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Povitica – Croatian Sweet Walnut Chocolate Bread
“Food is a central activity of mankind and one of the single most significant trademarks of a culture.”
Mark Kurlansky
I’m late on the Daring Bakers challenge once again, actually really late! I had no time to get to a Povitica {pronounced po-va-teet-sa}, a culinary creation that sounded like music to my ears! Inspiration came from two wonderful Daring Bakers, Renata & Finla, and I just had to make this delectable looking Croatian Walnut Sweet Yeasted Dough Bread yesterday!
The Daring Baker’s October 2011 challenge was Povitica, hosted by Jenni of The Gingered Whisk. Povitica is a traditional Eastern European Dessert Bread that is as lovely to look at as it is to eat!
Povitica is traditional Eastern European dessert bread that is traditionally served during the holiday season. If there is one thing I regret almost not baking, it has to be this bread. I’m eternally glad I stopped by Renata and made a mental note that I must make some soon. Next morning I stopped by Finla, and wild horses couldn’t keep me away from the kitchen. It was time to ‘Po-va-teet-sa’!!!
Povitica, or Croatian walnut bread, is a nostalgic favorite of many Eastern Europeans and their descendants. Also known as Orehnjača (walnut bread) and Makovnjača (poppy seed bread) in Croatia, Povitica is a favorite of many other neighboring cultures. Known also as Potica in Slovenia, Orechovnik in Slovakia and Štrudla in Serbian, recipes vary from region to region and family to family. Povitica is rolled yeast bread, somewhat akin to strudel. It is typically served at special occasions, such as the holidays, birthdays and weddings. The versatility of this bread makes it perfect for morning coffee, or as a simple dessert. By some, the process of making povitica is revered as a dying art, made by long gone grandmas and aunts in the “old country.” It is said that a gift of povitica from one family to another is a symbol of respect, making it a perfect hostess gift.
Family recipes, and the secrets on how to roll the bread so thin, were passed down through generations of families. I think Jennis choice for the Daring Bakers challenge is exemplary. Not only did she share a window on one of the most delicious yeasted dough breads we have ever had, she has helped preserve an art which is slowly dying… AND the recipe is one this talented lady put together too! All plans for the day were rapidly put on the back burner, as we had bread to bake! Bubbling active yeast must be one of the most satisfying sights in the world. Once that works, I am largely assured that nothing can go wrong … so what if the kids have been home all week, so what if the dogs in her terrible doggie teens, so what if there are piles of laundry to be done…so what???Making the dough and grinding the filling was a breeze all thanks to my trusted Thermomix. I had silky smooth, brioche like dough in minutes, and ground walnuts in seconds. Nothing like it!! Rolling and stretching was slightly nerve racking because I had the kids singing for lunch. I made the bread in fast forward mode, making mistakes along the way, but this beautiful bread is so forgiving {and delicious!}Once fitted into the loaf tin somewhat poorly, I heard horrified screams from the kids. Rolled my eyes up at hub and he explained it looked like a plucked chicken stuffed into a loaf pan. Uh-oh … indeed pretty unappetizing and like a Halloween joke maybe? Into the oven, and it rose, beginning to take shape. Within the first 15 minutes, it was a beautiful sight! The house was filled with wonderful aromas of sweet bread baking. It looked and smelt wonderful {no more plucked chicken look!}This challenge was as satisfying and fun as the earlier Phyllo to Baklava DB one! For all of you who have the spirit of ‘baking adventure in you‘, I would ask you to try your hand making Povitica some day, if not some day soon. It is one of the most beautiful and delicious sweet dough breads we have ever tasted. I plan to make a savoury version soon.
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Deeba @ PAB
About me: I am a freelance food writer, recipe developer and photographer. Food is my passion - baking, cooking, developing recipes, making recipes healthier, using fresh seasonal produce and local products, keeping a check on my carbon footprint and being a responsible foodie! I enjoy food styling, food photography, recipe development and product reviews. I express this through my food photographs which I style and the recipes I blog. My strength lies in 'Doing Food From Scratch'; it must taste as good as it looks, and be healthy too. Baking in India, often my biggest challenge is the non-availability of baking ingredients, and this has now become a platform to get creative on. I enjoy cooking immensely as well.
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96 thoughts on “Povitica – Croatian Sweet Walnut Chocolate Bread”
This is one really tempting and beautiful looking bread Deeba, would not mind the time and effort I would have to put. I must admit, even I thought the dough in pan looked like chicken :))
Hope to dare to be a Daring Baker sometime! Kudos to you all for pulling off these feats!
I would die to taste this bread. This looks so tempting. Funny about your dough looking like chicken :). They must have been happy when they looked at the final product.
Deeba, everything you do, bake, and write here at PAB is so inspiring that I can hardly believe my humble Povitica has inspired you to not skip this month’s challenge. What a surprise after it is out of the oven! A different work of art on each slice. And, as always, your presentation is stunning! Thank you for the credit, I’m honored 🙂
You never fail to impress Deeba and this’s simply awesome! I admit, I’ve never worked with yeast before and your account of the baking session’s so inspiring that I feel like trying this immediately. It’s such a shame I was not able to meet you or get in touch on my vacation. But I believe there’s always a next time, ah.
