Make Ahead

Povitica Bread with Maple

March 29, 2012
0
0 Ratings
  • Makes 1 loaf
Author Notes

When I came across this bread recipe I just kept wondering how did they get the swirls inside it. Then , I read the article. Actually, I had read the article just few weeks away somewhere on FB and I forgot the exact source. It said lost traditions as nowadays this bread is not prepared often may be due to lack of time or just with so many new dishes emerging up. So, the article took me to about.com and read all about this traditional bread and I researched a little bit and came across this recipe from the daring baker's challenge for the month of October 2011. There are hardly few companies who still make this bread and ship and the name The Strawberry Hill Povitica Co. Although, it is slightly time consuming and hard working recipe I really want to make one. So , my recipe is adapted from the recipe of daring bakers. Whereas traditional povitica uses honey and walnut mixture , I have tried to substitute it with maple syrup , honestly for the purpose of this competition. —Devangi Raval

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • Dough
  • 1/4 teaspoon all-pupose flour
  • 2 tablespoons warm water
  • 1/12 teaspoon yeast
  • 1/2 cup Milk
  • 3 tablespoons Sugar
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tablespoon melted unsalted butter
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour,sifted and divided
  • For the Nut filling
  • 13/4 cup finely ground walnuts
  • 1/4 cup Milk
  • 1/4 cup unslated butter
  • 1 beaten egg yolk
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup maple syrup+2 tbsp of honey
  • 1/4 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • egg for egg wash (1 egg beaten + 1.5 tsp of sugar) or you can use (2 tbsp of strong coffee with 1.5 tsp sugar)
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar
Directions
  1. Dough
  2. In a small bowl, stir together first 4 ingredients, cover with plastic wrap, and leave for 5 minutes.In a medium saucepan, heat the milk up to just below boiling, stirring constantly so that a film does not form on the top of the milk. You want it hot enough to scald you, but not boiling. Allow to cool slightly, until it is about 110°F. In a large bowl, mix the scalded milk, 3 tablespoons sugar, and the salt until combined.
  3. Add the beaten eggs, yeast mixture, melted butter, and 1 cup of flour. Blend thoroughly and slowly add remaining flour, mixing well until the dough starts to clean the bowl. Turn dough out onto floured surface and knead, gradually adding flour a little at a time, until smooth and does not stick. Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover loosely with plastic wrap and then a kitchen towel and let rise an hour and a half until doubled in size.
  4. Meanwhile prepare the nut filling.
  1. For the Nut filling
  2. In a large bowl mix together the ground walnuts, cinnamon and cocoa. Heat the milk and butter to boiling. Pour the liquid over the nut mixture. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix thoroughly. And, add the maple syrup and honey. Allow to stand at room temperature until ready to be spread on the dough. If the mixture thickens, add a small amount of warm milk.
  3. Roll and assemble the dough: Spread a clean sheet or cloth over your entire table so that it is covered. Sprinkle with a couple of tablespoons to a handful of flour. Place the dough on the sheet (using the sheet will make it easier to roll out the dough and later on roll it with the filling) and roll the dough out with a rolling pin, starting in the middle and working your way out, until it measures roughly 10 -12 inches in diameter. Using the tops of your hands, stretch dough out from the center until the dough is thin and uniformly opaque. You can also use your rolling pin, if you prefer. As you work, continually pick up the dough from the table, not only to help in stretching it out, but also to make sure that it is not sticking. The dough should be so thin that you can see the color and perhaps the pattern of the sheet underneath. Spoon filling evenly over dough until covered. Lift the edge of the cloth and gently roll the dough like a jelly roll.
  4. Once the dough is rolled up into a rope, gently lift it up and place it into a greased loaf pan in the shape of a “U”, with the ends meeting in the middle. You want to coil the dough around itself, as this will give the dough its characteristic look when sliced. Cover pans lightly will plastic wrap and allow to rest for approximately 15 minutes.
  5. Preheat oven to moderate 350°F. Remove plastic wrap from dough, brush with coffee mixture or egg wash and bake for approximately 15 minutes. Remove bread from oven and brush with melted butter. Turn down the oven temperature to300°F and bake for an additional 45 minutes, or until done. Check the bread after 30 minutes to ensure that it is not getting too brown. You may cover the loaves with a sheet of aluminum foil if needed. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan on a wire rack for 40 minutes.
  6. For the purpose of showing you the way the roll should places I am attaching a link http://thedaringkitchen.com/recipe/povitica another way that I saw in the video of The Strawberry Hill Povitica company they rolled it in an S-shape .
  7. I will be making it this weekend hopefully and upload a picture.
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