Chimney Cake (Hungarian Kürtőskalács)

A sweet spiral pull-apart bread that is baked rotisserie-style outdoors over charcoal. Often rolled in cinnamon, sugar, cocoa, nuts, or coconut flakes, chimney cake is hot, fresh, sweet deliciousness. It's the only type of downward spiral you'd never want to end. A chimney cake is an odd thing in that it’s an enriched yeast bread that’s wound onto a thick wooden spit, then roasted over a charcoal fire. The hardest part of this recipe is constructing the implement (spindle) you'll need.

For the Dough:
8½ oz (1¾ cups) all-purpose flour, unbleached
2¼ tsp. (1 pkg) instant yeast
1 oz (2 Tbsp.) sugar
1/8 tsp. sea salt
2 egg yolks, room-temperature
1½ oz (3 Tbsp.) butter, melted
4 oz (½ cup) milk, room temperature

For the Grilling:
vegetable oil, for lubricating the spindle
butter, melted
sugar

For the Topping:
3 oz (1 cup) walnuts, ground
3½ oz (½ cup) sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon

Combine the dry dough ingredients in a large bowl and whisk to combine. Do the same with the wet ingredients and add them to the dry ingredients. Stir the mixture until it comes together to form a dough, then knead it for about five minutes. Allow the dough to rise for 40 minutes. Cut the dough into a long ribbon with a pizza cutter (as shown).

Paint your spit with vegetable oil. Wrap one end of the dough around the spit, tucking in the end so the dough doesn’t unwind. Keep the dough very thin as you stretch and wind, under ¼" inch. Roll the whole thing on the counter top to flatten it/press it together. Paint the dough with melted butter and roast over the fire for about six minutes, sprinkling on sugar, until it starts to take on a dark golden color.

Paint on more butter, then roll the finished cake in the nut mixture. Tap the mold on a table top to release the cake and set it upright to cool. Make more and eat, eat, eat.