Povitica

Povitica (poe-vi-tee-sza) is a very good thing. This is an Eastern European nut loaf.


I have been wanting to bake some of this for quite a while and I used it as an excuse to put off another day of diving into my cookie baking.


First make the dough. The instructions are in the next photo because I got these out of order. This is how you make the filling. Pulse walnuts in a food processor until they are ground fine. You will need 2 cups after they are ground. Combine them in a bowl with 1/4 cup of whole milk, 1/4 cup of melted butter, 1 large egg yolk, 1 tsp. vanilla, 1/2 cup of sugar and 1/2 tsp. of cinnamon.

For the dough, mix 1/2 cup of whole milk, 3 1/2 tablespoons of sugar, 3/4 tsp. salt. 1 large egg and 1 tablespoon of melted butter. Add 2 tsp. rapid rise yeast. Mix in 2 cups of flour. Knead well and place in a buttered bowl, cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm place to let it rise for 16 hours.


After 16 hours make the filling and roll out the dough. Roll it on a floured surface until you have roughly a 24 inch square. You should almost be able to see through the dough.


Spread the nut mixture over the dough up to about an inch from the edge.


Start to roll the dough and pull it towards you as you roll so it will form a tight log.



Place it in a buttered bread pan by folding it in thirds to form an "S". Cover it with plastic and place in a warm spot to rise for 2 hours.


After 2 hours brush the surface with melted butter. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and bake it for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes. lower the oven temperature to 300 degrees and continue baking for 45 minutes. If it starts to get too dark you can cover it with foil.


Fresh from the oven.


Allow it to rest in the pan for about a half hour.


The flavor actually improves after a day.


This is my new favorite nut roll. It is so much better than ones I have made where the nut filling is much thicker.


And it makes a prettier loaf.


I will be making this with poppy seeds too. I also want to make a savory one.

Comments

I am in awe of this loaf of bread. I have never seen bread so beautiful. Can't wait to make this.
Guillaume said…
I think I had something similar in the past...
Anonymous said…
This is an amazinly pretty loaf, I can't wait to give this a go!
Barbara F. said…
This is such a beautiful loaf of bread. I would love to try this recipe. I wish you sold them :) xo
Suzie said…
That is SO beautiful!! I love all of the intricate layers, and imagine how heavenly it smells. Yum!!!
Anonymous said…
If nothing else it is very beautiful :-) This is something I must try!

I think we have something similar but made with almond instead. But they are made looking much like cinnamone rolls.

Have a great day!
Christer.
TARYTERRE said…
Love how pretty it looks when you serve it. The nut loafs I have had either have too many nuts or not enough. never seems to be a happy balance. So I will try Povitica. Looks delicious.
Anonymous said…
I am in total awe of you right now! You just amaze me with your baking skills. The bread looks divine. Tomorrow - cookies!
Barb said…
That looks so good I think I'll give it a try!
Joy said…
Looks lovely and delicious! Will have to give it a try when I'm back in my own kitchen. =)
TheBlakkDuchess said…
Oh my... this looks just scrumptious! I think I'll be adding this to my ever growing list of things to bake this coming week... ^-^

XOXO
Suzie said…
I forgot to add that you should submit this to Wild Yeast! I'm sure that they would love to feature it!!