Holiday Nut Roll Americanized Croatian Nut Roll Food

POTICA (CROATIAN NUT ROLL)

Steps:

• Stir yeast into water.
• Mix butter, milk, sugar, and salt.
• Add egg yolks, yeast mixture and 2 cup flour.
• Mix thoroughly.
• Add remaining flour and turn dough out on a floured surface.
• Knead until smooth, elastic and does not stick to surface.
• Place in greased bowl and let rise 1 hour.
• Grease your baking pan.
• Filling: mix milk, salt, margarine and sugar.
• Heat slightly until margarine melts and sugar is dissolved.
• Add nuts then to stretch mixture you can fold in beaten egg whites.
• After it has risen, divide into 4 equal parts.
• Do not knead.
• Roll each piece to about 1/8 inch thick.
• Spread with cooled filling.
• Roll jelly-roll style and place seam down in a greased pan.
• Let rise for 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Bake 40 - 45 minutes.

HOLIDAY NUT ROLL (AMERICANIZED CROATIAN NUT ROLL)

Steps:

• Scald milk in small pan, set off burner and cool to warm. In large mixing bowl combine warm milk and yeast with wire whisk. Beat eggs in separate bowl, then add to milk. Beat milk-egg mixture by hand for 2 minutes. Mix in sugar and margarine. Add flour slowly, mixing as you go (my grandmother insists this should be done with a wood spoon). Do not rise, do not chill. Set aside.
• Chop walnuts (food processor or very finely by hand). In large mixing bowl, combine walnuts, white sugar, and milk. Mix thoroughly. Add remaining ingredients (butter, brown sugar, salt, vanilla, whiskey), mixing thoroughly. Filling should be thick and moist, but not stiff.
• Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees.
• Separate large dough ball completely into 10-12 equal balls (simple method is to cut dough to equal portions on a cutting board with a lightly floured butcher knife then reform portions to balls).
• On a rolling board or clean counter, roll each dough ball to about 1/4 inch thickness in an oblong-oval shape. Spread nut mixture over rolled dough, covering the entirety with a thin layer, and keeping the mixture about 1/2 inch to 1 inch away from the edges of the dough.
• Form the roll first by folding the horizontal edges of the dough inwards on both the left and right sides. Then fold up the bottom of the dough about 1 1/2 inches. Each side and the bottom of the dough should now be folded in towards the middle of the rolled dough so that the nut covering is enclosed by the folded sides. Begin rolling from the bottom of the dough (where you just made the fold) towards the top. When you reach the top, fold the edges into a wide triangular flap (so that the roll will end with an overlapping wide "V"). Place the roll "V" down on a greased cookie sheet. This sounds complicated, but the basic idea is simply to close off the edges to prevent leaking--if you simply roll it like a jelly roll, the filling would ooze out and burn on the pan.
• Brush top with beaten egg (makes the roll pale gold-brown when baked).
• Repeat process to form other rolls. If nut mixture becomes thick and difficult to spread add more evaporated milk.
• Keep rolls at least 2 inches apart on baking sheets, and bake each for 20-25 minutes or until tops appear golden-brown. Cool at least 20 minutes before moving.

AUNT BETTY'S HUNGARIAN NUT ROLL

Steps:

• Dissolve yeast in warm water in a bowl according to package instructions. Let stand until yeast softens and begins to form a creamy foam, about 5 minutes.
• While yeast softens, combine sugar, 1/2 cup plus 1 1/2 tablespoons shortening, butter, egg yolks, egg, vanilla-butternut flavoring, nutmeg, and salt in a mixing bowl. Beat using an electric mixer until creamy and thoroughly combined.
• Combine flour, milk, and yeast mixture in a separate bowl; mix into egg mixture until well combined and a dough forms. Set aside to rise in a warm area until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
• Knead risen dough down gently; cut into 4 equal pieces. Set the pieces aside and let rise for an additional 20 minutes.
• While rolls rise, beat egg whites using an electric mixer in a mixing bowl until stiff. Add pecans, sugar, honey, and vanilla extract; beat to combine.
• Roll out each piece of dough using a lightly floured rolling pin on a lightly floured work surface, to approximately 13x18-inch rectangles, 1/4-inch thick.
• Spread pecan mixture approximately 1/4-inch thick onto the dough. Roll up dough, beginning from the side. Place rolls 2 1/2-inches apart on a rimmed baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden, about 45 minutes.

ROMANIAN NUT ROLL (KIFLA)

Steps:

• Mix ingredients for filling, set aside.
• In another bowl, mix yeast, milk, 1 teaspoon sugar, and vanilla together and set aside for about 10 minutes.
• In a third bowl, mix flour and 1/2 cup sugar. Cut in butter until mixture resembles course crumbs.
• Add eggs, salt and sour cream, then add yeast mixture, mix and knead well until dough is shiny (about 15 minutes).
• Divide into 4 balls. Roll out each ball to about 9" x 13" and spoon 1/4 of the nut filling over each.
• Starting at the narrow end, roll dough into a loaf. Pinch the ends and fold them under. With the seam side down, let loaves rise in greased pan for 2 hours.
• Brush with beaten egg and bake at 350 for 35 to 40 minutes.

DATE NUT ROLL

Steps:

• In heavy, 3-qt saucepan, combine sugar, milk, butter and corn syrup.
• Cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until sugar dissolves and mixture comes to boiling; add dates.
• Cook, stirring occasionally, until candy thermometer registers 238°F degrees, or until a little in cold water forms a soft ball.
• Remove from heat.
• Add nuts and vanilla.
• Beat until thick.
• Turn out on board; divide in half.
• Shape each half into a roll 1 3/4" in diameter; wrap in waxed paper; refrigerate at least 1 hour before coating with chocolate.
• In top of double boiler, melt chocolate pieces over hot, not boiling, water.
• Remove from heat.
• Remove date rolls from refrigerator; spread half of chocolate over each roll; spreading to coat evenly all over.
• Refrigerate until chocolate is hard; wrap in waxed paper until ready to cut into slices 1/3" thick.