Wasp nest with a super dough

The dough for wasp nests is a delicacy that will surely impress everyone who tastes it. Start by sifting the flour, an essential step to achieve a fine and airy dough. In a deep bowl, mix the sugar with the salt, then dissolve them in warm milk. This mixture will add a pleasant flavor and help the yeast ferment better.

In a separate bowl, beat the eggs together with the melted and cooled butter, add the warm milk (in which you have already dissolved the sugar and salt) and warm water. Now you have two options for kneading the dough: either use a bread machine or knead by hand. If you opt for the bread machine, add the egg mixture, sifted flour, dry yeast, vanilla sugar, and choose the kneading and rising program. If you use fresh yeast, mix it with the sugar and dissolve it in a little warm milk before adding it to the mixture.

For manual kneading, put the flour mixed with sugar and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the center, add the egg mixture, sprinkle the dry yeast and vanilla sugar. Then, bring the flour from the edges towards the center and mix well until you obtain a homogeneous composition. Knead the dough for 15-20 minutes until it becomes smooth and elastic. Place the dough in a bowl greased with a little oil, cover it with plastic wrap, and let it rise in a warm place, away from drafts, for about an hour, or until it doubles in volume.

For the filling, cream the softened butter with the sugar until it becomes a fluffy cream. After the dough has risen, place it on a lightly floured work surface and knead it gently. Divide it into two parts and roll each piece into a rectangular sheet about 3-4 mm thick. Spread each sheet with the creamed butter, sprinkle with ground walnuts, and, if desired, a little cinnamon. Roll the sheet along the long side into a log and cut the log into thick slices of 3-4 cm.

Place the slices, slightly spaced apart, in a round or rectangular baking dish greased with butter and sprinkled with sugar. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and let it rise for another 30-40 minutes. While the nests are rising, preheat the oven to 180 degrees. When the dough has risen, you can sprinkle a bit of sugar or brown sugar on top if desired.

Put the dish in the oven for about 20 minutes until the dough becomes firm and starts to brown. In the meantime, prepare the syrup: bring the milk to a boil and dissolve the sugar, then add the vanilla sugar. When the nests are ready, remove the dish from the oven and drizzle them with a third of the hot syrup. Put the dish back in the oven for another 15 minutes. Repeat the drizzling process with the syrup and let the nests bake for another 5 minutes.

After they are well baked and browned, take the dish out of the oven and turn the nests over so that the sugar does not harden. Place them on a platter and let them cool. If desired, dust them with powdered vanilla sugar before serving. These wasp nests are delicious and warm, but just as fluffy and cold. Enjoy your meal!