Potica
Ingredients
- 600 g flour
- 14 g instant yeast
- 120 g butter
- 90 g sugar
- 3 egg yolks
- 250 ml warm milk
- 1 tbsp rum
- Zest of 1 lemon and 1 tsp vanilla paste
- Pinch of salt
- 1 egg, beaten, for the glaze
- 500 g ground walnuts
- 250 ml heavy cream
- 200 g sugar and 2 tbsp honey, for the filling
- 3 egg whites
- Powdered sugar, to finish
Potica is baked for Easter, Christmas and weddings across Slovenia, traditionally in a ceramic ring mold called a potičnik. The dough is enriched with butter, egg yolks, lemon zest, rum and vanilla, then rolled into a rectangle nearly a metre long and only half a centimetre thick. The filling — ground walnuts scalded with hot sweetened cream and honey, lightened with whipped egg whites — is spread to the edges, and the sheet is rolled up while being stretched slightly so the spiral is tight and even. It bakes for an hour, covered halfway, and is dusted with powdered sugar once cool.
Method
Combine the flour, yeast and salt. Warm the milk with the sugar and butter until the butter melts, add the lemon zest, rum and vanilla and cool slightly, then mix in the egg yolks.
Add the liquid to the flour and knead until the dough is soft and elastic. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
For the filling, simmer the cream with the 200 g sugar and the honey, pour it over the ground walnuts and mix. Whip the egg whites to stiff peaks and fold them in.
Roll the dough into a rectangle about 90 x 35 cm and half a centimetre thick. Spread the filling evenly all the way to the edges.
Roll up from a long side, stretching the dough slightly with each turn so the spiral is tight. Lift the roll into a buttered potičnik or bundt pan, seam-side up, and prick it all over with a toothpick.
Cover and let rise for 30 minutes. Heat the oven to 180°C (360°F) and brush the potica with beaten egg.
Bake for 1 hour, covering with foil after 30 minutes so the top does not darken too much. Cool in the pan before turning out, then dust with powdered sugar and slice.
