How To make Croation Poppy Seed Povitica

Potica - Slovenian national Christmas and Easter pastry (nut roll)

Izviren recept za res odlično potico.

Perfecting Potica With Helen - Recepti mame Slavke - Slovenska potica

Helen has been baking Potica for over 81 years. She started by watching her mother and then adopted her own technique over the years.

For Helen's recipe, please find it in the comments.

Taped on December 10, 2013. Video produced and shot by Mark Bowes / Fluxus Maximus Productions.

Croatian Nut Roll

Eileen shares this wonderful family recipe with us!

Pugatista aka potica or Povitica. Croatian nut roll.
Filling:
3 eggs (if smaller eggs use 4)
4 cups ground walnuts
1 cup brown sugar (if you like sweeter add 1.5 cups)
1 stick melted butter
1 tablespoon cinnamon (mom used 1.5 teaspoons)
2 tsp vanilla
Dash salt
Mix together all ingredients and set aside til dough is ready.
You need to make this filling twice in two separate bowls for the dough recipe below. In other words double the recipe but put each one in different bowls.

Dough:
Put 3 eggs in a bowl of warm water to warm them. Mix 2 cups flour with 2 packages of rapid rise yeast in the bowl of your stand mixer or in a large oven-proof bowl if you're mixing by hand. In a small saucepan combine one can evaporated milk (1.5 cups) with 1/3 cup sugar, 1/3 cup shortening, and 1 tsp salt. Heat over low heat until shortening melts and sugar dissolves. Stirring frequently. Let the liquid cool to a temp of 120 degrees. My mom tested this by putting a drop or two on her wrist. Somehow she'd know if it was around 120 degrees. I'm not so smart. I use a candy thermometer. Once the liquid has cooled to the right temp pour it into the flour/yeast mixture and mix on low. Then add the eggs one at a time and incorporate them on low. Then add about 2 to 2.5 more cups of flour. You want the dough to come together in a clump. Keep adding flour till the dough comes together. For me it's always about 2 cups to 2.5 cups more I have to add during the mixing process. Dump the dough out onto a floured surface and knead for about 3-5 mins or until it becomes elastic. Don’t over knead or add too much flour or the dough will be tough. Put a small amount of vegetable oil in a bowl. Put the dough in an oiled bowl then cover with a dishtowel. Put in a warm place (my mom and I put it in the gas oven that is off). Let it rise till it doubles in size for about an hour.
Dump it out onto a well-floured counter. Cut it in half. You’ll use one half at a time. Put the other half bake in a bowl and cover with a towel. Take the first half and shape the dough into a rectangle. Then use a rolling pin to roll it thin into a large rectangle (it should be about 1/8th inch thick--in other words pretty thinly rolled). I roll it very thin to the point I can see the granite countertop beneath my dough. The rectangle should be at least 2.5 to 3 feet long and 1.5 to 2 feet tall. Spread one bowl of filling all over the dough evenly to the very edges. Roll up beginning at the long end. Cut the long rolled-up roll into thirds and put each smaller roll into greased baking pan. (I use PAM to grease my pan Or use parchment paper) The pan should not be a cookie sheet or the rolls will spread out. USE A PAN WITH SIDES! Then repeat the process with the second half of the dough and the second bowl of filling. Once you have all six rolls in the pan, brush rolls with melted butter. Bake 30 mins at 350 degrees. Remove from oven and brush rolls again with melted butter. This stuff has been known to make grown men cry! Also, the nuts must be ground with a grinder and not processed with a food processor. My mom and I used an old fashion hand grinder until about 2 years ago when I got a grinder attachment for my kitchen aid.

Baba making Nutrolls (2014)

At 85 she can still bake with the best of them.
Here are the ingredients she has written down (seen at the beginning of the video). Though you will see that she does deviate from them a bit in practice
Nut Roll Filling
8 Egg whites (1 cup)
1 tsp vanilla
1 cap full of white rum
1 cup of sugar
5 cups of ground walnuts
Dough
6 cups of flour
1 tsp of salt
3 tbsp sugar
1/2 lb butter
2 yeast cakes or two pkgs
1 cup warm milk
6 egg yolks (beaten)
1 cup sour cream
mix well

Walnut Roll Masterclass

Step-by-step instructions on how to bake a perfect walnut and poppy seed roll, a traditional Croatian dessert. Check out the full masterclass and get the Croatian Desserts Cookbook:

Making Apple Potica

Its name derives from the Slovenian word poviti, which means to wrap in.
Popular Throughout Europe
These rolls are popular throughout Central and Eastern Europe and are known as gubana, guban'ca, or potica in Slovene, povitica, gibanica, orahnjača / orehnjača in Croatian and Serbian, orechovník in Slovak, strucla orzechami in Polish, orehnjaea and diosbejgli in Hungarian, banitsa in Bulgarian and on and on.

Every family has its favorite recipe. The best Christmas treat to share with friends and neighbors.