What a delicious looking povitica! I had to laugh when I read the plucked-chicken part 😀 Anyway, the baked loaf looks stunning, definitely no chicken 😀 Your addtion of cocoa in the filling sounds yummy! Now I have to make some after seeing your beautiful results!
Absolutely stunning! I’m not much of a bread baker but this recipe has me completely captivated. I would be over the top if my loaf came out even close to yours. Bread perfection.
what an absolutely beautiful loaf!! i’ve never before heard of a povitica, but i’m sold. i may just have to take on the challenge of baking a gluten-free version some day soon… lovely, really!
Looks so beautiful! I am seeing everybody baking povitica and getting so tempted to have a slice of it! I wish I could join the Daring Bakers but I am really not much of a baker 🙁
Great recipe and photos as always Deeba!
What a wonderful transformation….from plucked chicken to golden, flecked, layered beauty. I must find time to make this…whatever the distractions. Gorgeous.
I am so ashamed to say that it has been a while since I came to your blog Deeba but whenever I come back after a little break I immediately realize what I was missing 🙂
There’s a similar bread that we get here with the same kind of swirls but with apple and cinnamon. I cannot remember the name right now but I love it with a hot mog of coffee so I am sure this one’s gonna be my favorite too!
I’ve read a couple of these Povitica posts from the Daring Bakers challenge now, but I think your version is my favourite – it looks so sticky and chocolaty and delicious! Great post 🙂
Hi, I’ve been following your beautiful blog for some time, but never actually left a comment…until now 🙂
I am from Croatia and this is one of our staple desserts during this time of Halloween, November 1st, when we remember those who passed away and Christmas time. I can tell you you did an excellent job and baked a wonderful orahnjaca!
Oh Tamara, you are so sweet and make me feel very accomplished. This is one of the prettiest and most delicious breads I have ever baked. Thank you for stopping by to comment!
Deepa, you are indeed the Diva of baking scrumptious confections! You never cease to amaze anyone for that matter! This is very much like chocolate Babka , I once made for my husband! But I have to try your recipe here!
Your children are too funny, and you pacifying them like that lol!
Happy Halloween!
Looks absolutely delish dear Deeba. I was very late too. How funny your kids thought it looked like a plucked chicken! I couldn’t see the resemblance at all.
I know this may seem like cheating, but I have a video on how we make povitica… Been making it for 30 years… Watch here: http://www.youtube.com/shpovitica
What a beautiful job! Your povitica is simply stunning! You created some beautiful swirls, and I love how the top of the loaf came out. Your blog is very lovely, and you have a real talent for taking beautiful photographs.
Hey Deeba, thank you so much for visiting my small space and leaving your wonderful and precious comment. From so long I am a silent admirer of your lovely blog, but never dare to comment on any as I was a newbie and you are a professional in this.
Once again thank you so much for stopping by my space and looking forward for many such comments, suggestions from you.
Thank you for the recipe. I was restless last night and started baking at 4 a.m. (!) and I was finished at 7 o’clock. Although i dont have a temperature for warm milk , yeasting work very well and it came out of the oven perfectly! It worth all the work! I added chocolate chips to the filling as my husband likes it. As far as i have seen at the breakfast, this recipe is now one of his favorite.
Wow, I am in awe! This is absolutely stunning.
It sounds like a mission though. I don’t think I’ll be making this anytime soon. After i spent all that time making it, Id want to eat it all and then I’d just gain like 5 pounds.
It looks like trouble! Delicious sweet trouble!
*kisses* HH
I saw this on Pinterest and it brought a tear to my eye. My Grandma taught me to make this as a child. The recipe that I have doesn’t contain chocolate (but I my seriously have to consider that), nor is ours shaped as a loaf, but it is oh so similar. My Grandma was Croatian, was born in (what was then) Yugoslavia in the early 1900’s and came to the US when she was 4. People are always amazed by this treat when I bake it! I love that you showed it some love.
It is often times like this that I salute the power of the internet and sites like Pinterest. How wonderful to read about your povitica connect; nostalgic and evocative! The bread is amazing, somewhat like this food culture that we can so easily share these days! Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment. Means a lot to me! Have a great day!
The bread looks really great and not even a bit ‘chickeny’ :D. I followed the ‘roll from both sides and then fold them to the center’ method, so had a smooth top (almost)!
This sounds delicious but traditional potica does not have chocolate in it. My family would not be pleased if I ever tried to serve this version to them.
