Cottage Cheese Roll

Potica is a traditional Slovenian dish that must not be missing from the richly set table during holidays. In addition to walnut, poppy seed, and tarragon potica, the very juicy cottage cheese roll is also popular, to which we can optionally add soaked raisins.

Details

  • Preparation Time: 120 minutes
  • Cooking Time: 60 minutes
  • Difficulty: 3
  • Spiciness: 0
  • Number of Servings: 12

Ingredients

Dough

  • 500 g Wheat flour, white, multi-purpose

  • 220 ml Milk, whole milk

  • 42 g Yeast, dry

  • 80 g Sugar, white

  • 4 pieces Egg, egg yolk, fresh

  • pieces Lemon zest, fresh

  • 80 g Butter, unsalted

  • 1 pinch Salt, table

Filling

  • 500 g Cheese, cottage cheese

  • 2 piece Egg, fresh

  • 100 g Sugar, white

  • 1 bag Sugar, white

  • 100 g Sour cream

  • 100 g Raisins

  • 0.5 dl Alcohol, Rum

Premaz

  • 1 piece Egg, fresh

  • 4 spoon Milk, whole milk

Steps

  1. First, prepare the yeast starter: crumble the yeast into a bowl, add a tablespoon of flour and a tablespoon of sugar, and enough warm milk to form a thick mixture. Place it in a warm spot to help the yeast rise.

  2. While the yeast starter is rising, melt the butter slowly in a small pot over low heat. Sort the raisins, place them in a small bowl, and pour rum over them.

  3. In a small bowl, mix the egg yolks, remaining sugar, lemon zest, salt, the rest of the milk, and the melted butter. Sift the flour into a large bowl and mix it with the egg yolk mixture. Start kneading, and when you get a rough dough, add the risen yeast starter. Knead for about 10 minutes or until bubbles start to form in the dough. Properly kneaded dough is soft and pliable and does not stick to your hands or the bowl. Shape the dough into a loaf, cover it with a clean cloth, and let it rest in a warm place until it doubles in size (about one hour).

  4. While the dough is rising, prepare the filling. Separate the egg whites and yolks into two bowls. Whisk the yolks with 50 g of sugar until frothy, and beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt into stiff peaks. Mix the cottage cheese, remaining sugar, vanilla sugar, and sour cream into the yolk mixture. Then, gently and slowly fold the egg whites into the mixture in two or three batches using a hand whisk.

  5. Grease the potica mold well and dust it with coarse flour (breadcrumbs). On a floured cloth, stretch the risen dough with your hands into a rectangle, then roll it out to about 1 cm thick with a rolling pin. Spread the cottage cheese filling evenly over the dough, leaving a one or two-finger-wide border around the edges. Sprinkle the soaked raisins over the filling.

  6. Start rolling the dough from the bottom, gently tightening each roll by pulling the dough slightly towards you. This prevents air bubbles from forming in the potica during baking. Use the cloth to help with rolling. Carefully place the roll into the prepared mold. Prick it several times with a thin knitting needle or long fork, cover it, and let it rise for 30 minutes.

  7. Preheat the oven to 190 degrees Celsius. Brush the risen roll with a mixture of beaten egg and milk. Place the mold in the preheated oven for 50 to 60 minutes. Bake the potica in the middle of the oven, and if necessary, cover it with a piece of aluminum foil towards the end of baking to prevent it from browning too much on top. Before taking the potica out of the oven, check if it is done by inserting a knitting needle: if it comes out dry and almost clean, it is baked.

  8. Take the baked potica out of the oven, let it cool in the mold for 10 to 20 minutes, then turn it out onto a wire rack and let it cool completely. Serve the cooled potica on a nice plate or platter, dust with powdered sugar, and enjoy.

Nutrition Information (Per 100g)

  • Calories: 261.91 kcal
  • Fat: 7.27 g
    • Saturated Fat: 3.52 g
  • Carbohydrates: 37.82 g
    • Sugars: 11.19 g
  • Protein: 8.9 g
  • Fiber: 1.45 g

Advice

The foundation of a truly good potica is the dough, which must be appropriately thick and well-risen. Work in a warm room without drafts. It is best to use organic lemons, whose peel is not treated with pesticides. If organic lemons are not available, immerse the lemon in boiling water for a few minutes and wipe it well to remove the wax containing toxins.