Nut Roll

Grandma Gonda’s Slovak Nut Rolls

 

Ingredients

  • Dough
  • 1/4 cup warm or lukewarm water
  • 1 package active dry yeast or 1 cake of yeast
  • 1 cup milk, scalded
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup butter plus 2 tablespoons
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided use
  • 3 1/2 to 3 3/4 cup flour
  • 2 egg yolks, slightly beaten
  • Filling
  • 6 tablespoons light cream, scalded
  • 2 cups ground walnuts, packed
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 tablespoons fresh bread crumbs
  • 2 egg whites
  • 2/3 cup sugar

Directions

Dough:

Pour warm water into small bowl, sprinkle dry yeast (use lukewarm water with cake yeast); stir until dissolved. In a large bowl mix scaled milk, 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup butter and 1 teaspoon salt. Cool to lukewarm. Add 2 cups flour, beating well with a rubber spatula or spoon. Beat in yeast mixture, egg yolks, then enough of remaining flour to make soft dough.

Turn out dough onto lightly floured surface; cover with bowl, let stand 10 minutes. Knead until smooth and elastic — 8 to 10 minutes. Place dough in a lightly greased bowl; turning once to grease surface. Cover with clean towel; let rise in warm place (about 85 degrees) until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours. When dough is doubled, punch it down; again let it rise until doubled, about 45 minutes. Meanwhile, grease two 9x5x3-inch loaf pans.

Filling:

Pour scalded light cream into small bowl. Stir in walnuts, 2/3 cup sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt and vanilla. In saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons butter and then add bread crumbs; saute until golden and add to nut mixture. Remove 2 tablespoons from egg whites and discard; beat rest until stiff and fold into nut mixture. Punch down dough and divide into halves.

On lightly floured surface, roll each half into 16×9-inch rectangle. With a small spatula, spread on half of filling, starting from short end, roll in a jellyroll fashion; place in loaf pan. Let loaves rise until almost doubled, 30-40 minutes. Meanwhile preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake loaves 35-40 minutes or until each sounds hollow when tapped with finger. When done, remove from pans and lay them on their side on a cooling rack, but keep them out of drafty areas.

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