Hi Deeba, Your Povitica recipe has been selected by Knapkins to be featured in a Recipe Guessing Game. Please share the following link with your friends and fans. To play, go here: Congrats again!! 🙂
Hello, I’m Croatian too like Tamara and I started following your blog when I started dating my indian boyfriend, now husband. we just came from a trip so I didn’t see this recipe earlier. You can imagine my reaction when I saw this and screamed Sanjay to come to see this – croatian desserts being made in India! And I thought I was the only one doing it, hehehe… Internet is fascinating as someone said 🙂 You did a great job (as usual) even though our versions differ a bit 🙂
Thank you Martina. What a small world this is. I would love to try more Croatian desserts, especially after the success of this one. I am curious to know Sanjays reaction to your dessert in India…LOL! Yep, I know the versions differ as this is not the traditional recipe; but it was so good! Do you bake often, and blog too? Cheers!
Hello Deeba, I’m in process of making your amazing looking cake! but the recipe says 3 Tbsp of sugar in the dough and the directions say 3/4 cup of sugar. Which one is it? I’m making it right now so if you could let me know ASAP that would be great 🙂
Dear Talia,
My apologies.I got a 1/4 recipe portion off another DB blog and didn’t recheck the method. 3 tbsp is good for 1/4 recipe that I have listed. Hope I am not too late.
Cheers!
Hello! Thank you so much for sharing your bread recipe it looks so gorgeous that I had to make it. I made this today and came out
Pretty decent for amateur baker like me and I wanted short cut so I did my dough in a bread maker not sure if the batter is better in the reg mixer do you think? I think for kids to like this may be I need to put blueberry marmalade or syrup, or icing some how my 5 y old was not into the filling next time I’ll try same but with cream cheese but for grown up it was a hit and I’m going to try with poppy seed. Thank you so much even your direction was very easy.
Loved finding your Povatica online! I’ve bee making since I was 12 – 48 years. Mine is made with honey in the filling to help it spread easier. Also if you decide the dough in half and roll/pull it is easier to handle. I put in round cake pans and it rises up a good over the top of the pan. You than get two loaves to share. Glad to see others eating and enjoying this bread! It would not be Christmas without this sweet bread!
Had it as Morkovka as a Russian dessert bread, never chocolate always poppy seed. My croation Aunts would make rolls or cookies with the poppy seed. Chocolate is kind of new world….
I found your post via pintrest late last night and knew I would spend my Saturday making this bread! Not four kids or a sick baby or 14 lOafs of laundry would stop me. Make it I did! And it turned out beautiful! And very delicious. Everyone loves it and I’m quite impressed with myself. Hehehe.
Thank you so much for posting this!!
this looks awesome! so of course i had to give it a try, i prepeared the dough just as you said and i’m sad to say that it did not rise at all…i have to throw it out and give it one more try i guess…bad thing is that my filling stuff is allready and now if my second dough doens’t come out…i have to throw out the filling as well…. :((
Hey Michele, you can make it with KA with dough hooks. I usually use my mixer, but the old fashion way I was taught is to mix the dough by hand. But who has the time, and muscle (if your like me) to do it by hand! lol
I’ve never seen anything like it, how does it task? However, it does look a little like french bread, definitely a favourite of mine in my early years.
Came across your recipe on Pinterest and thought it looked familiar! I call it Orehnjaca and make it in single layer. Everyone loves it so much that when I do make it it’s gone within hours!! I have used different types of jams and lately nutella. Will have to try out your recipe to see how it compares! 😉
My Grandmother came from Croatia back in the early 1900″s. She spoke no English, only about 5’3″. She made her own bread everyday and her own beer and wine. Even though I was only 12 when she died (I am 56 now) I can still taste her povitica. She made both the walnut and cheese. I never got a chance to cook with her. It took me nearly thirty years to find a recipe that matched my memories. Yours is exactly like mine except mine does not have the cocoa in the filling. I am going to try it this year. I did not want the recipe or my heritage to be lost again, so three years ago my youngest daughter wanted to learn how to make it. It has become a Christmas tradition for us to get together and make about 8 to 12 loaves to keep and give away. We spend the whole day together and have a great time. Thanks for your website. Brings back great memories and the future memories that I am creating with her now.
You say
“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 starts to clean the bowl. ”
What remaining flour? You have already used the 2 cups your list of ingredients mentions. I had to add a couple more Tsps of flour to get it to come together as a dough.
I make a nut bread that my Croatian grandmother passed down to my mom, who then passed it down to me. It is nothing like yours, but I would like to share the recipe and some pictures with you. I’ve made up to 56 loaves in one Christmas season!! (yeah, in my one-oven kitchen) but typically I make 24-30 each Christmas which I give to friends, relatives and co-workers. It takes me up to 6 hours to make 4 loaves due to the double raising of the dough – two hours prior to adding the nut mixture, and one hour after I roll the loaves and put them into the baking pans.
My nut mixture is :
2 lbs of ground walnuts,
3 cups of boiled whole milk,
2 cups of sugar,
1 cup of honey,
1 teaspoon of cinnamon,
1/4 cup of lemon juice,
cook for 15 minutes (stir constantly) and set overnight in fridge.
The bread is :
In a medium bowl 2 pats of yeast (crumbled),
stir in a mixture of 1/2 cup water 1/2 cup whole milk (luke warm),
then add flour until smooth, slightly dry consistancy – set aside.
