Potica (poh-tee-tsah) is like an enormous cinnamon roll that is baked in bread loaf form instead of rolls. I am trying to replicate my great-grandmother Josepha's recipe, using my mom's taste buds. I looked at many recipes and found most only differed in two main ways: whether the eggs were separated and if sour cream was used. Unfortunately, mom could not remember which of these was most authentic, so I went with the best one!
| 1 pkg (2 1/4 tsp) yeast | If you do not have a very warm kitchen, 2 packages may help risings. |
| 1/4 cup milk | This may be substituted with water. |
| 1 cup sour cream | This makes the potica noticeably richer, but milk or water may substitute. |
| 2 Tbsp sugar | |
| 1 egg | Separating the eggs used more eggs than leaving them intact. |
| 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter | |
| about 5 cups flour |
This is best made in a very warm kitchen. Have everything at room temperature. Do step 1 of the filing recipe (below). Dissolve yeast in milk. Add the sugar, sour cream, and egg. Add flour one cup at a time until it gets hard to mix with a spoon. Scrape out the dough onto a heavily floured table and cover with more flour. Add the half-stick of butter and bury it in the dough. Knead, adding more flour as necessary, until the dough is smooth and not sticky. Lightly oil the inside of the bowl and put dough in. Turn dough over, cover bowl with a cloth and let rise in a warm spot until double in size (1 - 1 1/2 hours). You can use the microwave to create a warm spot if you don't have one.
While the dough rises, finish the filling and flour a table at least 2x3 feet in dimension. Empty dough onto the table and gently punch down all over (do not knead!). Roll out dough into an approximate 2x3 foot rectangle until you can just see your hand through it. Spread filling evenly on dough with a large spoon or spatula. Be careful not to push too hard and rip the dough. Leave a 2 inch border of plain dough around the edges. Roll up into a long cylinder as tightly as possible. Arrange in a large loose spiral on an oiled cookie sheet (not in a mold). Make sure the last edge is under the loaf and tuck the ends under. Cover and let rise in a warm spot for an hour.
Preheat oven to 350'F. Bake for 40-50 minutes until golden, not brown. The crust should be thin and dull. Let cool before slicing into thick pieces.
| 1 cup cream | This makes it richer. It may be substituted with milk or water. |
| 1/2 cup butter | |
| 6 cups walnuts, finely ground | The finer, the better. |
| 1 cup white sugar | This dilutes the strong honey taste. |
| 3/4 cup honey | |
| 3 eggs | I found that whipping the egg whites hid the honey too much. |
1. Heat cream and butter together until the butter is melted. Pour over the walnuts
and mix.
2. When cool, mix in the rest of the ingredients.
The filling should not be runny and it should have the same volume as
the dough.