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Potica – Povitica {Video recipe}

Eva

You know that this summer I have been looking for and trying many recipes, another one that stole my heart was the Povitica or Potica. As soon as you see it, the evidence speaks for itself, it is a wonderful elaboration no matter how you look at it.

Going a step further and encouraging you to try it, you will see that it is not only beautiful, but also delicious. This isn’t saying it, this is doing it. You have to try it for sure.

Origin of Povitica or Potica.

This sweet bread, traditionally made with a walnut filling, can be found named in two different ways according to its origin:

We can also find another variant made from poppy seeds called Makowiec of Polish origin. although nowadays you can find countless different fillings such as honey, chocolate, marmalades, coconut, almonds, carob…

An unknown and ancient Slovenian rule says that anyone who can do a walnut potica deserves the title of “good cook”

Its name derives from the Slovenian word poviti which means “to envelop”.

The recipe can vary a lot from one home to another, the hands that make it end up giving its magic and personal touch. You can also find salty versions of this elaboration, the most traditional is the tarragon potica, and serve it as an entrée or main dish.

Povitica emerged as a fusion of different influences.

Such as the”Gubanca of Friuli Venezia Giulia”, Pogača and other sweets from Central Europe and the Danube basin. These were, for the most part, typical breads made on holiday, presumably with one of the oldest known forms: a circle with a hole in the middle.

It is believed that potica was created in medieval monasteries. It was prepared in different ways, the two most popular methods were to roll the potica in a circular way or simulating the shell of a snail and baked in a earthenware baking tin. These baking tins have been used for centuries to bake potica and represented an important step in the elaboration of this one.

In the second half of the 19th century there are mentions of potica as Putica in German cookbooks referring to”The Carniolan Pastry“.

The poticas that were baked in rectangular pans, were usually cut into 2-3 equal pieces, closing the ends and were placed inside the pan. This type of potica is usually called Štruklji.

One of the most recognized shops in the elaboration of Povitica

Strawberry Hill Povitica opened its doors in 1984 thanks to Harley, who loved her mother’s povitica. It is one of the most recognized bakeries and pastry shops in the elaboration of this sweet and all of them are handmade. There you can find a multitude of fillings, the most varied, that will leave you speechless.

Ingredients

FOR THE DOUGH: A pan 10 x 4 x 3 inches  (25 x 11 x 7 cm) FOR THE FILLING: FOR BRUSH:

Instructions

Make the povitica dough.
  1. In a bowl add the flour together with milk, water, egg and dry yeast.
  2. Mix the ingredients in the bowl until a homogeneous dough is obtained.
  3. Add the sugar and knead until it is fully integrated. I recommend you do it in two batches since sugar tends to liquefy the doughs (I tell you in the notes section).
  4. Transfer to a work surface and start kneading. We will have to obtain a smooth, silky and developed dough.
  5. Once we have a medium-developed gluten, add the butter. The ideal is to do it little by little, waiting for the dough to absorb it and facilitate the kneading process.
  6. Knead for about 12-15 minutes to develop the gluten well and obtain an elastic, soft and very well developed dough. The dough, always after a rest, must pass the membrane test. Here's how to do it.
  7. If we do rest we must always cover the dough to prevent it from drying.
Make bulk fermentation.
  1. Make a ball with our dough, grease a bowl lightly with oil and introduce the dough inside.
  2. Cover with film and let rise until it doubles its volume. In my case it was 3 hours and 10 minutes at 85ºF.
Make the filling while the dough is rising.
  1. In a food processor add nuts together with sugar, cinnamon, salt and cocoa powder. Blend and set aside.
  2. In a saucepan, heat the milk along with the butter until it boils gently. Remove from the heat.
  3. Transfer the walnut mixture to a bowl and pour in the milk.
  4. Add the vanilla together with the yolk and mix until completely homogenized.
  5. Let it stand at room temperature, covering the bowl with film or a plate, until needed.
Stretch the dough to shape the povitica.
  1. To stretch the dough we will do it on a sheet, just like we did with the strudel.
  2. Sprinkle the working surface very lightly with corn flour.
  3. Dump the dough and degass it gently.
  4. Roll the dough out with a roller to shape a 25,5 x 18 inches (65 x 45 cm) rectangle. As we stretch the dough, we will use our hands to stretch and shape it. Work the dough without stressing it (I mean, work calmly, without squeezing the dough or stretching it abruptly. Love, love and more love) so that it remains elastic throughout the stretching process.
  5. We will always stretch from the center to the ends.
Spread the filling.
  1. With the aid of a spatula we place small piles on the entire surface of the dough and proceed to spread it.
  2. The filling is somewhat dense, you will most likely have to help your hands to distribute it evenly.
  3. Cover to the edges except for the one that will seal the dough when rolled up. The longest side, the farthest from us. (You will see it better in the video)
Roll up the dough.
  1. Roll the dough on itself making sure that there is no gap between each layer. To do this we will roll carefully and with the help of both hands.
  2. Once it's rolled up, we'll make sure the joint is sealed.
  3. Shape a -S with the dough roll and place it into the pan. Always with great care.
  4. Cover with film and let the dough rise until we notice that the dough has grown in size. Given its shape, it will be difficult to notice its increase in volume. Ideally you should look at the ends of the dough, there you will see the increase of this. In my case, it was 3 hours at 85ºF.
Bake povitica.
  1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
  2. Brush the povitica with half of the butter and introduce at medium height.
  3. Bake for 15 minutes, reduce heat to 300ºF and leave for 45 minutes more. The total baking time is 60 minutes.
  4. Remove from the oven and brush with the remaining butter.
  5. Let it rest in the pan for 20 minutes. Unmould and let cool completely on a rack.

Notes

At home they loved Povitica and they want it to become part of the usual recipe book... which really doesn't surprise me at all because I assure you that it is impressive. How can you enjoy so much with a coffee and a slice of this sweet? I'd love to be able to express with words, but you'd better experience it first-hand. I wish you a wonderful weekend, see you on Monday! Big hugs, Eva Sources:  Taste Slovenia, The Spruce , Slideshare Recipe adapted:  The Great Cake Company, Swapna´s Cuisine, 
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