Potica Croatian Walnut Roll
Traditional Croatian walnut roll with tender dough and bold nutty filling.
Ingredients
For the Dough:
- 500 g all purpose flour
- 7 g instant yeast
- 80 g sugar
- 1 tsp fine salt
- 2 large eggs
- 60 g unsalted butter melted
- 250 ml warm milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Zest of 1 lemon optional
Walnut Filling:
- 300 g ground walnuts
- 120 g sugar
- 120 ml warm milk or cream
- 60 g honey
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 egg yolk
- 50 g raisins soaked in warm rum Optional
- citrus zest Optional
To finish:
- 1 egg beaten
- Powdered sugar for dusting
Instructions
Make the dough:
- Add flour, yeast, sugar, and salt to a bowl.
- Mix eggs, melted butter, warm milk, vanilla, and lemon zest.
- Combine wet and dry. Knead 8 to 10 minutes until smooth and soft.
- Place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and let rise 1 to 1.5 hours until doubled.
Make the filling:
- Combine ground walnuts, sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla.
- Warm milk or cream with honey until just melted.
- Pour over the walnuts. Mix in egg yolk and citrus zest.
- Add raisins if you are using them.
- Filling should be spreadable, not runny. Adjust with a little more ground walnuts or a splash of milk.
Assemble
- Roll the dough into a large rectangle, very thin (about 3 mm).
- Spread the walnut filling evenly across the surface.
- Roll tightly from the long edge into a log.
- Coil the log into a spiral or place it straight into a loaf tin.
- Cover and let rise 30 to 45 minutes.
Bake
- Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F).
- Brush with beaten egg.
- Bake 35 to 45 minutes until deep golden brown.
- Cool completely before slicing so you keep the beautiful swirls.
Notes
Thin dough and tight rolling create iconic spirals. Make the filling ahead for a deeper flavor.