In a seperate mixing bowl,
2 sticks of room temp butter ( whipped),
while still whipping the butter add rind of one lemon,
1 cup of sugar,
4 egg yolks
1 teaspoon pure vanilla.
In other bowl whip 4 egg whites until firm.
Fold the firm egg whites into the butter mixture.
Add the yeast/flour mixture to the ingredients in the mixing bowl.
Stir until completely combined.
Apply the dough hook to the mixer and add 5 cups of flour to the ingredients in the mixing bowl.
Set on lowest speed and ‘knead’ the dough until the sides of the mixing bowl are clean.
Weigh the dough and divide into equal dough balls.
Place the dough balls into 4 seperate bowls (slightly flour the bowls first), cover each bowl with plastic wrap and set aside for 2 hours to raise.
Making each loaf:
Remove one dough ball from a bowl and set on a floured cloth.
punch the dough ball. Flour a rolling pin, and roll the dough out to 10″ x 14″.
Weigh the nut mixture then put equal amounts into 4 seperate bowls.
Take the nut mixture from one bowl and spread evenly onto the rolled out dough.
Starting from one end start to ROLL the dough into a loaf.
FOLD each end in to avoid the nut mixture from leaking out, then place the loaf into a parchment lined loaf pan and cover with plastic wrap.
(repeat for the other 3 loaves)
Allow the panned loaves to rise for one hour.
Pre-heat the oven to 325F.
Place the 4 loaf pans onto the oven for 45 minutes.
Remove from the oven and brush the top of each loaf with an egg wash
Place each loaf back into the oven for 35 minutes.
Remove from oven and place onto a cooling rack –
Remove each loaf from the pans immediately and remove the parchment paper to allow for better cooling.
Slice and enjoy at room temperature or place a slice into a toaster oven.
Spread some butter or cream cheese on each slice!!
I just discovered your blog yesterday by this picture I saw in foogawkers.com… Immediately I made this bread (my first bread ever) and the result is amazing. My family already asked me to keep this receipe forever.
Captured by the pictures, the description and the challenge my sister and I decided to tackle this project while sharing time together on the farm. Our bread turned out beautifully, a real sight to behold but we had some troubles with the recipe that we would like to ask about please. While mixing the dough in step #5 you said: add the beaten egg”s” however the list of ingredients only called for 1 egg. Was there suppose to be more than one? In #6 you wrote, “slowly add remaining flour” but the 2 cups of flour you called for were added in total in #5. What remaining flour were you referring to? In making the dough you never mentioned adding the 1/2 vanilla bean anywhere in steps 3-7. Oops, well the dough is ready and the bean is sitting beside it – too late now to add. Despite a few hiccups the bread is delicious and in fact we had a second loaf. We have a picture to send if I could see where/how to send it to you. Thank you for the fun afternoon.
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Thank you for sharing your delicious povitica recipe. I had heard about this bread from a lady while on a trip to Ireland. Decided to look for a recipe and found yours. Just made it and to my surprise I was very pleased about how it turned out. Will be showing and sharing the recipe with a group of ladies that enjoy cooking this weekend. Judy Heisserer
Thank you for your delicious povitica recipe. I first heard about this bread from a lady while on a trip to Ireland. Found your recipe and made it today. Much to my surprise, I was very happy with the outcome. My husband is not a foody, but did comment about how nice it looked.
Deeba! Fantastic post, beautiful pictures and perfect instructions. How could anyone resist trying your recipe with all the detail posted? I made this bread last Saturday and it turned out absolutely delicious and beautiful. Thank you for this amazing post!
A wonderful tasty beautiful bread! It takes a little bit of time to make but once you share some… be prepared to be requested by your coworkers and friends and family to make it each and every Holiday. lol Next time Im going to braid it to see how it comes out..
Thanks for this wonderful recipe and all the photos and humor in its presentation.
Nice job!
Nicely done.
I had a go at this today after returning from a trip to croatia (i was inspired) This is how it turned out http://imgur.com/a/Co0rp. It tastes good, i only tore the rolled dough in a couple of places and that was mainly because I didn’t have a good food processers to grind the nuts down small.
My main question is whether you could give some better guidance on how you folded your ‘bread sausage’ into the bread pan to get the appearance you ended up with.
Hi,thanks for sharing the recipe.Im attempted to make this one to surprise my husband who is Croatian.I notice in recipe there’s egg white for topping and yolk for filling but in the dough part there’s no egg.Yet in your instruction for making the dough,you said we need to add beaten eggs at step 5.Can you pls tell me how many eggs?Thank you very much and really appreciate your reply.
Best wishes,
Loan
My recipe is similar but doubled in size and there is a walnut version and the chocolate. My mother was Serbian her mother made this and she taught me. She passed last year so now I continue to make it. Its a Christmas tradition.
That’s really so wonderful to hear Lorri. It’s one of my favourite sweet breads and I recently tried an eggless version. Not as pretty but pretty delicious!
