Vegan Potica with Chestnut

Potica is undoubtedly the most famous and widespread traditional Slovenian dish. Its name supposedly derives from the word povitica, which then transformed into povtica and eventually into potica. I resisted making potica in every possible way because I was terrified of its preparation, rising, rolling, and baking. But then I grabbed my rolling pin, coconut oil, and spelt flour and got started. Although Im not a fan of yeast, its almost essential for potica, but next time I’ll try it with a starter or sourdough. This potica is also vegan, meaning the dough isn’t entirely traditional as it doesn’t contain egg yolks. Egg yolks are said to be essential for the doughs richness, and I’ve also heard a story from my mother-in-law that the more yellow the dough, the prouder the housewives were, as it meant there was no shortage in the household since they used many egg yolks for the potica. Anyway, as usual, I like to shake up traditional recipes. For a nice yellow color, I used turmeric, and for richness, I used coconut oil and coconut cream.

Details

  • Preparation Time: 150 minutes
  • Cooking Time: 40 minutes
  • Difficulty: 3
  • Spiciness: 0
  • Number of Servings: 12

Ingredients

Dough

  • 300 g Flour, Whole wheat

  • 1 dl Soy milk

  • 1 pinch Yeast, dry

  • 1 pinch Spices, turmeric, ground

  • 40 g Oil, plant, coconut

  • 4 spoon Sweet cream

  • pieces Lemon zest, fresh

  • 4 spoon Sugar, brown

  • 1 pinch Salt, table

Filling

  • 200 g Flour, rosette

  • 1 piece Apple, fresh

  • pieces Orange, shell

  • pieces Alcohol, Rum

  • 4 spoon Sugar, brown

  • 200 ml Sweet cream

  • 50 g Oil, plant, coconut

  • 2 teaspoons Spices, cinnamon, ground

  • 2 teaspoons Vanilla, extract, natural

  • 1 pinch Salt, table

Steps

  1. First, prepare the yeast mixture. Mix a teaspoon of yeast with three tablespoons of warm almond milk and one teaspoon of coconut sugar. Set aside to let the mixture rise.

  2. In a bowl, mix the dry ingredients. Make a well in the center and add the wet ingredients along with the yeast mixture. Knead well. Cover with a cloth and let it rise (about 1 hour).

  3. While the dough is rising, prepare the filling. Sauté the chestnut until fragrant, then add all the other ingredients and mix. If the mixture is too thick, add more coconut milk; if it’s too thin, add more chestnut flour.

  4. Once the dough has doubled in size, roll it out on a floured surface into a rectangle about a finger’s width thick. Carefully spread the cooled filling evenly over the dough, all the way to the edges.

  5. Roll the potica tightly and carefully transfer it to a greased baking pan. Prick it in several places with a needle (to release air) and let it rise again (about 1 hour).

  6. Bake the potica for about 30 to 40 minutes at 180°C. Once baked, let it sit in the pan for a few minutes, then turn it out onto a clean board (that doesn’t smell of onions!) and let it cool completely.

Nutrition Information (Per 100g)

  • Calories: 322.24 kcal
  • Fat: 12.41 g
    • Saturated Fat: 9.7 g
  • Carbohydrates: 57.09 g
    • Sugars: 23.02 g
  • Protein: 5.3 g
  • Fiber: 12.75 g

Advice

a pinch of salt