Eggless Povitica - Walnut Filled Sweet Bread

For this month, Jenni of The Gingered Whisk challenged the daring bakers to prepare Povitica. This is a sweet bread with a walnut filling. Pronounced as po-va-teet-sa, this is a dessert bread of Eastern Europe, served during the holiday season. It is also known as Nutroll, Potica, Kalachi and Strudia. The secret of rolling the dough thin and the recipes are passed on from generations among families. 
This may be the ugliest bread I have baked but it was also the tastiest bread. It was so rich, soft and sweet. My daughter liked it very much. The dough was very pliable and I could roll it very thin. The walnut filling was so tasty and also I tried an eggless version. The bread tastes better the next day. 






Ingredients:
To Activate Yeast:
Sugar-1/2tsp
Flour-1/4tsp
Warm Water-1/8cup
Instant Yeast-1/2tbs


For The Dough:
Milk-1/2cup
Sugar-1/3cup
Salt-3/4tsp
Curd-1/4cup (this is the egg substitute)
Butter-1/8cup
Flour-2cups+1/2cup for dusting


Walnut Filling:
Walnuts-1 1/2cups
Milk-1/4cup
Butter-1/4cup
Vanilla essence-1/4tsp
Sugar-1/2cup
Cocoa Powder-1/4tsp
Cinnamon-1/4tsp


Topping:
Strong Coffee-3tbs
Sugar-1/4tsp


Procedure:
1. Mix all the ingredients to activate yeast and keep it covered for 10minutes.
2. Bring milk near boiling point. Do not allow it to boil. This is called as scalding. Remove from flame and allow it to cool.
3. When the milk becomes warm, add sugar, frothy yeast mixture, salt, curd and butter. Mix well.
4. Add 1/2cup of flour and prepare a smooth paste. Gradually add the remaining 1 1/2cups of flour and mix it to form a sticky dough.
5. Sprinkle flour on counter and knead the dough for 8minutes. Dust the dough with flour when sticky. This is a very messy work.
6. When the dough becomes smooth, soft and elastic, place it in a oiled bowl and rotate to coat the dough with oil.
7. Cover with a damp cloth and let it rise for 1 1/2hours. The dough should become double in size.
8. While the dough is rising, prepare the filling.
9. Grind walnuts to a fine powder.
10. Add sugar, cocoa powder, cinnamon and mix well.
11. Bring butter and milk to boil and add vanilla essence.
12. Add this hot milk mixture to the walnuts and mix well. Allow it to cool.
13. Place the doubled dough on a dusted cloth or butter paper and roll it to a thin rectangle. The dough should not stick to the paper or cloth.
14. Apply filling evenly on the rolled dough.
15. Hold the longer side of the paper and roll the dough into a log gently. The paper helps in neat and fuss free rolling.
16. Grease a loaf pan, fold the dough into three or four parts and place into the loaf pan. As I didn't have a big loaf pan, I used a square cake tin.
17. Mix sugar and coffee and apply it evenly on the prepared dough.
18. Allow it to double.
19. Preheat oven to 180C.
20. When the dough is ready, bake it for 15minutes. If it browns fast cover with a foil.
21. Reduce temperature to 150C and bake for another 35minutes.
22. Brush the top with melted butter and allow it to cool in the tin itself. As the bread is heavy, removing from tin when hot will distort the shape.
23. When completely cool, remove from the tin and slice. 
24. Enjoy.






Scald Milk

Add the remaining ingredients

Prepare a sticky dough


Knead it for 8 minutes to form a soft dough. Place it in a bowl

Allow it to double


Mix powdered walnuts, sugar, cocoa, cinnamon

Add milk, butter mixture and prepare a paste


Roll the dough into a rectangle

Apply filling evenly

Roll it by lifting the paper

Form into a log

Fold it 

Place into a loaf pan or tin

Bake and allow it to cool

Remove from tin when completely cool

Slice


Enjoy


Sending this to 
Yeastspotting
HCC-Healthy Bakes hosted by Priya and started by Smitha
100 Days Global Fest by Kalyani
Only Sweets and Desserts hosted by me and started by Pari


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