Hungarian Jam-Filled Pastry – Lekváros Papucs 🇭🇺

Lekváros Papucs, often translated as Hungarian Jam-Filled Slipper Pastries, are rustic Hungarian pastries made from flaky, buttery dough and filled with thick fruit preserves. Their distinctive folded shape resembles a little slipper, which is where the name papucs comes from.

The pastries in the photo have the classic homemade appearance: golden, flaky edges with generous centers of dark fruit jam. Some are filled with lighter-colored jam, while others appear to use rich plum or prune preserves.

🇭🇺 What Is Lekváros Papucs?

Papucs means “slipper” in Hungarian, referring to the characteristic folded shape of these pastries.

The dough is cut into small pieces, filled with a spoonful of thick jam, and folded or pinched around the filling before being brushed with egg and baked until beautifully golden.

Traditional fillings can include:

• Plum jam
• Apricot jam
• Sour cherry preserves
• Rosehip jam
• Prune butter

Thick Hungarian szilvalekvár (plum jam) is particularly well suited because it holds its shape during baking.

🧈 Ingredients

For the Pastry

• 2½ cups (315 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 cup (225 g) cold unsalted butter
• ½ cup (120 g) sour cream
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest

For the Filling

• ¾–1 cup thick plum or apricot jam
• Optional: sour cherry or prune jam

For Brushing

• 1 egg, beaten

Optional Finish

• Powdered sugar