Rohalyky – jam-filled pastries
A recipe for sweet, fruity pastries from my Belarusian mom.
This post is a part of the series of family recipes that are cherished, loved, and passed through generations in my Belarusian and Ukrainian families. I cook each recipe in my kitchen and include detailed descriptions and photos of each step, as well as cooking secrets and tips. View all family recipes from Eastern Europe.
My Belarusian mom always loved to bake and we had something sweet at home almost every day: pies, cookies, cakes, or pastries. In winter, Mom used homemade jams she prepared during summer to make rohalyky. The jams were stored in a cold, dark cellar, and I was always afraid of going there. However, if Mom said that she needed a jam for rohalyky, I ran to the cellar as fast as I could. I simply adored these pastries! Whenever Mom baked them, the kitchen smelled like heaven. Drizzled with powdered sugar, rohalyky were served with cups of black tea with lemon and disappeared from the plates almost immediately. A few months ago, I shared a recipe for another favorite pastry from my childhood – khrustyky, and if you ask me to choose between them – it would be a very hard choice to make.
Rohalyky, or variations of them, are popular all over Eastern Europe. I know for sure that they are very popular in Ukraine. Poland has a very similar pastry called Rugelach that originated in the Jewish communities. It has slightly different ingredients and a distinct way of rolling the pastries. The Czech Republic has a pastry called Rohliky – crescent-shaped breakfast rolls. Considering the proximity of Belarus to Poland and the fact that almost half of the Belarusian population was Jewish before WW2, my guess is that rohalyky developed from a rugelach recipe.
The dough in my mom’s recipe is made from kefir – a fermented milk drink with many health benefits. It makes pastries lighter and healthier, especially for people with high cholesterol, compared to pastries where the main ingredient is butter. For filling, you can use any jam you like, but the only condition is that it should be as thick as possible otherwise, it can ooze out of the filling.
I hope you’ll try making rohalyky, as this is a relatively simple but incredibly delicious dessert!
Below, you will find the step-by-step recipe instructions and photos of each step, which are available for paid subscribers. By upgrading to paid, you won’t only receive access to all previously posted family recipes from Eastern Europe, but will also allow me to continue my work and support both of my families who became refugees and whose recipes I share with you.