Merry Christmas to you and your family. ♥
This is one really tempting and beautiful looking bread Deeba, would not mind the time and effort I would have to put. I must admit, even I thought the dough in pan looked like chicken :))
Hope to dare to be a Daring Baker sometime! Kudos to you all for pulling off these feats!
I would die to taste this bread. This looks so tempting. Funny about your dough looking like chicken :). They must have been happy when they looked at the final product.
Looks gorgeous, Deeba. I almost didn’t do this month’s challenge either and just about managed to meet the deadline! 🙂
Deeba, everything you do, bake, and write here at PAB is so inspiring that I can hardly believe my humble Povitica has inspired you to not skip this month’s challenge. What a surprise after it is out of the oven! A different work of art on each slice. And, as always, your presentation is stunning! Thank you for the credit, I’m honored 🙂
You never fail to impress Deeba and this’s simply awesome! I admit, I’ve never worked with yeast before and your account of the baking session’s so inspiring that I feel like trying this immediately. It’s such a shame I was not able to meet you or get in touch on my vacation. But I believe there’s always a next time, ah.
That looks fabulous and your filling looks much mor moist than mine. I am happy that you didn’t miss making this super delicious bread.
Looks lovely and delicious
Your brioche is amazing! Really perfect, gorgeously moist as well as soft and ever so tempting.
Cheers,
Rosa
What a delicious looking povitica! I had to laugh when I read the plucked-chicken part 😀 Anyway, the baked loaf looks stunning, definitely no chicken 😀 Your addtion of cocoa in the filling sounds yummy! Now I have to make some after seeing your beautiful results!
I have aspirations of travelling to Croatia but for now I could bring it to my kitchen with this delicious loaf!
I haven’t participated to this challenge this month, time run out, but you made me want to do it! Maybe I will give it a try, it looks too good.
Absolutely stunning! I’m not much of a bread baker but this recipe has me completely captivated. I would be over the top if my loaf came out even close to yours. Bread perfection.
This is gorgeous Deeba and looks amazing; wish I had some RIGHT NOW for breakfast.
This is a gorgeous loaf! I’m glad that you were inspired to complete this challenge, it was one of my favorites too!
Wow! This looks wonderful! Reminds me of zebra cake a bit?
what an absolutely beautiful loaf!! i’ve never before heard of a povitica, but i’m sold. i may just have to take on the challenge of baking a gluten-free version some day soon… lovely, really!
Your povitica look gorgeous!!
Looks very yummy and appetizing. Thanks for posting 🙂
this bread looks identical in all the DB posts I have seen so far. Makes me feel like I can actually give it a try 🙂
What an amazing looking bread. Love the brown and cream shades…And yes, the uncooked version does look like a stuffed chicken 😀
Looks so beautiful! I am seeing everybody baking povitica and getting so tempted to have a slice of it! I wish I could join the Daring Bakers but I am really not much of a baker 🙁
Great recipe and photos as always Deeba!
What a wonderful transformation….from plucked chicken to golden, flecked, layered beauty. I must find time to make this…whatever the distractions. Gorgeous.
I am so ashamed to say that it has been a while since I came to your blog Deeba but whenever I come back after a little break I immediately realize what I was missing 🙂
There’s a similar bread that we get here with the same kind of swirls but with apple and cinnamon. I cannot remember the name right now but I love it with a hot mog of coffee so I am sure this one’s gonna be my favorite too!
I’ve read a couple of these Povitica posts from the Daring Bakers challenge now, but I think your version is my favourite – it looks so sticky and chocolaty and delicious! Great post 🙂
Hi, I’ve been following your beautiful blog for some time, but never actually left a comment…until now 🙂
I am from Croatia and this is one of our staple desserts during this time of Halloween, November 1st, when we remember those who passed away and Christmas time. I can tell you you did an excellent job and baked a wonderful orahnjaca!
Oh Tamara, you are so sweet and make me feel very accomplished. This is one of the prettiest and most delicious breads I have ever baked. Thank you for stopping by to comment!
yummy n stunning cliks…love your perfection dear..;)
happy following you.
you are welcome in my space too..
I really love chocolate bread.. Thanks for posting!
Deepa, you are indeed the Diva of baking scrumptious confections! You never cease to amaze anyone for that matter! This is very much like chocolate Babka , I once made for my husband! But I have to try your recipe here!
Your children are too funny, and you pacifying them like that lol!
Happy Halloween!
Hey Naz…been long! Thank you for those words. Yes I think it might be like babka.
OMG!! love breads! And this looks absolutely yummy. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Stunning povitica – one of the prettiest in the challenge. Love the sugar topping!
Looks absolutely delish dear Deeba. I was very late too. How funny your kids thought it looked like a plucked chicken! I couldn’t see the resemblance at all.
I know this may seem like cheating, but I have a video on how we make povitica… Been making it for 30 years… Watch here: http://www.youtube.com/shpovitica
Its a great video Marc. We were given this link as a guide for the challenge as well. Thank you!
What a beautiful job! Your povitica is simply stunning! You created some beautiful swirls, and I love how the top of the loaf came out. Your blog is very lovely, and you have a real talent for taking beautiful photographs.
