1000 · December 28, 2009

Mark, Any idea if they are Dairy or Parev? It sounds like they might be making a cocoa based filling with the oil and coconut as a binder.

Tracey

**Aloha Steve** · December 28, 2009

I found this:

Q: What makes your rugalach so distinctive for people? Is it just the undercooked, oily gooeyness, or is there another secret?

A: It's the chocolate they're made from. We use a lot of ingredients. They're very rich. We use lots of cacao, only a bit of oil, some coconut and other natural ingredients. It's the mix of these ingredients that is the secret.

Also, many bakeries try to make their rugelach as quickly as possible. We put a lot of work into our rugelach, and it pays off. Our rugelach have a great taste on the first day you buy them, on the second day and even after two weeks.

Taken from this interview.

Apparently they have not renewed their website's lease rent which is why it does not come up. I tried it from a link in this article.

Edited December 28, 2009 by Aloha Steve (log)

MarkIsCooking · December 28, 2009

Yes. I saw the same message re: their website and I've seen a few interviews. There are clues but not enough. I did find the coconut reference interesting because I didn't pick that up at all when I ate them. I'm hoping if people keep finding this post, someone will help us nail it down. They are gooey as referenced. When you but them, several are usually connected since they baked in a sheet pan so closely together. Others in Israel try to copy them (I had a few) but nobody else came close. The hunt continues . . .

Spring · February 4, 2010

Hi

I just saw this post, hope Im not too late

I lived in jerusalem for a very long time but dont know the marzipan bakery

Ive eaten the chocolate rugelach from loads of places. My m in l makes them with a yeast dough, then (generously)brushes with butter (for milky) or margarine (for parev), then cocoa and sugar. When they come out of the oven you can either put beaten egg on but what the bakeries do is brush a very generous amount of sugar syrup over them.HTH

Challah is a plaited yeast bread which is used on the sabbath and festivals. There are many different ways of plaiting or shaping it. Usually plain but sometimes with raisins.

**Aloha Steve** · February 5, 2010

eGulletiers - HELP! I'm on my first trip to Israel in 20 years and my friend insisted I go to the Marzipan Bakery in Jerusalem while I was here to buy the chocolate rugelach, which of course didn't take much convincing.
OMG!! Here's an article about the place.
If you scroll down, you'll see a photo of some of these heavenly creations. They're baked, shoulder to shoulder to fill sheet pans. They come out hot on a regular basis. Our group bought boxes of these and they're all gone! The tenderness and even gooey-ness of these is totally different from the often dry or less moist variety I so often find.
Here's the task. Is anyone familiar enough with these that I could get my hands on either a recipe or some guidance on how to re-create these without the 10+ hour flight from Boston?
Would be eternally grateful!!
-Mark

Since this topic has been bumped, I thought I'd tell you Mark that I tried hard for a week or so to find the recipe or someone who knew it. I did fid a guy who said he worked there for a while and we communicated a few times. He was going to get in touch with the owner..yadda yadda and nothing came about.

Have you had any luck finding the recipe ?

Kay · December 13, 2010

I am with Mark on this. I need some rugelach baking advice? What basic type of dough it this?—See the photo links below of the famous rugulach from Marzipan Bakery, Israel. There are close-ups of both the baked and unbaked versions and I am thinking that some Egullet bakers might be able to identify the basic type of dough that these elusive little tidbits might consist of.

(I tried to insert the photos but that did not work. I am new at this.)

Clues: From the master baker’s own lips, the dough is very rich, takes time, not quick. (One of the photos below is of rugelach, already shaped and to be baked the next day).From others, it is described as oily, tender, gooey, under-cooked, some yeast flavor, still tastes good days later, etc., (definitely not crisp or flakey, )

From some of the photos below, it appears that they do puff up a small amount when baked, as from possibly yeast, but definitely do look much richer, and sleeker than even something like a rich challah dough, I would think. ( I am pretty sure that it is definitely not the butter/cream cheese version for rugelach that is so often used.)

I do believe that I have read that they are probably brushed with a simple syrup of some kind immediately after baking. One of the photos below seems to show such but can’t be sure.

What are some of the very rich, yeast type pastry doughs that would look/behave similar to the photos below? These look, to me, to be even more rich/oily than croissants but maybe that is the effect of what ever is brushed on to the rugelach after baking.

The Filling—Referred to as creamy,

From the master baker’s own lips—a little oil, lots of cocoa, other natural ingredients, and some coconut. (Coconut flour? with cocoa, oil, sugar, etc. to make a nice paste) As seen from the photos, the filling bubbles but stays mostly intact, not melting and running out much at all. Coconut taste or texture is not really evident according to those who have eaten them.

Photos after baking

http://intoisrael.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/p1000415.jpg

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mostlyforfun/3295033550/