Best 5 Povitica Polish Holiday Bread Recipes

POVITICA

Steps:

• To activate yeast: In a small bowl, stir 2 teaspoons sugar, 1 teaspoon flour, and the yeast into warm water and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to stand for 5 minutes.
• To make the dough: In a medium saucepan, heat the milk up to just below boiling (about 180 F or 82 C), stirring constantly so that a film does not form on the top of the milk. It should be hot enough to scald you, but not boiling. Allow to cool slightly, until it is about 110 degrees F.
• In a large bowl, mix the scalded milk, 3/4 cup sugar, and the salt until combined.
• Add the beaten eggs, yeast mixture, melted butter, and 2 cups of flour.
• Blend thoroughly and slowly add remaining flour, mixing well until the dough just starts to clean the bowl. Don't add too much flour at this point - the dough should still be fairly wet and sticky.
• Turn dough out onto floured surface and knead, gradually adding flour a little at a time, until it is smooth and does not stick. It may not be necessary to use all 8 cups of flour.
• Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces (they will each weight about 1 1/4 pounds).
• Place dough in 4 lightly oiled bowls, cover loosely with a layer of plastic wrap and then a kitchen towel, and let rise an hour and a half in a warm place, until doubled in size.
• While the dough rises, make the filling: In a large bowl mix together the ground walnuts, sugar, cinnamon, and cocoa.
• Heat the milk and butter to boiling. Pour the liquid over the nut-sugar mixture.
• Add the eggs and vanilla and mix thoroughly. Allow to stand at room temperature until ready to be spread on the dough.
• To roll and assemble the dough: Spread a clean sheet or cloth over your entire workspace so that it is covered. Sprinkle with a couple of tablespoons to a handful of flour (use flour sparingly).
• Place the dough on the sheet and roll the dough out with a rolling pin, starting in the middle and working your way out, until it measures roughly 10 to 12 inches in diameter. Spoon 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons of melted butter on top.
• 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 isn't sticking. When you think it the dough is thin enough, try to get it a little thinner. It should be so think 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. 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. Repeat with remaining three loaves.
• Brush the top of each loaf with a mixture of 1/2 cup of cold, strong coffee and 2 tablespoons sugar. If you prefer, you can also use egg whites in place of this. Cover pans lightly will plastic wrap and allow to rest for approximately 15 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Remove plastic wrap from dough and place into the preheated 350-degree F oven and bake for approximately 15 minutes.
• Turn down the oven temperature to 300 degrees and bake for an additional 45 minutes, or until done. Check the bread every 30 minutes to ensure that the bread is not getting too brown. Cover the loaves with aluminum foil if needed. Remove bread from oven and brush with melted butter.
• Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack for 20 to 30 minutes.

POVITICA - A POLISH WALNUT TUBE BREAD NO YEAST!

Steps:

• 1. Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time. Mix dry ingredients and sift 3 times.Add slowly to creamed mixture. Alternately with sour cream. Add vanilla. Now mix filling ingredients, walnut, flour, cinnamon. and brown sugar grease and flour a bundt or tube pan. Pour a layer of batter then a layer of filling, ending with the batter.
• 2. Pre-heat 350 degree oven. Bake for 1-1/4 hours.Cool on a rack 15 minutes. Remove to serving dish. When cool, sprinkle lightly with powdered sugar.

GRANDMA'S POVITISA (PO-VUH-TEET-ZUH) POVITICA CROATIAN NUT BREAD

Steps:

• Combine warm water and yeast together in a large bowl. Let stand until yeast softens and begins to form a creamy foam, about 5 minutes.
• Stir 3/4 cup lukewarm milk, white sugar, shortening, 1 egg, and salt into yeast mixture. Mix flour into yeast mixture until a soft, easy to handle dough forms.
• Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and let stand for 10 minutes. Knead dough until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Form dough into a ball.
• Place dough in a large, lightly-oiled bowl and turn to coat. Cover bowl with a damp towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, or until a hole remains when your finger is pressed deeply into the dough, about 2 hours.
• Punch down dough and turn onto a lightly floured surface. Shape into ball and let dough rest for 15 minutes.
• Beat brown sugar, butter, and 1 egg together in a bowl until creamy. Add 1/4 cup milk, vanilla extract, and lemon extract; stir until smooth. Stir walnuts into the filling mixture until walnuts are completely incorporated.
• Roll dough on a large, floured cloth into a 20x30-inch rectangle. Spread walnut filling evenly over the top of the dough, spreading to the edges. Roll the rectangle up along the long edge like a jelly roll and pinch edges to seal. Coil the roll into a snail-shape.
• Grease a 9x13x2-inch baking sheet. Place shaped dough on the prepared sheet and let rise until an impression remains when the dough is gently pressed, about 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• Bake in the preheated oven until the top is golden brown, 40 to 45 minutes.

POVITICA POLISH HOLIDAY BREAD RECIPE - (4/5)

Steps:

• Sweet Dough preparation: Combine warm milk, sugar, salt, softened butter, and beaten eggs. Dissolve yeast in warm water and add to other ingredients. Add half of flour, mix well until smooth. Add flour to handle easily. Knead dough on lightly floured board. Put dough in greased bowl, cover and place in warm, draft free place until doubled in size. Punch down and let double again. Divide dough in three parts. Roll each part until very thin in rectangular shape. Spread filling, roll and twist in circular shape like a snail or cinnamon roll. Place in greased 8" or 9" cake pans. Cover, put in warm place and let rise. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 - 45 minutes. Makes three loaves. Filling preparation: In heavy pan, over medium heat, combine sugar, milk and margarine and heat. Add nuts, then beaten eggs and mix well. Boil one minutes stirring constantly. Remove from heat, add pinch of salt, cocoa and cinnamon and mix well. Let cool till just warm enough to spread.

POVITICA 2 AUSTRIAN HOLIDAY BREAD

Steps:

• Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup warm water, then mix remaining ingredients as you would for bread with about 9 cups flour (Do not add the flour all at once; 9 cups is approximate, as with all bread many things including temperature and humidity effect how much flour you need. Use enough to make a smooth pliable nonsticky dough); knead well.
• Let rise 2 hours.
• Mix filling ingredients together while milk is still warm.
• Spread or roll dough on table top, making sure you have no holes.
• Spread filling on top.
• Roll up, then coil as a snake.
• Let rise 2 hours in large greased roaster.
• Bake 2 hours at 350°F.