Recipes

[LoLa]

Povitica Bread

I was watching In The Kitchen with David last night and was completely mesmerized by the Povitica bread that was on the show. I immediately called a friend whose mom is originally from Poland and asked her if she had a recipe. She said that that they didn't a a 'family' recipe but she uses the one below that she found on a website to make this magical bread and it's out of this world. I attempted it today *gasp*. I have to say that I was a little nervous but honestly, it was pretty easy. Plus, I think I'm in LoVe!

Activate the yeast:
1/2 teaspoon of sugar
1/4 teaspoon all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons warm water
1 1/2 teaspoons of active dry yeast

Dough:
1/2 cup milk
3 tablespoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
2 cups all-purpose flour, measured then sifted

Filling:
1 1/2 cups walnuts, ground or chopped
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1 large egg yolk, lightly beaten
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

Topping:
1 egg, beaten (to brush onto the dough)
Mixture of raw sugar and cinnamon

Activate the yeast:
In a small bowl, stir 1/2 tsp sugar, 1/2 tsp flour and yeast into 2 TBS warm water. Cover with plastic wrap, and allow it to stand for 5 minutes until bubbly.

Dough: In a medium saucepan, heat the milk to just below boiling , stirring constantly. Allow to cool slightly. In bowl of mixer, add the scalded milk to 3 TBS sugar and 3/4 tsp salt until combined. Add the beaten egg, 1 TBS melted butter, and the yeast mixture. Add 1/4 cup of the sifted flour. Stir until combined. Slowly add small amounts of the flour until the dough begins to clean the bowl. Turn dough out onto floured surface and knead, continuing to add small amounts of flour until the dough is smooth and no longer sticky. You might not use all of the flour. Place dough ball into a greased mixing bowl and cover with plastic wrap and a dish towel. Let rise in a warm place for 90 minutes or until doubled in size.

Filling: In a bowl, mix together the walnuts with sugar, cinnamon, and cardamom. In a saucepan, heat the milk and butter to boiling, and then pour over the nut mixture. Allow to cool slightly and then add egg yolk and vanilla. Mix thoroughly. Allow mixture to come to room temperature.

Assembly: Turn dough out onto a floured surface and with a floured rolling pin, roll out dough to a rectangle approximately 10×12 inches. Lightly brush with melted butter. Continue rolling until dough is very, very thin. Occasionally lift the dough and sprinkle extra flour on your surface as needed to prevent sticking and tearing. Spread nut filling over the top of dough, leaving a little room around the edges. Carefully and slowly roll the dough up like a jelly roll. Starting at the center, gently pull the log toward the edges to make it slightly longer.Using a 9×5 loaf pan as a guide, create an S-shape with your dough that will fit inside of the pan. Thoroughly grease your pan and lay the dough inside. Allow to rest for about 30 minutes, and then brush with a beaten egg and top with raw sugar/cinnamon mixture.

Bake at 350F for about 15 minutes. Turn down oven temperature to 300F. Bake an additional 45 minutes. Add an aluminum foil tent to dough if it starts to brown too quickly or too much. Bread is done when it is a deep golden brown, begins to pull away at the edges, and has a hollow sound when you thunk on it. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before removing from pan. Slice with a serrated knife. Sometimes it’s easiest to turn the loaf upside down before cutting.