Traditional 'POTICA' Recipe | Slovenian Walnut Roll Recipe

‘POTICA’ is a delicious traditional Slovenian Walnut Roll, or Sweet bread. It is the QUEEN of all Slovenian desserts and it is known to be one of our national treasures! 

Watch the step by step video instructions -> https://youtu.be/85VUPDIlHTs

Ingredients

Yeast

• 2 x packages active dry yeast
• 1 Tbsp sugar 
• 1/2 cup warm milk

*place all the above ingredients into a mug. Stir well and set it aside for the yeast to activate and bubble.

Dough

• 500g all purpose flour, sifted - You will need more flour during the mixing process. I only ever start with 500g and then add more flour as I mix the dough
• 1 tsp salt
• 70g butter, room temperature
• 4 x large eggs, separated
• 1-2 Tablespoons dark rum
• 1 Tbsp lemon zest
• 2 cups of warm whole milk

1. Sift the flour into a large bowl.
2. In a mixing bowl, mix the wet ingredients first; add the egg yolks, butter, rum and lemon zest. Mix well until you achieve a nice pale yellow consistency.
3. Add a well inside the center of the flour, sprinkle 1 tsp salt around the edges only. Pour the yeast, above egg mixture and 2 cups of warm milk inside the well. Mix for about 8-10 minutes, by hand or use a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment.  * The dough will likely be runny, add some more flour about 1 Tablespoon at a time * if it seems too dry add some warm milk 1 Tablespoon at a time.
4. After 8-10 minutes remove the dough from the bowl, it should still be a little sticky. Sprinkle some flour onto the surface that you are working on and continue kneading by hand until your dough becomes a nice soft, smooth ball. 
5. Place the dough into a bowl. Cover it with clear plactic wrap and a kitchen tea towel. Place the bowl in an area away from the window or draft. Allow the dough to rise and double in size for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
6. While the dough is resting, make the walnut filling.

Walnut filling

• 200ml of warm milk
• 40g of butter
• 600g of ground walnuts
• 100g sugar
• 1 Tbsp lemon zest
• 2 Tbsp's dark rum
• Egg whites

1. Place a small pot on low temperature on the stove and melt the butter with the milk. 
2. Place the ground walnuts into a bowl. Pour the warm milk & butter over the ground walnuts.
3. Add the sugar, rum and lemon zest. Mix until well combined and set aside to cool down. 
4. Whip the eggs whites until you get a nice fluffy consistency.** Important: do not add the whipped egg whites to the walnut mixture until it is cooled down. You don't want to end up with scrambled eggs.
5. Add the egg whites to the cooled walnut mixture. Mix until well combined.

 Making the Potica 

1. Place a large tablecloth on top of the surface that you are working on. Sprinkle it with flour.
2. Place the risen dough on top of the floured tablecloth. Start rolling out the dough. Shape the dough into a large square or rectangle, depending on the size of the pan you are using. * If you are using a round 9" bundt pan, you want it to be around  20" x 20"
3. Once you have rolled out the dough, add the prepared walnut filling
4. Roll up the dough, pressing slightly as you roll to help get some of the air out. 
5. Butter the pan or bundt pan that you are using. *Helpful tip: Roll up a kitchen tea towel and measure the inside of the bundt pan to see how long the Potica or walnut roll needs to be before you cut it and place it into the bundt pans or pans that you will be using to bake the Potica in. 
6. Place the Potica in the buttered pan(s). Use a wooden skewer to poke holes into the Potica. Poke generously all over. Cover up the Potica with a kitchen tea towel. Allow to rest and rise for another 30-60 minutes. *It all depends on how warm your kitchen is. 
7. After the second rise, beat 1 egg, and give the top of the Potica and egg wash. 
8. Using the wooden skewer, re-poke the holes again (bringing the skewer right down to the bottom), after you brush on the egg wash, so there will be a proper air flow when the Potica is baking.
9. Bake the Potica in a 350F over for about 45 minutes. After the 45 minutes lower the heat to 325F, and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes.
10. The Potica is done baking when the top has a beautiful bronzed colour. Remove it from the oven and allow to rest for about 2 minutes. Then place it upside down on a cooling rack. Leaving the pan over it while it is cooling down. Once it has cooled down completely. Place the Potica onto a serving plate with the topside facing down. Sprinkle the Potica with some powdered sugar (icing sugar) and serve! Dober tek ❤️

I want to see your delicious photos!

I hope this recipe becomes a new favourite for you and your family. If you make something and post it on social media, please tag #sloveniankitchen or @slovenska_kuhinja so I can see it on Facebook and Instagram too! 

Lots of love, 

Michelle Pušič Ryall XO