Povitica

Pronounced "po-vuh-tee-tsa"...a Croatian bread that I was first introduced to by my Yugoslavian grandmother. It is flaky and sweet and wonderful, and worth the effort that goes into making it!

Dough
4 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
4 tsp yeast
1/4 cup sugar
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 1/2 cups milk, warmed

Stir together dry ingredients.  Add in wet ingredients and mix until dough pulls from the sides of the bowl.  Transfer dough onto a floured surface and knead until dough is smooth and elastic.  Dough should be soft, but not sticky.  Divide dough in half and place each bit of dough in a separate bowl.  Place bowls in a warm place, cover, and allow dough to rise until twice the original size - about an hour.  Proceed to make filling (below) while dough is rising.

Preheat oven to 325. Lay out a sheet or tablecloth onto your rolling surface and cover lightly with flour.  Once risen, turn out dough for one loaf onto floured surface.  Roll dough out, with floured rolling pin, into a rectangular shape that is about 10"x24", or about 1/4" thick, or as thin as you want to go.  Then, spread your filling over the entire surface of the dough, getting as close to the edges as possible.

On the long side of the dough, roll the edge over onto itself a little bit.  Then, on the same side as the rolled side, take your tablecloth or sheet and start to lift.  The dough should roll into a jelly-roll/cinnamon roll style log as you lift up the cloth.  Bring each end of the log towards the center, making an "S" loaf.  Very carefully, transfer the loaf into a very well-greased loaf pan.

Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hours and 15 minutes.  Cool your povitica in the loaf pan for at least an hour before removing from the pan.  Once cooled, slice your povitica and serve.  (Slicing the loaf upside down yields a nicer looking slice.)

Traditional Walnut Filling
2 cups English walnuts (about 1/2 pound)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tsp salt
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp rum extract
1 Tbsp cinnamon

Grind walnuts in a food processor, or beat in a Ziplock bag with a rolling pin.  Mix all ingredients together in a bowl, and stir to combine thoroughly - making a loose filling.  If filling looks to tough to spread over dough, stir in a little milk. **Makes enough filling for ONE LOAF of povitica**

Cream Cheese Filling
2 8oz packages of cream cheese, at room temp
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup white sugar

Beat all ingredients together until fluffy and smooth.  If it looks too difficult to spread, beat in a little milk. **Makes enough filling for ONE LOAF of povitica**

Chocolate Filling
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp cocoa powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3 Hershey bars, chopped or broken up into little pieces
1 egg, slightly beaten

Heat milk, butter, and vanilla in a small pan on the stove until boiling.  In the meantime, combine sugar, cocoa, cinnamon, and chocolate bits in a bowl.  Once the milk mixture is boiling, pour over dry ingredients.  Stir until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth.  Add a small amount of hot chocolate mixture into the beaten egg, mixing constantly.  Then, transfer egg back into the bowl of hot chocolate and mix completely, until smooth.  Let the chocolate filling sit at room temperature until you are ready to spread over dough.  If the mixture becomes too thick, stir in a bit of milk. **Makes enough filling for ONE LOAF of povitica**

Apple Cinnamon Filling
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 egg
2 cups apple pie filling

Beat egg slightly in a bowl.  Mix in sugar and cinnamon.  Stir in apple pie filling, and mix until well blended. **Makes enough filling for ONE LOAF of povitica**

Recipe from Rachel