Walnut Potica with Yeast

In the book Potica from Slovenia, Prof. Dr. Janez Bogataj writes that he is not sure if there is any dish in Slovenian cuisine as frequently mentioned as potica. And he is right. We all know potica, even those beyond our borders. Potica is that dish that must not be missing from our tables during important holidays, especially during Easter. Over the years, I have tried many different recipes, but when my mom kindly handed me her recipe from an old notebook, I quickly adapted it to yeast and made the queen of poticas. Indeed, the recipe worked, and I am truly very satisfied with it. Try it yourself, I am sure it will work for you too. If you add something of your own, that’s fine too. Adjust the taste to your liking and make a potica that will delight you.

Details

  • Preparation Time: 50 minutes
  • Cooking Time: 70 minutes
  • Difficulty: 1
  • Spiciness: 0
  • Number of Servings: 12

Ingredients

Dough

  • 300 g Flour, Wheat, bread flour

  • 150 g Yeast, dry

  • 150 g Sweet cream

  • 2 piece Egg, egg yolk, fresh

  • 40 g Sugar, white

  • 4 g Salt, table

  • 40 g Butter, unsalted

  • 1 piece Sugar, white

  • 15 g Alcohol, Rum

  • pieces Lemon zest, fresh

Filling

  • 300 g Walnuts

  • 120 ml Milk, whole milk

  • 30 g Sugar, white

  • 2 piece Egg, egg white, fresh

Steps

  1. In a bowl, place the cream and crumble the risen yeast into the cream. Add sugar, salt, and egg yolks, and mix the ingredients well. Add the flour and knead the dough. Once the dough is well combined (do not over-knead), let it rest for about half an hour.

  2. Knead the softened butter into the dough to achieve a smooth texture. Let it rest again for half an hour, then quickly knead it once more. Shape it into a loaf and let it rise in a covered bowl. When the dough has doubled in size (this will take about 8 hours at room temperature or 12 to 15 hours in the refrigerator), roll it out and fill it. It will roll out much better if it’s from the refrigerator, as it will be compact and well-rested.

  3. Prepare the filling. Lightly toast the walnuts and pour warm milk over them, adding sugar. Mix the mixture and let it cool. Once cooled, gently fold in the beaten egg whites. Roll out the risen dough to about a centimeter thick and spread the walnut filling evenly to the edges. Then tightly roll the dough together.

  4. Grease the potica mold (20 cm in diameter) or a rectangular baking dish with oil, butter, or a combination of both. Transfer the roll into the mold and let the potica rise before baking. The dough should become fluffy and increase by about 40 percent. At room temperature (around 22 degrees Celsius), this takes about 5 hours for me.

  5. Once the potica has risen nicely, transfer it to an oven preheated to 180 degrees Celsius. Sometimes I poke holes in the top before baking, sometimes I don’t, depending on how the dough has risen. I do not brush the top of the potica before baking. Bake it in the potica mold for 1 hour and 10 minutes, or in a rectangular baking dish for just under an hour.

  6. Carefully transfer the baked potica from the mold or baking dish to a wire rack and let it cool completely. Before serving, dust the top with powdered sugar. Watch the video for the step-by-step preparation of walnut potica with yeast!

Nutrition Information (Per 100g)

  • Calories: 423.13 kcal
  • Fat: 26.6 g
    • Saturated Fat: 6.67 g
  • Carbohydrates: 34.85 g
    • Sugars: 7.29 g
  • Protein: 13.34 g
  • Fiber: 5.53 g

Advice

The recipe is adapted for a potica mold with a diameter of 20 cm, which holds approximately 1 kg of dough, or slightly less. If you have a larger mold, increase the quantities accordingly.