Hey Deeba, thank you so much for visiting my small space and leaving your wonderful and precious comment. From so long I am a silent admirer of your lovely blog, but never dare to comment on any as I was a newbie and you are a professional in this.
Once again thank you so much for stopping by my space and looking forward for many such comments, suggestions from you.
You are sweet Zareena. Have a great day!
wow what a stunning bread, I am still learning to bake a bread 🙁
This povitica looks too tempting and loved those intricate swirls…will try someday
These walnut breads are popular here and I like them a lot. I didn’t know the story behind this glorious bread.
I like eat like desserts or for tea-time.
Your bread looks outstanding 🙂
I’m looking here great comments about it Deeba also – Kudos to You!
Cheers,
Gera
Thank you Gera, for stopping by, and for your wonderful words.
Thank you for the recipe. I was restless last night and started baking at 4 a.m. (!) and I was finished at 7 o’clock. Although i dont have a temperature for warm milk , yeasting work very well and it came out of the oven perfectly! It worth all the work! I added chocolate chips to the filling as my husband likes it. As far as i have seen at the breakfast, this recipe is now one of his favorite.
Just wonderful! I am so glad I inspired you as I was inspired … thank you for taking the time to write back!
My mouth waters whenever I visit your blog – its so difficult not to crave desserts after looking through some gorgeous photos 🙂
Wow, I am in awe! This is absolutely stunning.
It sounds like a mission though. I don’t think I’ll be making this anytime soon. After i spent all that time making it, Id want to eat it all and then I’d just gain like 5 pounds.
It looks like trouble! Delicious sweet trouble!
*kisses* HH
Yuuuuuuuum the sugar topping! How wonderful. And not the least bit chickeny 😉
I saw this on Pinterest and it brought a tear to my eye. My Grandma taught me to make this as a child. The recipe that I have doesn’t contain chocolate (but I my seriously have to consider that), nor is ours shaped as a loaf, but it is oh so similar. My Grandma was Croatian, was born in (what was then) Yugoslavia in the early 1900’s and came to the US when she was 4. People are always amazed by this treat when I bake it! I love that you showed it some love.
It is often times like this that I salute the power of the internet and sites like Pinterest. How wonderful to read about your povitica connect; nostalgic and evocative! The bread is amazing, somewhat like this food culture that we can so easily share these days! Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment. Means a lot to me! Have a great day!
This is perfectly done. looks like it would make a perfect addition to coffee/ tea time
delicious recipes, low calorie recipes and Traditional Romanian food at
ralus-recipes. blogspot . com/
Have a nice day 🙂
The bread looks really great and not even a bit ‘chickeny’ :D. I followed the ‘roll from both sides and then fold them to the center’ method, so had a smooth top (almost)!
This sounds delicious but traditional potica does not have chocolate in it. My family would not be pleased if I ever tried to serve this version to them.
This is a gorgeous bread! The patterns are so beautiful and intricate that it would be worthy to have a place on the holiday table.
Wow, this looks really gorgeous and very delicious! Great job baking this Croatian Chocolate Walnut Bread. I totally love it. 🙂
Hey!Povitica is wonderful!I’ve made it with your help,of course…
I’ve never heard before about “her”,but it’s soooo delicious!
Thank you!
Hi Deeba, Your Povitica recipe has been selected by Knapkins to be featured in a Recipe Guessing Game. Please share the following link with your friends and fans. To play, go here: Congrats again!! 🙂
Hello, I’m Croatian too like Tamara and I started following your blog when I started dating my indian boyfriend, now husband. we just came from a trip so I didn’t see this recipe earlier. You can imagine my reaction when I saw this and screamed Sanjay to come to see this – croatian desserts being made in India! And I thought I was the only one doing it, hehehe… Internet is fascinating as someone said 🙂 You did a great job (as usual) even though our versions differ a bit 🙂
Thank you Martina. What a small world this is. I would love to try more Croatian desserts, especially after the success of this one. I am curious to know Sanjays reaction to your dessert in India…LOL! Yep, I know the versions differ as this is not the traditional recipe; but it was so good! Do you bake often, and blog too? Cheers!
Hello Deeba, I’m in process of making your amazing looking cake! but the recipe says 3 Tbsp of sugar in the dough and the directions say 3/4 cup of sugar. Which one is it? I’m making it right now so if you could let me know ASAP that would be great 🙂
Thanks,
Talia
Dear Talia,
My apologies.I got a 1/4 recipe portion off another DB blog and didn’t recheck the method. 3 tbsp is good for 1/4 recipe that I have listed. Hope I am not too late.
Cheers!
Hello! Thank you so much for sharing your bread recipe it looks so gorgeous that I had to make it. I made this today and came out
Pretty decent for amateur baker like me and I wanted short cut so I did my dough in a bread maker not sure if the batter is better in the reg mixer do you think? I think for kids to like this may be I need to put blueberry marmalade or syrup, or icing some how my 5 y old was not into the filling next time I’ll try same but with cream cheese but for grown up it was a hit and I’m going to try with poppy seed. Thank you so much even your direction was very easy.
