VIDEO: Croatian Recipes: Orahnjača

Orahnjača (Photo credit: Roberta F under CC)

When it comes to baking, the Orahnjača, or walnut roll, is one of the most popular in Croatia, especially at festive occasions such as weddings, christenings, Christmas and Easter. Check out this classic recipe.

Ingredients

Wheat flour – 700 g
Yeast – 40 g
Milk – 600 ml
Eggs – 2
Walnuts – 500 g
Sugar – 310 g
Raisins – 100 g
Lemon – 1/2 grated skin
Butter – 50 g
Salt – pinch

Orahnjača is popular at most festive occasions, especially Easter (Photo credit: Klemen Brumec under CC)

Instructions

1. In a bowl break up the yeast and add a teaspoon of sugar, 250 ml of warm milk and mix with a whist. Leave to rise for around 15 minutes.

2. In a pan put 250 g of sugar, the rest of the milk, lemon skin, raisins (which have been soaked in rum) and leave to boil. Now the ground walnuts and cook on a low heat to get a thick porridge-like consistency with the mixture.

3. Put flour now in a bowl, add beaten egg whites, yolk, sugar, 60 g sugar, a pinch of salt and beat for 15 minutes.

4. Shape the dough into a ball and put back in the bowl with a sprinkling of flour, cover with a tea towel and leave to rise for around 40 minutes.

5. Now cut the dough into two even pieces and roll out each one about 1 centimetre thick to fit in a baking tin.

6. Evenly spread the walnut mixture on both of the rolled out dough, leaving the top two inches free on each. Now roll up gently.

7. Grease a baking tin with butter and place the two rolls inside. Paste with egg yolks and a tablespoon of water and bake for 40 minutes at 180°C.

Leave to cool and cut. Dobar tek!

Check out the video instructions below.