Potica is a traditional Slovenian pastry often made for celebratory occasions. It’s basically a nut roll made with leavened dough and sort of resembles a Swiss roll. So if you like trying international foods, have a holiday to celebrate, or want to try out baking something new and different, here is a recipe to help you make your very own Slovenian potica. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons yeast
- 2 cups milk
- 1 cup + 6 tablespoons sugar
- 10 tablespoons butter
- 3 eggs
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 teaspoons vanilla
- 4 cups flour
- 1 pound walnuts
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 lemon
Instructions
- Dissolve yeast in 1/4 cup warm milk. Add 1/2 tablespoon of sugar. Combine, cover, and store in a warm place.
- In a saucepan, warm 3/4 cup of milk. Add 6 tablespoons of butter and let cool.
- Separate the yolks from the whites of your eggs. Keep both.
- In a bowl, beat egg yolks, 6 tablespoons of sugar, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 2 teaspoons of vanilla.
- In a large bowl, add 4 cups of flour. Add the yeast, milk/butter mixture, and the beaten egg mixture. Beat until the dough is smooth.
- Knead the dough on a floured surface for 15 minutes, adding flour as necessary.
- Grease a bowl and put the dough in it. Cover and let rise for 2 hours in a warm place. It should double in size.
- In the meantime, make the filling by grinding the walnuts in a food processor.
- Melt 4 tablespoons of butter in a saucepan. Add 1 cup of milk, 1 cup of sugar, and 1/4 cup of honey. Cook until it’s almost boiling. Combine with walnuts. Add the zest of one lemon and 2 teaspoons of vanilla. Mix thoroughly.
- Beat the 3 eggs you separated out before and fold into the nut mixture.
- Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F.
- Grease a loaf pan.
- Roll out the risen dough on a floured surface into a large, thin rectangle. Spread the walnut filling on the dough. Roll it up, tucking the ends underneath, and place the roll in the pan.
- Cover and let rise in a warm place for about an hour.
- Bake for 1 hour.