Potiča / Potiza - Slovenian Nut Bread

Potica / Potiza - Slovenian Nut Bread

My Slovenian grandmother was the queen of Potiza (pronounced Po-teet-sah).

Having made it hundreds of times, she had perfected her recipe and would make a batch at every holiday and family visit.  My dad was probably the biggest fan of her swirled nut bread. While staying at my parents for a few months and being a trained chef, I knew I would have to earn my room and board by trying to re-create grandma's famous recipe.  

My mother found an old newspaper clipping of a Potiza recipe she had kept from our days back in Cleveland. The recipe was from AMLA, the American Mutual Life Association which is a "Slovenian Fraternal Insurance Society."  As a child I would attend their Christmas party each year.

The Potiza I made from the recipe wasn't exactly like grandma's, but we did come pretty close. It has only been a day since we made them and all 3 loaves are almost gone, so I must have done something right! With only a few minor changes to AMLA's "Clip a Cookbook" recipe by Mary Zimmerman, here is my adapted version:

THE BREAD

• 1 pkg. dry yeast
• 1/4 cup water, lukewarm (between 100-110 F)
• 3/4 cup milk, lukewarm (between 100-110 F)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup butter, room temperature
• 3 1/2 - 3 3/4 cups sifted all purpose flour

THE FILLING

• 1/4 cup butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/4 milk
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp almond extract
• 2 cups finely ground walnuts

THE TOPPING

You can use either melted butter or egg wash

INSTRUCTIONS

Dissolve yeast in warm water and let sit in a warm spot for about 10 minutes (or until yeast begins to bubble on top). In a mixing bowl, combine sugar, salt, egg, butter, and half of the sifted flour.  

Add in warm milk (do not boil) and yeast/water mixture.  Mix with a spoon to combine.  Slowly add in remaining flour until dough comes together.  Turn onto a lightly floured counter and knead for about 5 minutes OR mix in a Kitchenaid with a dough hook attachment for 5 minutes.  

Stop kneading once dough is smooth. Place in a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap and a towel. Place bowl in a warm area until it doubles in size, approximately 1.5-2 hours.

While the dough is rising make the filling by mixing the butter, brown sugar, and egg; then stir in milk, vanilla, and almond extract.  Fold in the chopped walnuts.  Once the dough rises, divide into 3 equal parts.  On a floured cloth or board, roll out each part into a very thin rectangle. 

Spread the filling all over the dough then roll up (like making cinnamon buns). Place into a greased loaf pan.  Cover pans and let rise again until they double, about 1-1.5 hours.  

Brush the tops with butter or egg wash (use butter if you want added richness or egg wash if you want a dark shiny color) then place in preheated 325 degree oven. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until golden brown.  Let cool in pans for 15 minutes, then remove.  Slice and serve!

Chef's note: Next time, I may add some cinnamon to the filling. I think it would add a nice flavor. Feel free to give it a try!

Comments

[wasabi prime]

Oh my -- this looks like an amaaaaaaazing treat! I've gotten so spoiled with baked goods after the holidays; it's been hard to avoid having sweets or avoid the urge to just bake something now that I have more time at home. Oh... this recipe... it calls to me like a siren's song!

[Julie]

The only grandparent I ever knew - my dad's mother - made potica - and it was my favorite - still is. I'm the only family member who makes it now, and it's a bit different than the one you have posted, Amy.
Grandma pulled her dough, rather than rolling it. On a flour-covered sheet spread over the table, you plop the risen dough and begin to pull and you circle the table. The dough is pulled in this manner until it is very thin - translucent. The cooled filling (Grandma cooked hers), which in Grandma's recipe also has honey, is thinly spread over the dough and little pats of butter are distributed over that. Next, you begin lifting the sheet on one side and rolling the dough that way. In a butter-greased lasagna pan, you make a tight S shape with the dough and let it rise again. Then bake it off.
I'm thrilled to know you also make potica - you're the only other person I know who does. I lost Grandma when I was only eleven.

[Joseph]

There must be a million ways to make this, but the lack of honey just seems wrong ;-)

My full recipe includes ~7 cups of flour, a 12 oz jar of honey and 2.5 pounds of nuts. We pull it to cover a 3 x 5 foot table, apply the filling and sprinkle in 1.5 cups of raisins. Then roll and fold into the bottom of an 11 x 17 inch broiler pan. Okay, I super-sized the filling a little, but that's the baker's prerogative.

[sara]

I'm making this for the second time ever, using the recipe from our Slovene church cookbook (Willard, Wi). I made a trip to Cerkniča in October to see my family and brought back a sizable jar of honey for this very reason! It's great to see even a few of us keep this fantastic tradition going :)

[E.]

I want to tell you that we had lost our family potica recipe so after searching through tons on the internet, I decided that yours sounded the most like ours. I have made it 3 times already and it's spot on! I tend to double the filling to make it extra moist. Thanks for posting. This is a fantastic recipe. No honey necessary!