Thank you for trying it out Nusha, and for taking the time to write back. Kids might like cream cheese and blueberry more …yum yum!
This process sounds so similar to making my Serbian Grandpa’s family strudel! Yum!
Loved finding your Povatica online! I’ve bee making since I was 12 – 48 years. Mine is made with honey in the filling to help it spread easier. Also if you decide the dough in half and roll/pull it is easier to handle. I put in round cake pans and it rises up a good over the top of the pan. You than get two loaves to share. Glad to see others eating and enjoying this bread! It would not be Christmas without this sweet bread!
Had it as Morkovka as a Russian dessert bread, never chocolate always poppy seed. My croation Aunts would make rolls or cookies with the poppy seed. Chocolate is kind of new world….
I found your post via pintrest late last night and knew I would spend my Saturday making this bread! Not four kids or a sick baby or 14 lOafs of laundry would stop me. Make it I did! And it turned out beautiful! And very delicious. Everyone loves it and I’m quite impressed with myself. Hehehe.
Thank you so much for posting this!!
this looks awesome! so of course i had to give it a try, i prepeared the dough just as you said and i’m sad to say that it did not rise at all…i have to throw it out and give it one more try i guess…bad thing is that my filling stuff is allready and now if my second dough doens’t come out…i have to throw out the filling as well…. :((
Sorry about that. Maybe it is the yeast?
Stunner. I want to make this but don’t have a Theromix. Can I just leave it in my regular KitchenAid with the dough hook?? Thank you!
I guess you can Michele. I wanted a KA but eventually got a TM. I think most folk used a KA to make it for Daring Bakers. Its a beautiful bread.
Hey Michele, you can make it with KA with dough hooks. I usually use my mixer, but the old fashion way I was taught is to mix the dough by hand. But who has the time, and muscle (if your like me) to do it by hand! lol
I’ve never seen anything like it, how does it task? However, it does look a little like french bread, definitely a favourite of mine in my early years.
Came across your recipe on Pinterest and thought it looked familiar! I call it Orehnjaca and make it in single layer. Everyone loves it so much that when I do make it it’s gone within hours!! I have used different types of jams and lately nutella. Will have to try out your recipe to see how it compares! 😉
My Grandmother came from Croatia back in the early 1900″s. She spoke no English, only about 5’3″. She made her own bread everyday and her own beer and wine. Even though I was only 12 when she died (I am 56 now) I can still taste her povitica. She made both the walnut and cheese. I never got a chance to cook with her. It took me nearly thirty years to find a recipe that matched my memories. Yours is exactly like mine except mine does not have the cocoa in the filling. I am going to try it this year. I did not want the recipe or my heritage to be lost again, so three years ago my youngest daughter wanted to learn how to make it. It has become a Christmas tradition for us to get together and make about 8 to 12 loaves to keep and give away. We spend the whole day together and have a great time. Thanks for your website. Brings back great memories and the future memories that I am creating with her now.
You say
“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 starts to clean the bowl. ”
What remaining flour? You have already used the 2 cups your list of ingredients mentions. I had to add a couple more Tsps of flour to get it to come together as a dough.
I make a nut bread that my Croatian grandmother passed down to my mom, who then passed it down to me. It is nothing like yours, but I would like to share the recipe and some pictures with you. I’ve made up to 56 loaves in one Christmas season!! (yeah, in my one-oven kitchen) but typically I make 24-30 each Christmas which I give to friends, relatives and co-workers. It takes me up to 6 hours to make 4 loaves due to the double raising of the dough – two hours prior to adding the nut mixture, and one hour after I roll the loaves and put them into the baking pans.
My nut mixture is :
2 lbs of ground walnuts,
3 cups of boiled whole milk,
2 cups of sugar,
1 cup of honey,
1 teaspoon of cinnamon,
1/4 cup of lemon juice,
cook for 15 minutes (stir constantly) and set overnight in fridge.
The bread is :
In a medium bowl 2 pats of yeast (crumbled),
stir in a mixture of 1/2 cup water 1/2 cup whole milk (luke warm),
then add flour until smooth, slightly dry consistancy – set aside.
In a seperate mixing bowl,
2 sticks of room temp butter ( whipped),
while still whipping the butter add rind of one lemon,
1 cup of sugar,
4 egg yolks
1 teaspoon pure vanilla.
In other bowl whip 4 egg whites until firm.
Fold the firm egg whites into the butter mixture.
Add the yeast/flour mixture to the ingredients in the mixing bowl.
Stir until completely combined.
Apply the dough hook to the mixer and add 5 cups of flour to the ingredients in the mixing bowl.
Set on lowest speed and ‘knead’ the dough until the sides of the mixing bowl are clean.
Weigh the dough and divide into equal dough balls.
Place the dough balls into 4 seperate bowls (slightly flour the bowls first), cover each bowl with plastic wrap and set aside for 2 hours to raise.
