Jewish Style Pastries

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, cream the butter, sugar, egg, vanilla and milk together. Add the creamed mixture to the dry ingredients and knead to a smooth dough. Wrap in plastic and chill for 1 to 2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with baking parchment paper.

Cut chilled dough into 4 pieces, re-wrap three pieces in plastic and return to refrigerator until ready to work with. On a well floured work surface, using a floured rolling pin, roll out remaining piece into a 12-inch by 8-inch rectangle. Transfer to tray lined with parchment and chill. Repeat the process with remaining dough, transferring each rolled out rectangle to another piece of parchment, stacking on tray.

For Nut Filling:

In a large skillet, quickly dry toast the nuts without adding any butter or oil. Remove the nuts from the pan and caramelize the honey and sugar over a low heat. When the sugar and honey are liquid, return the nuts to the pan and stir in the cinnamon.

Arrange 1 dough rectangle on work surface with long side facing you. Using an offset spatula, spread about 1/4 cup of nut filling evenly over dough.

With the help of parchment paper, roll dough up tightly into a log. Transfer to prepared baking sheet, seam side down, pinch ends to close and tuck under. Repeat with remaining dough pieces, placing 1-inch apart on baking sheet.

In a small bowl, beat egg and milk together for egg wash. Brush logs with egg wash and sprinkle each log with sugar. Using a sharp knife, make deep cuts crosswise in the dough at 1-inch intervals (do not cut all the way through). If dough is to soft to cut, chill for 20 minutes or so.