Savoring stories: Tjuv poikar

I have had the privilege of cooking Jessica Grann’s family recipes in the Chronicle for half of a year. And now I am excited to share one of my own.

This is a recipe from my grandmother, who made these pastries for my mother and aunt on special occasions. My grandmother suffered from a neurodegenerative disease and although I knew her as a child, I never was able to taste her cooking or ask her about the origins of this recipe when I discovered it as an adult.

Our family knows it’s a recipe from Europe and we think its roots are Swedish, as tjuv poikar translates to “thief boys” — pastries so good that they would be stolen by all the boys.

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I left in all the funny flaws you find in a recipe written on a typewriter. And I particularly find the ending charming. I hope you do too.

If your family has passed along a recipe like this from generation to generation, please be in touch! I would love to know more about the roots of this recipe and your family’s connection to it.

Tjuv poikar
1 1/8 packages of cakes, yeast, dry or compressed
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 warm, not hot cup of water lukewarm for yeast
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup milk, scalded
5 cups sifted flour, about
3 eggs, beaten
1 cup butter or margarine, melted
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts

Dissolve yeast and the 1 teaspoon sugar in water. Combine the 1/2 cup butter with the 1/2 cup sugar and salt. Add scalded milk; stir until butter is melted. Cool to lukewarm, add the dissolved yeast; mix well. Add 2 cups of the flour, beat until smooth. Beat in eggs. Add remaining flour, gradually beating after each addition to make soft dough. Knead on lightly floured surface until smooth. Place in a greased bowl. Cover. Let rise in warm place until double, in bulk, about 1 hour. Divide dough into fourths. Shape each forth on lightly floured surface into a 12 inch roll. Divide each roll into 12 pieces. Shape each piece into a 7 inch rope. Dip each into melted butter, then sugar, and chopped nuts. Or use cinnamon. Fold each rope in half. Twist to make a braid. Place on greased baking sheet. Cover. Let rise in warm place, about 20 min. Bake at 350 F for 15 to 20 minutes. Yield; 4 dozen pastries —The End. PJC

Rachel Fauber can be reached at fauberrs@gmail.com.

Do you have a tried-and-true dish that comes with an interesting origin story? If so, we want to hear from you! Submit recipes along with their backstories to newsdesk@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org, and write “Recipe” in the subject line. Please include a photo of the dish. You may see your submission as part of our new column “Savoring Stories”!