Making each loaf:
Remove one dough ball from a bowl and set on a floured cloth.
punch the dough ball. Flour a rolling pin, and roll the dough out to 10″ x 14″.
Weigh the nut mixture then put equal amounts into 4 seperate bowls.
Take the nut mixture from one bowl and spread evenly onto the rolled out dough.
Starting from one end start to ROLL the dough into a loaf.
FOLD each end in to avoid the nut mixture from leaking out, then place the loaf into a parchment lined loaf pan and cover with plastic wrap.
(repeat for the other 3 loaves)
Allow the panned loaves to rise for one hour.
Pre-heat the oven to 325F.
Place the 4 loaf pans onto the oven for 45 minutes.
Remove from the oven and brush the top of each loaf with an egg wash
Place each loaf back into the oven for 35 minutes.
Remove from oven and place onto a cooling rack –
Remove each loaf from the pans immediately and remove the parchment paper to allow for better cooling.
Slice and enjoy at room temperature or place a slice into a toaster oven.
Spread some butter or cream cheese on each slice!!
In my recipe above please note that with the yeast mixture COVER THE BOWL WITH PLASTIC WRAP BEFORE setting aside.
Thank you for sharing this precious recipe … 56 loaves. WOW!! Bookmarking yours to try it soon. Have a warm and same holiday season.
This is really a most beautiful and inspiring loaf. Can’t go wrong with chocolate.
Hello Deeba!
I just discovered your blog yesterday by this picture I saw in foogawkers.com… Immediately I made this bread (my first bread ever) and the result is amazing. My family already asked me to keep this receipe forever.
Thank you so much!
Greetings from Mexico.
Captured by the pictures, the description and the challenge my sister and I decided to tackle this project while sharing time together on the farm. Our bread turned out beautifully, a real sight to behold but we had some troubles with the recipe that we would like to ask about please. While mixing the dough in step #5 you said: add the beaten egg”s” however the list of ingredients only called for 1 egg. Was there suppose to be more than one? In #6 you wrote, “slowly add remaining flour” but the 2 cups of flour you called for were added in total in #5. What remaining flour were you referring to? In making the dough you never mentioned adding the 1/2 vanilla bean anywhere in steps 3-7. Oops, well the dough is ready and the bean is sitting beside it – too late now to add. Despite a few hiccups the bread is delicious and in fact we had a second loaf. We have a picture to send if I could see where/how to send it to you. Thank you for the fun afternoon.
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Thank you for sharing your delicious povitica recipe. I had heard about this bread from a lady while on a trip to Ireland. Decided to look for a recipe and found yours. Just made it and to my surprise I was very pleased about how it turned out. Will be showing and sharing the recipe with a group of ladies that enjoy cooking this weekend. Judy Heisserer
How wonderful. It is a Croatian bread and worth every bit of work. Glad it came out well. Thank you for stopping by Judy. have a good day!
Thank you for your delicious povitica recipe. I first heard about this bread from a lady while on a trip to Ireland. Found your recipe and made it today. Much to my surprise, I was very happy with the outcome. My husband is not a foody, but did comment about how nice it looked.
Deeba! Fantastic post, beautiful pictures and perfect instructions. How could anyone resist trying your recipe with all the detail posted? I made this bread last Saturday and it turned out absolutely delicious and beautiful. Thank you for this amazing post!
Susan, thank you so much for your kind words.I love that it came out well, and that you enjoyed it!
A wonderful tasty beautiful bread! It takes a little bit of time to make but once you share some… be prepared to be requested by your coworkers and friends and family to make it each and every Holiday. lol Next time Im going to braid it to see how it comes out..
Thanks for this wonderful recipe and all the photos and humor in its presentation.
Nice job!
Nicely done.
So glad you enjoyed it. Thank you for writing in. Have a great holiday season Mike!
awesome!! i’m very interested to try at my kitchen. thanks for the information
I just experienced your blog as well as cherished this a great deal. I bookmarked it, keep up the great function!
I had a go at this today after returning from a trip to croatia (i was inspired) This is how it turned out http://imgur.com/a/Co0rp. It tastes good, i only tore the rolled dough in a couple of places and that was mainly because I didn’t have a good food processers to grind the nuts down small.
My main question is whether you could give some better guidance on how you folded your ‘bread sausage’ into the bread pan to get the appearance you ended up with.
Thanks,
Karl
Hi,thanks for sharing the recipe.Im attempted to make this one to surprise my husband who is Croatian.I notice in recipe there’s egg white for topping and yolk for filling but in the dough part there’s no egg.Yet in your instruction for making the dough,you said we need to add beaten eggs at step 5.Can you pls tell me how many eggs?Thank you very much and really appreciate your reply.
Best wishes,
Loan
My recipe is similar but doubled in size and there is a walnut version and the chocolate. My mother was Serbian her mother made this and she taught me. She passed last year so now I continue to make it. Its a Christmas tradition.
That’s really so wonderful to hear Lorri. It’s one of my favourite sweet breads and I recently tried an eggless version. Not as pretty but pretty delicious!
Merry Christmas to you and your family. ♥