Taste Slovenia

Potica - Slovenian rolled cake

Potica – Slovenian rolled cake

Published on October 30, 2022 | In By
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    • Yield
    • 3010
    • (30cm x 10cm) loaf

Second part of our trip in autumn of 2016. was reserved for visiting Slovenia. We started off from Strunjan, beautiful coastal nature reserve and spa where we stayed and visited Ljubljana, the capital, following Karst region. Winds from the Alps and Mediterranean that cross here, make ideally balanced 4 seasons climate for the finest cured ham. Through the beautiful nature of Slovenian mountains and valleys, we found our way to Triglav national park where Bled lake lies. We took a small boat to reach the Bled island, climbed 99 stairs to reach the church and plateau that nowadays has a restaurant with a kitchen overlooking the lake. There we made potica, nut roll,  the most famous Slovenian festive dish. For centuries, housewives bake pots on special occasions, either at weddings, births or at the end of harvest, thawing and harvesting. It is an indispensable part of the Christmas festive feast, and especially of great importance during the Easter holidays, when the mandatory ingredient of the feast represents the crown of Jesus. There are as many as 80 fillings you can choose from: sweet or savoury. We made walnut filled potica in Bled, and here I’ll share the recipe:

 

Ingredients

  • Yeast : 7 g fresh yeast (*check the manufacturer’s instructions) 30 ml lukewarm milk ¼ tablespoon sugar
  • STEP 1: Make the dough: 100 ml milk 40g butter 1 egg yolks 40g sugar ½ teaspoons salt ¼ tablespoon vanilla extract 220-250g flour (half/half mixture 薄力粉 and 強力粉)
  • STEP 2: Make the Walnut Filling: 220g walnuts (ground fine) 30g butter 80ml milk 50g sugar 40g honey ¼ tablespoon vanilla extract 1 teaspoon of grated orange peel 1 large egg white Cinnamon

Instructions

  1. Yeast prep: Dissolve yeast in milk; add sugar and combine. Cover and let rise in warm place, about 10 minutes.
  2. Make the dough: Scald the milk on the stove; add butter. Cool to lukewarm. Beat egg yolk, sugar, salt and vanilla until lemon-colored. In larger bowl, sift half quantity of flour. Make a well in the center and pour mixtures of prepared yeast, milk, butter, egg and sugar into mixing bowl. Beat with a whisk until smooth and elastic. Then keep adding flour and mixing with a wooden spoon until of consistency that dough can be handled without sticking. Place on floured board and knead for about 10 minutes, adding flour as needed, to make a non-sticking dough. Place dough in well-greased bowl; turn to grease top. Cover and let rise in warm place for about 1.5 hours until double in bulk.
  3. Making wallnut filling: Grind walnuts in food chopper with finest blade. Melt butter in large saucepan. Add milk, sugar and honey; cook to rolling boil, taking care not to let it boil over. Pour hot mixture over walnuts. Add vanilla and grated peel. Mix thoroughly and allow to cool. Beat the egg white until stiff and fold into the cooled nut mixture.
  4. Rolling & Baking: Grease well the 30cm x 10cm loaf pan. Roll out dough on table covered with cloth, sprinkled well with flour. The dough should be a rectangle shape about 30 cm x 20cm. Spread cooled filling evenly over entire dough, sprinkling generously with cinnamon. (If desired, raisins may be added at this point.) Start rolling up dough by hand (jelly-roll fashion) from the wide side, stretching the dough slightly with each roll. Keep the side edges as even as possible. Prick roll about every several turns with a fork to help eliminate air pockets. Continue rolling by hand to opposite edge. Seal ends more securely by gently pulling dough down to cover ends and tucking underneath when placing in pan. Cover and let rise in warm place until double, about one hour. Bake in preheated 180C oven for 45 min- or until medium brown on the surface. If you wish a glossy top, brush the loaf with 1 egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon milk 15 minutes before potica is done.
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