Potica
Instructions:
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The Bohemian-Slovenian population of Minnesota's Iron Range considers this specialty an essential part of any family celebration, be it Christmas, Easter, a wedding, anniversary, birthday, or funeral. Potica (po-teet-sa) is thinly stretched yeast dough filled with ground walnuts and cooked with honey and milk. The technique for stretching the dough to paper-thinness is much the same as for strudel.
- THE DOUGH
- 1 package active dry yeast;
- 1⁄4 cup warm water 105°F to 115°F;
- 1⁄2 cup milk, scalded and cooled to 105°F to 115°F;
- 1⁄3 cup sugar;
- 1 teaspoon salt;
- 1⁄2 cup butter, at room temperature;
- 2 eggs;
- 4 cups all-purpose flour.
- THE FILLING
- 3 cups pulverized walnuts;
- 3⁄4 cup undiluted evaporated milk;
- 3⁄4 cup sugar;
- 1⁄3 cup honey;
- 1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla.
- To prepare the dough, dissolve the yeast in the warm water in a large bowl. Let stand 5 minutes until foamy. Add the milk, 1⁄3 cup sugar, and salt. Stir in the butter, eggs, and half of the flour. Beat until smooth. Add the remaining flour and mix until a soft dough is formed. Knead about 10 minutes by hand or about 5 minutes with dough hook on heavy-duty mixer. Place in lightly oiled bowl and turn to coat entire surface with oil. Cover and let rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
- While dough rises, combine the walnuts, evaporated milk, and 3⁄4 cup sugar in saucepan. Stir in the honey. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, and cook 1 minute. Remove from heat and add the vanilla. Cover and let cool to about 100 F.
- Cover a table with a flannel-lined plastic tablecloth (with a smooth surface). Grease two 9-by-5-inch loaf pans. Without punching dough down, dump it out onto the center of the plastic tablecloth. Pat dough down first, then roll out with rolling pin as thinly and evenly as possible. Then, carefully stretch into a rectangle about 20 inches by 70 inches. Dough should be so thin that you can see through it. Trim off thick edges. (Shape scraps into a loaf and bake for bread.) Spread filling over dough to within 1⁄2 inch of edges. Turn about 2 inches of the long edges over the filling and, starting at a narrow end, roll up tightly to make 1 compact roll. Cut into 2 equal-sized loaves and place into prepared pans. Let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Bake loaves until golden, about 45 minutes. Remove from pans and let cool on racks. Serve cut in thin slices.