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Povitica Bread

A Sweet Croatian nut roll. Perfect for the Holidays.
4 from 2 votes
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Prep Time 2 hours
Cook Time 30 minutes
Servings 30

Equipment

  • A large cake pan
  • A Heavy Rolling Pin
  • A Food Processor, Grinder or Handy Chopper

Ingredients
  

  • 3 eggs room temperature works best
  • 4-4½ cups Flour I use Prairie Gold Whole Wheat, white is also fine. If you are using a coarse whole wheat flour, you will need to do half of it with white flour or the dough will be very difficult to work with.
  • 4½ tsp yeast
  • 1½ cups milk
  • ⅓ cup sugar I use organic evaporated cane juice
  • ⅓ cup butter
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 3-4 Tbs Melted butter This is for brushing on the rolls

Filling

  • 6 eggs
  • 8 cups ground walnuts or pecans
  • 2 cups brown sugar
  • 2 sticks butter melted
  • 4 tsp vanilla
  • ⅕ tsp salt
  • 2 Tbs cinnamon

Instructions
 

Dough

  • This recipe yields six to 8 rolls depending on how long your pan will accomodate.
    Set your eggs out to get to room temperature, otherwise set in a bowl of warm water.
    Mix two cups of flour with the yeast.
    In a small saucepan, melt ⅓ cup of butter, then add the milk, sugar, and 1 tsp salt. Test the temperature, it should be around 120°. If it is too hot, let it cool to between 110°-120°
    I use a stand mixer with a dough hook for mixing dough. Add the liquid to the dry ingredients. Begin to mix, slowly add in each egg. After this is well mixed, begin to add another 2-2½ cups flour. The dough should be smooth and elastic, not too sticky to handle.
    Place the dough in a greased bowl and set aside in a relatively warm spot to rise for about an hour or until doubled in size.
    Once doubled, punch the dough down and split it into two equal lumps.
    On a well floured surface, take the first half and shape it into a rectangle. Next, using a heavy rolling pin, (a marble one works very well). Begin to roll your dough extremely thin, each lump should be rolled to approximately 2'x3' give or take. If the dough wants to spring back, just take 30 second breaks and keep rolling, eventually it will yield to you! Roll side to side, and then roll the other direction trying to keep that rectangle shape.
    Take one bowl of filling and spread it evenly over the entire surface of the dough end to end.
    Next, starting on the long end begin to slowly roll the dough. Go slowly and try to make it as neat as possible.
    Once it is rolled into a long log shape, use your pan to measure how long to cut each roll. Depending on the size of your pan, you may get three or you may get four out of each log.
    Nestle them into the greased pan. The ends of the rolls can touch the sides of the pan, but the rolls themselves shouldn't touch each other. They can be close, but not touching. They need space to rise as they cook.
    Repeat the process for the other lump of dough and bowl of filling.
    Brush the rolls with melted butter. Place in a 350° oven and bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown.
    Remove from oven and brush with butter again.
    Allow to cool slightly and then cut into slices to serve. Otherwise, wrap each cooled loaf individually and give as gifts to friends and neighbors! Enjoy!

Filling

  • Grind or chop the nuts until they are very fine. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Once the butter is melted stir in the brown sugar, eggs, cinnamon, vanilla, salt, and nuts. Split this between two bowls and set aside.