Traditional Romanian Mucenici Moldovenești

In a bowl, pour 200ml of milk and 200ml of warm water, add 2 tablespoons of sugar, yeast, and mix everything well with a whisk or spoon.

Let it sit for 10 minutes on the table.

After this time, add 2 eggs, 1 teaspoon of salt, 250g of sugar, vanilla essence, and 120g of melted butter into the bowl, mix well.

Add the flour, starting with 800g and then gradually the rest, as needed, until the dough is soft yet non-sticky.

The amount may vary depending on the flour quality.

Use a wooden spoon at first to combine all ingredients.

Then turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and continue kneading until smooth.

Let it rise for half an hour in a bowl covered with a towel.

Meanwhile, quickly prepare the syrup—pour 300ml of water into a saucepan, add 150g of sugar, mix and bring to a boil.

Once boiling, turn off the heat and let the syrup cool.

The dough for Romanian Mucenici is rested and risen, cut it into 16 even pieces with a knife.

You can make the Mucenici bigger or smaller; divide the dough accordingly.

Start forming the Mucenici.

Take a piece of dough and on a clean surface (use no flour, or just a little to prevent sticking), form thin baguettes.

Bend and cut this baguette in half.

Shape them further until each is about 50cm long.

Twist the edges slightly.

Braid them.

Braid halfway, then flip and twist the opposite edges.

Form the figure-eight shape, tucking the edges underneath the center.

Notice a Mucenic is roughly palm-sized, showcasing its beautiful braided look.

A large baking tray holds about 8 Mucenici, so form the first 8, let them rise covered with a towel for 20-30 minutes.

In about 15 minutes, start shaping the remaining Mucenici for the second tray.

Once risen, brush them with beaten egg on top and bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees C for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.

While the Mucenici are baking, finish preparing the syrup for them:

- Add 1 teaspoon of rum and vanilla essence each, plus grated lemon zest to the water-sugar mixture, stir well.

Remove the Mucenici from the oven, while hot, generously brush with half of the syrup using a brush (the other half of the syrup is for the second tray), then with some honey.

Sprinkle finely chopped walnuts over the sticky honey.

Let them sit in the tray for about half an hour, during which they will soak up more syrup and become even more tender.

Serve and enjoy them with great delight!