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How to Make Grandma's Povitica (Croatian Nut Roll) - A Step-by-Step Guide

Grandma's Povitica, also known as Croatian Nut Roll, is a traditional Eastern European pastry that has been passed down through generations. This delicious and labor-intensive sweet bread is made with a sweet yeast dough that is rolled out very thin and filled with a rich mixture of ground walnuts, sugar, and spices. It is then rolled up and baked to golden perfection, resulting in a beautiful swirled loaf that is perfect for special occasions or holiday gatherings.

Povitica is a labo...

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Ingredients

  • ¼ cup warm water
  • 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
  • ¾ cup lukewarm milk
  • ¼ cup white sugar
  • ¼ cup vegetable shortening (such as Crisco®)
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour, or more as needed
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • ¼ cup butter, softened
  • 1 egg
  • ¼ cup milk
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon lemon extract
  • 2 cups finely chopped walnuts

Information

  • Prep Time: 45 mins
  • Cook Time: 40 mins
  • Additional Time: 3 hrs 30 mins
  • Total Time: 4 hrs 55 mins
  • Servings: 12
  • Yield: 1 loaf

  • Make bread dough: Combine warm water and yeast together in a large bowl. Let stand until yeast softens and forms a creamy foam, about 5 minutes.
  • Stir lukewarm milk, white sugar, shortening, egg, and salt into yeast mixture. Mix in flour until a soft, easy-to-handle dough forms.
  • Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and let stand for 10 minutes. Knead dough until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Form dough into a ball.
  • Place dough in a large, lightly-oiled bowl and turn to coat. Cover the bowl with a damp towel; let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume or until a hole remains when dough is pressed, about 2 hours.
  • Punch down dough and turn onto a lightly floured surface. Shape into a ball and let dough rest for 15 minutes.
  • Make filling: Beat brown sugar, butter, and egg together in a bowl until creamy. Add milk, vanilla extract, and lemon extract; stir until smooth. Stir in walnuts until incorporated.
  • Roll dough on a large, floured cloth into a 20x30-inch rectangle. Spread walnut filling evenly over top of dough, spreading to the edges. Roll up along the long edge like a jelly roll and pinch edges to seal. Coil roll into a snail shape.
  • Grease a 9x13x2-inch baking sheet. Place shaped dough on the prepared sheet and let rise until an impression remains when dough is gently pressed, about 1 hour.
  • Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
  • Bake in the preheated oven until top is golden brown, 40 to 45 minutes.

    • Nutrition

    411 cal.

    • Total Fat: 23g
    • Saturated Fat: 5g
    • Cholesterol: 43mg
    • Sodium: 245mg
    • Total Carbohydrate: 45g
    • Dietary Fiber: 2g
    • Total Sugars: 15g
    • Protein: 9g
    • Vitamin C: 0mg
    • Calcium: 63mg
    • Iron: 3mg
    • Potassium: 195mg

    Categories

    Bread recipes
    Dessert recipes
    Sweet recipes
    Nut recipes
    Croatian recipes