This traditional Mucenici Moldovenesti is a treat that in Romania, we enjoy only once a year, on the 9th of March. This dessert has its origins in religion, and it celebrates the Orthodox holy day of the 40 martyrs of Sebaste. My mom used to make these for us every year and I was always excited for them, as it’s only on the 9th of March when you can have them. The dough is similar to that of cozonac, which is the traditional dessert of Romania. The taste is also quite similar, with the addition of the honey and the fresh walnut.
But you don’t have to wait until the 9th of March to taste these delicious Mucenici. With this traditional Romanian Mucenici Moldovenesti recipe, you can make them at any time of the year.
What Are Mucenici?
Mucenici is a traditional Romanian dish that is eaten only one time a year, on the 9th of March. There are two types of Mucenici, depending which part of the country you are in. In Moldova, mucenici are fluffy pastries in the shape of an “8”, covered with honey and walnuts. In some places, the mucenici have a walnut filling as well. In southern parts of Romania, mucenici are completely different. Here, they are very small, still in the shape of an “8” served inside a sweet broth with flavours of vanilla, cinnamon, orange zest, and walnuts.
This Traditional Mucenici Moldovenesti recipe is for the ones made in Moldova. Click here for the Mucenici Muntenesti Recipe.
Mucenici are made to celebrate the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste, a religious holiday in Romania and Moldova. The pastries are representing the 40 martyrs who died in Sebaste. Women in the countryside usually make 40 mucenici to bring to church to be blessed by the priest. It is believed that on this day, the ground and the skies open up. The mucenici are given to relatives, neighbours, and poorer people. This tradition is for remembering those who passed, but also for an abundant crop in the following year. The 9th of March also represents the start of the agricultural year, and it is said that everything that it’s sowed on this day will bear 40 times more.
The Ingredients to Make the Romanian Mucenici Moldovenesti
If you are baking often, you will probably have the ingredients to make mucenici already, in your pantry. The only extra ingredient I had to go and buy for this recipe was the walnut.
The main ingredients for this recipe are: flour, sugar, yeast, milk, eggs, and vanilla essence.
How to Make Mucenici Moldovenesti
The recipe of Mucenici Moldovenesti is not difficult, but it takes time to make because the dough needs to rest and rise. Firstly, make a dough by mixing together the flour, sugar, egg, yeast, vanilla essence and lemon zest. Then, slowly, start incorporating the milk, bit by bit. Once you finish the milk, repeat the same process with the oil. Knead the dough with a kitchen mixer for about 10 minutes, or by hand for about 20 minutes. You will obtain a beautiful dough, a little bit sticky that is easy to work with a bit of flour on your hands.
Brush a bow with oil, put the dough inside, cover it with a kitchen towel and let it rest for an hour in a warm place. The warmer your kitchen is, the faster the dough will rise. Once it doubles its volume, it is ready.
Meanwhile, if you want to do the optional syrup, put the water with the sugar on a low heat. Once the sugar has dissolved in the water, add the vanilla essence. Let it come to a boil, then turn the heat off and add the lemon or orange peel. Keep it warm.
Making the 8 shapes of the mucenici is very easy. Take a piece of the dough and round it in your hands. Then, start rolling it in your hands until you obtain a long and thin strand. Then, start rolling it, like a cinnamon roll, until you reach the halfway point. Then, start rolling the other side in the opposite direction. When the two meet, you have the perfect shape for the mucenici.
Put the mucenici in a baking tray covered with baking paper, and let them rest for another 30 minutes. Then, brush with an egg and bake in the preheated oven for about 20-25 minutes, at 180 degrees.
Let them cool down before you put the syrup over them, if you are using any. If not, brush them with honey, and dunk them in chopped walnuts.
Recipe Notes and Tips:
– The syrup in this recipe is optional. You can have great tasting mucenici without it too. If you would like to reduce the sugar, then you can leave it out.
– The best way to cover the mucenici with honey is by using a liquid one. I squeezed a little bit of honey from the bottle directly on the brush and lightly glaze the pastries with it. Repeat for each mucenic.
– You can work the dough either by using a kitchen mixer with a dough hook, or by hand. The advantage of using a kitchen mixer is that the kneading will be faster, with less effort.
Mucenici Moldovenesti
Ingredients
For the dough
- 400 gr flour
- 50 gr sugar
- 7 gr instant yeast or 10 gr dried yeast
- 1 pack vanilla sugar
- 1 egg
- 150 ml warm milk
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
- 30 ml vegetable oil
- zest from half a lemon
- 1 egg for brushing before baking
For the syrup – optional
- 150 ml water
- 50 gr sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
- orange/lemon peel
Toppings:
- runny honey
- chopped walnuts
Instructions
- Put the flour, sugar, vanilla sugar, lemon zest, yeast, vanilla essence and the egg in a big bowl and mix together, either by hand or with a kitchen mixer with a dough hook.
- When all the ingredients are incorporated, start adding the milk, bit by bit.
- Then, start adding the oil bit by bit.
- Knead the dough for 10 minutes with the mixer, and 20 by hand.
- Move the dough in a bowl brushed with oil, cover it with a tea towel, and leave for an hour in a warm place to rest.
- Meanwhile, make the syrup.
- Put the water with the sugar in a small pot, over a low heat.
- When the sugar dissolves in the water, add the vanilla essence and wait until the mixture starts boiling.
- Turn the heat off and add the lemon or orange peel.
- Set aside, keeping it warm.
- Take a piece of the dough, round it in your hand, and start rolling it between your hands, until you reach a long, thin, strand.
- Start rolling it from one side towards the middle, as it was a snail shell. Once you read the middle, do the same from the other side, in the opposite direction.
- Do the same for all of them. You should get 6-7 mucenici from this quantity of ingredients.
- Cover a tray with baking paper and place the mucenici on it, not too close to each other as they will rise in the oven.
- Let them rest for another half an hour.
- Preheat the oven at 180 degrees Celsius.
- Brush the mucenici with an egg, and then put the tray in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, until they are golden brown. You can check if they are done by pricking them with a toothpick. If it comes out clean, they are done.
- Let the mucenici cool down, before you put the syrup over.
- Then, glaze them with honey and sprinkle chopped walnuts on top.
FAQ:
How Can You Store Mucenici?
You can store the mucenici in an airtight closed container, at room temperature. I would recommend making only as many as you need, because they will dry out quickly. Because they are covered with honey and walnut, it’s harder to keep them wrapped the same way as you would do with the cozonac.
How Long Do the Mucenici Moldovenesti last for?
The Romanian Mucenici Moldovenesti lasts for 2-3 days, before starting to get dry.
For more traditional Romanian cakes check out the recipes below:
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