Walnut Potica with Whole Wheat Flour

Potica is a traditional Slovenian dish that has a reputation for being difficult to prepare well. It is even better if you use whole wheat flour instead of white flour and cane sugar instead of white sugar. Practice makes perfect. If you follow this recipe, it is very likely that you will succeed the first time!

Details

  • Preparation Time: 140 minutes
  • Cooking Time: 65 minutes
  • Difficulty: 3
  • Spiciness: 0
  • Number of Servings: 12

Ingredients

  • 500 g Flour, Whole wheat

  • 15 g Yeast, dry

  • 1 teaspoon Salt, table

  • 1 piece Lemon, fresh, without shell

  • 70 g Butter, unsalted

  • 80 g Sugar, white

  • 1 piece Egg, fresh

  • 2.4 dl Milk, skimmed

  • 3 spoons Alcohol, Rum

  • 500 g Walnuts

  • 10 pieces Walnuts

  • 2 dl Milk, whole milk

  • 50 g Sugar, white

  • 0.5 teaspoons Spices, cinnamon, ground

  • 1 pinch Salt, table

  • 1 teaspoon Butter, salted

Steps

  1. Prepare the yeast: crumble the yeast into a cup, add three tablespoons of lukewarm milk, a teaspoon of flour, and a teaspoon of sugar, mix, and let it rise. Pour the remaining milk, butter, and the rest of the sugar into a cup, heat, and stir until the butter melts. Add rum. Wait for the mixture to cool slightly, then grate the zest of half a lemon into it and mix in an egg.

  2. Sift the flour into a bowl, salt the edges, and make a well in the center. Pour the yeast mixture into the well and mix it slightly with the flour. Let it rise for ten minutes, then gradually pour in the butter and milk mixture while mixing. Knead the dough from all the ingredients until it is smooth and elastic and does not stick to your hands or the bowl.

  3. Cover the dough and let it rest in a warm place until it doubles in size (about one hour), then knead it well, shape it into a ball, cover it, and let it rise again.

  4. Prepare the filling: place the ground walnuts in a bowl, boil 2 dl of milk, and pour it over the walnuts. Add sugar, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt, mix, and let it cool slightly. Coarsely chop the whole walnut kernels.

  5. Divide the dough into two parts and roll each one out on a floured cloth to a thickness of about one centimeter into a rectangle. The side should be approximately as long as the circumference of the baking pan. Spread the filling almost to the edge; leave a few centimeters of dough where you will finish rolling the dough, otherwise, you won't be able to seal it. Sprinkle with chopped walnuts. Roll the dough tightly and precisely using the cloth. While rolling, gently pull the dough. This will prevent air bubbles from forming in the potica during baking.

  6. Grease the baking pan and sprinkle it with breadcrumbs. Place the potica in the pan, press it down slightly, and prick it in several places with a knitting needle. Place the pan in the oven, set the temperature to 50 °C, and let it rise for half an hour. Then increase the oven temperature to 180 °C. Bake the potica for 55 to 65 minutes. Before taking the potica out of the oven, test if it is baked with a knitting needle: if the needle is dry and almost clean, the potica is baked.

  7. Let the baked potica rest covered with a cloth for 20 minutes, then turn it out onto a rack and let it cool. Slice and serve on plates.

Nutrition Information (Per 100g)

  • Calories: 466.71 kcal
  • Fat: 31.51 g
    • Saturated Fat: 4.97 g
  • Carbohydrates: 38.86 g
    • Sugars: 9.6 g
  • Protein: 11.5 g
  • Fiber: 6.12 g

Advice

If you feel that you dont have enough knowledge to bake potica on your own, start by baking bread first. You will gain valuable experience and confidence. Potica made with whole wheat flour has an exceptional taste. It does not dry out even after a few days and retains its full flavor for a long time. You can bake potica in advance and store it in the freezer. Instead of walnut filling, you can use poppy seed filling, dried pear filling, dried plum and almond filling, or cottage cheese with tarragon filling… You will gain experience in baking a really good potica through practice. The most common problems are caused by the inappropriate consistency of the dough and filling, the rising time, and the baking time. The dough should not be too hard, as the potica will be too dry, and if it is too soft, it will be difficult to transfer the potica into the baking pan.