April 8, 2015
So few people bake from scratch any more. I’m sure a lot of it has to do with the significant time it takes to manage the multiple tasks involved. This recipe is for a Slovenian sweet bread that is typically served at Easter. It is called Potica (phonetic pronunciation Poteetsa). It is flavored with finely chopped walnuts, honey, cinnamon and egg whites. In Slovenien households on Easter morning, this bread is served with hard boiled eggs, fresh horseradish and a garlicky pressed meat for breakfast. Each component of this odd assortment of foods has symbolism with Christ’s resurrection. The bread is delicious by itself and can be made for any occasion.
I have the recipe in a special cookbook titled Treasured Slovenian and International Recipes (pub Progressive Slovene Women of America, Cleveland OH c 1995). My mother’s parents both immigrated from Yugoslavia to Cleveland and were active in various groups and clubs in the Cleveland area with other immigrants. I fondly recall many of the dishes my grandma Kern made from this book and enjoy making many of them both sweet and savory. I remember my Grandma Kern fondly – she was a very hard working woman and was an incredible cook. She is a role model and hero to me.
Back to the recipe… There are several variations of this sweet bread recipe in the cookbook. And, they all take time. I learned that I can make the dough in my bread machine which really cuts the hard work down. The dough can easily be made a day ahead and refrigerated. But, it needs to be close to room temperature before it is rolled out. Each batch of dough uses a out 6 cups of flour – I typically get close to 6 loaves of bread from each batch. The dough is rich with eggs, butter and cream. The recipes call for fresh cake yeast. It is really good that way – but I have used dry active yeast and it works well too.
finished dough, cut in half
The filling ingredients are not unusual but require some special preparation. The walnuts should be finely chopped or ground in a food processor, almost into a paste. Honey is the key sweetener as it has a distinct flavor. The eggs are separated so that the yolks make it very rich – and the whites are whipped and added at the end to fluff the filling. Orange rind or lemon rind add a nice contrast in flavors. Vanilla, cinnamon, more sugar, cream and butter complete the rich filling.
filling without the egg whites
egg whites being added to the filling
I have a large pastry cloth from my grandma Kern that I use that fits over my entire kitchen island. She would roll the dough out over her kitchen table. I cheat by cutting the dough in half and rolling half at a time. It is much more manageabale that way. She would use her hands to stretch the dough so it was paper thin. I do not get it as thin as she does – but I’m getting better with practice…and so can you!
dough rolled out onto the pastry cloth
Once the dough is rolled out, the filling is spread onto the entire surface. I often roll the outer edges in to create a more even edge. Beginning at one end, you carefully begin to roll the dough into a spiral. The pastry cloth is lifted to continue the rolling. I often stop to make sure it is rolling evenly on both sides and as tight as possible. When it is finished in a long roll, cut the pieces to fit into baking pans. I find it is best to use a piece of waxed paper on the cut end of the roll to help contain the filling and to keep it from sticking on the end of the pans.
filling spread onto dough, edges rolled over and entire piece beginning to be rolled
The loaves are then poked with a toothpick to make sure there are not too many air bubbles. They are left to rise, brushed with egg wash and baked. Be sure to butter the pans well as there is alway some filling that oozes out. The loaves come out of the pans much easier if they are well greased.
finished dough rolled and ready to be cut and placed into pans
Please don’t be afraid to try this – it’s so worth the end result. The loaves can easily be frozen for about a month too!
finished and sliced potica.
Extra Rich Potica
Preparation time is 5-6 hours. Yield is 5-6 loaves.
Ingredients
Dough Ingredients
2 ounces yeast
1 Tbs. sugar
1 Tbs. flour
1/2 cup warm milk
1/2 cup sweet butter
1 cup milk (whole or half and half)
6 cups flour
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup sugar
2 whole eggs, beaten
4 egg yolks, beaten
Filling Ingredients
1 cup half and half or cream
1/2 cup butter
2 pounds walnuts, ground
1/2 cup honey
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp grated lemon rind
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 egg yolks
2 egg whites, stiffly beaten
2 cups yellow raisins (optional)
1 tsp cinnamon
Instructions
If you are using a bread machine, combine all wet ingredients in the bottom of the bread maker. Add dry ingredients with yeast last and set your machine to basic dough. The process should take about 2 hours to have finished dough.
If you are not using a bread machine, dissolve yeast with 1 Tbs sugar, 1 Tbs flour into 1/2 cup warm milk and keep it in a warm place until it is foamy. Scald 1 cup milk and add 1/2 cup butter to melt. Let it cool. Place flour in large bowl; add salt, sugar, cooled milk and butter, beaten eggs and yeast mixture. Mix well. Then beat with wooden spoon or heavy duty mixer (like a kitchen aid) until dough separates from the side of bowl. Knead about 10 minutes until dough is smooth and pliant. You may need to add more flour. Adding the dough hook to your mixer for kneading will reduce the hand kneading significantly! Grease dough and place into a greased bowl (I usually use butter). Cover with cloth and set aside in a warm place to rise for about 1 1/2 hours until it doubles in size.
Grease loaf pans well with butter so that the dough does not stick. The reipe calls for 12″ pans which I have from my grandma Kern, but any loaf pan will work – the best ones are more narrow.
For the filling, scald the cream and butter and pour over the nuts. Add honey, lemon juice and rind, vanilla, sour cream, sugar and egg yolks. Mix well. Add egg whites and fold into the mixture. If it is too thick, add extra cream. It should be a pourable consistency but thick.
Roll half of dough at a time onto a large pastry cloth. The finished piece will be about 2 to 3 feet wide and long. It will not be a perfect shape, but try to have it close to even so the loaves are about the same size. You can use your hands to stretch the edges, but be careful not to tear the dough. Use the rolling pin to pull from the inside of the dough to the outside – and go all the way around the piece until it is even and very thin.
Spread half the filling onto the dough keeping about 1″ from the edge. Sprinkle raisins and cinnamon evenly over the top of the filling. I often roll the edges over to help hold the filling. Then, beginning at one end, start to roll the entire piece into a spiral. After you do it by hand a few turns, lift the cloth up to continue rolling until the entire piece is one long roll. Cut the roll into the size of your pans. Use a piece of waxed paper to help hold the filling in at each end. This will keep it from burning too.
Repeat the process with the other half of the dough and filling.
Prick each loaf with toothpicks to eliminate air bubbles. Cover with a cloth and let rise for 35-45 minutes. Brush tops with melted butter or beaten egg and bake in 325′ oven for one hour. I often tent the loaves with foil so they don’t brown too much. When done, remove pans from oven; let poticas rest in pans for about 10 minutes, then remove and cool on racks.
Wrap in foil to store. I double wrap them in foil if I am going to freeze them. To serve, cut with a serrated knife and enjoy!
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