Potica (Slovenian Nut Roll) for Easter

Name: Potica (Slovenian Nut Roll)
Prep time: 120 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 170 min
Ingredients: 3 cups all-purpose flour ((450g)); 2 tsp active dry yeast; ¾ cup milk ((180ml)); ½ stick stick butter ((¼ cup/56g)); 2 tbsp sugar; ½ tsp salt; 2 large egg yolks; 3 cups walnuts ((300g)); 1 cup raisins ((160g)); 3 tbsp honey; 2 large egg whites ((beaten)); 3 tbsp milk; ½ stick butter ((melted) (¼ cup/56g)); 1 tbsp butter ((melted))

By: 👩‍🦳 Linda · Published: 🖨 April 20, 2011 · Updated: 💻December 31, 2020 · 🗨 52 Comments

Recipe ▼

Potica (Slovenian Nut Roll), a delicious celebratory bread resembling a jelly roll made of thinly rolled yeast dough spread with a nut paste.

If you are looking for a bread to bake for Easter, you came to the right place. Potica (pronounced as “po-tee-sa”), a Slovenian nut roll is a celebratory bread essential to the celebration of Palm Sunday and Easter where Christians remember Jesus’ crucifixion, death on the cross, burial, and resurrection on the third day. This bread resembles a jelly roll and is quite the treat. It is definitely worth a try if you have never eaten it before.

Potica – a Central European Pastry

The Ukraine, Poland, and Yugoslavia all claim Potica originated from their country. They all share the same thinly rolled yeast dough spread with a nut paste. The nut paste or filling may differ from country to country and can include chopped walnuts, pecans, poppy seeds, honey, butter, and dried fruits.

The Recipe

The recipe below was adapted from this Celebration Breads cookbook by Betsy Oppenneer gifted to me by my sons for my birthday several years ago. This delightful cookbook has a collection of more than 75 sweet and savory traditional breads from around the world. The recipes and history of each of the breads are well researched by the author. Each recipe includes preparation by hand, mixer, food processor, and bread machine. There are no colored photographs in the cookbook but many of the recipes and steps are very well illustrated.

I did make some changes to the ingredients and simplified the steps involved. For this recipe, I used the stand mixer method which turned out really well. I hope you’ll give it a try. It will be well worth your effort.

Using a Bundt Pan

I especially like this particular recipe because the dough is very cleverly placed in a Bundt pan so that it conforms to the shape of the pan. When you unmold the bread, it looks just like a pretty Bundt cake. In most other recipes, they appear as a log. You can certainly leave them that way if you wish.

Tools Used in Making this Potica (Slovenian Nut Roll)

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KitchenAid Professional 5 Plus Series Stand Mixers – Metallic Chrome
Pyrex Prepware 1-Cup Measuring Cup
Cuisipro Stainless Steel Measuring Cup and Spoon Set
Nordic Ware Pro Cast Original Bundt Pan, 12 Cup
KitchenAid 9-Cup Food Processor

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