Grandma K's Poticia

Potica (paw teet zah) is a Slovenian Nut Bread made with walnuts.

Last week while over at his mother's house, Tim acquired the potica recipe that his grandmother use to make when he was younger.

Through our 30 years of marriage I've tried almost every potica recipe. According to Tim, none of them tasted like the potica that his grandmother made.

Last weekend Tim tried the recipe. Since this was his first attempt at a yeast bread, he said next time he would make some changed in rolling up the dough with the filling in.

This is a two day bread. Once you make the dough it needs to go into the refrigerator over night and can be finished the following morning.

Ingredients:

4 C flour
3 T sugar
1 1/2 t salt
1 stick plus 1 T butter
1 cake compressed yeast or 1 dry package
1/4 C lukewarm water
3 egg yolks beater
1 C half and half or 1/2 C of half and half and 1/2 C sour cream (scalded and cooled)

Filling:

1 C milk scalded
1 pound of ground walnuts
1 stick of butter
1 C sugar
rind of 1/2 lemon, grated
1/2 t cinnamon
3 egg whites, stiffly beaten

Directions:

Mix flour, with sugar and salt. Cut in 1 stick of butter until all butter is absorbed. Dissolve yeast in lukewarm water and let stand until it foams. Mix egg yolks and cream; add foaming yeast. Gradually add this mixture to flour mixture; beat until it gets too heavy to beat. Stir with wooden spoon until dough doesn't stick to bowl and all flour is absorbed. Place dough on floured board and knead until smooth. Place in bowl, grease top, cover and refrigerate overnight.

Next morning remove from refrigerator 1/2 hour before rolling out. Place dough on well floured cloth and roll as thin as possible into a rectangle about 18 by 24 inches. Spread with filling starting with 24 inch end, roll up jellyroll fashion pulling dough slightly. Cut roll in 3. Seal ends and place in greased 9 x 5 loaf pans and cover with cloth. Let rise 1 1/2 - 2 hours in warm place.

Bake in 325 oven for around one hours. Remove from oven, brush with 1 tsp. butter. After 15 minutes remove from pans.