Alyona’s Authentic
Tieglach
“For me, Hesed has never been just a job — it’s my family. I preserve Jewish traditions by keeping my family’s Jewish recipes and sharing them with others.”
— Alyona Bunina
Head of the family club at the JDC-supported Hesed Nefesh social welfare center in Poltava, Ukraine
Ingredients for Tieglach
Dough:
- 3 eggs
- 1 ½—2 tbsp. vodka, cognac, or whiskey
- 1 pinch of salt
- 2—2 ½ cups flour
- Vegetable oil, for deep-frying
Syrup:
- 7/8 cup (200 grams) honey
- 1 cup sugar
- Cinnamon, to taste
- Nutmeg, to taste
Instructions for Tieglach
- Mix eggs, vodka or other liquor, and salt.
- Gradually add in flour and knead the dough.
- Wrap the dough in foil and let sit for 30 minutes.
- Make thin ropes of dough, then pinch small pieces from the dough and roll them into balls.
- Pour vegetable oil into a deep saucepan, and heat well. Dip balls of dough into the hot oil and fry, stirring until golden-brown. Take out the fried balls, and put them on a paper towel to drain the oil.
- When the balls are ready, it’s time to make the syrup. In a saucepan, mix sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg, then add honey. Put over medium heat, and stir slowly until the sugar melts.
- Dip the fried balls into the syrup, mix well, and remove from the saucepan with a slotted spoon. Spread on parchment paper greased with butter. Lay the balls out in a pyramid shape, or create any shape you want (It’s easier to do this with wet hands)!
- When the fried dough cools, cut into cookies.