Hungarian Poppy Seed and Walnut Beigli – Mákos és Diós Bejgli

Bejgli is one of Hungary’s most beloved Christmas pastries. Traditionally prepared with rich, tender yeast dough and a generous filling of either poppy seeds (mákos) or walnuts (diós), this beautiful rolled pastry is a true symbol of Hungarian holiday baking.

The delicate pastry is rolled tightly around a fragrant filling made with ground poppy seeds or walnuts, sugar, lemon zest, raisins, and sometimes apricot jam. Once baked, Bejgli develops its characteristic golden, slightly cracked exterior and beautiful spiral layers.

🇭🇺 What Is Hungarian Bejgli?

Bejgli is a traditional Hungarian rolled pastry most strongly associated with Christmas and other festive occasions.

The two classic varieties are:

• Mákos Bejgli – filled with sweetened ground poppy seeds
• Diós Bejgli – filled with sweetened ground walnuts

Both versions use essentially the same pastry dough, but each filling has its own distinctive flavor.

Poppy seed Bejgli has a slightly earthy, aromatic flavor, while walnut Bejgli is rich, nutty, and naturally buttery.

🥐 Ingredients

For the Dough

• 4 cups (500 g) all-purpose flour
• ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 ¼ teaspoons (7 g) active dry yeast
• ½ cup (120 ml) warm milk
• ¾ cup (170 g) unsalted butter, softened
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest

For the Poppy Seed Filling

• 1 ½ cups (150 g) finely ground poppy seeds
• ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
• ½ cup (120 ml) milk
• 2 tablespoons raisins
• 1 tablespoon apricot jam
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Walnut Filling

• 1 ½ cups (150 g) finely ground walnuts
• ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
• ½ cup (120 ml) milk
• 2 tablespoons raisins
• 1 tablespoon apricot jam
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

For the Egg Wash

• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tablespoon milk