Is it bread or cake – who cares when it tastes so good!

Povitica, or Croatian walnut bread, is a nostalgic favorite of many Eastern Europeans and their descendants. Pronounced Pov-e-Tee-za, this Eastern European sweet bread is traditionally served at Christmas, but makes a delicious tea time treat throughout the year.

Ingredients:

• 500 g flour
• 3.5 g yeast
• 1 egg
• 2 egg yolks
• 100 g butter
• 500 g walnuts
• 300 g poppy seeds
• 600 ml milk
• 550 g sugar
• 1 oz rum
• 100 g raisins
• lemon zest

Preparation:

In a small bowl, stir yeast, a teaspoon of sugar and flour and 1/2 dcl (1/2 cup) milk.
Let stand in a warm place for 45 minutes.
On pastry board, sift flour, add other ingredients and mix everything together in a soft dough.
Transfer the dough into a clean pan sprinkled with flour, cover it with a cloth and put in a warm place to rise for about 30-40 minutes.
While the dough ferments, prepare fillings.
Boil the milk and add sugar.
In one bowl, put the ground walnuts, and in another bowl put poppy seeds.
In both vessels add raisins soaked in rum, lemon peel, and mix.
Pour hot milk over each mixture and stir.
Divide dough into two parts.
Roll one part of the dough to the width of the baking pan & add the poppy seed filling then roll the dough.
Roll the other part of the dough to the width of the baking pan & add the walnut filling then roll the dough.
Place both loaves into a greased baking dish.
Put some melted butter between loafs so that loafs don’t stick together.
Brush loaves with egg yolk , let them rise for another 15 minutes.
Place in a 180C oven for approx 60 minutes.

Dobar Tek – Bon Appetit