Belokranjska Povitica Recipes

BELOKRANJSKA POVITICA

Steps:

• Mix ingredients for dough into a soft satin dough (about 10 minutes) and divide it into 4 smaller balls, brush them with oil and let them rest for about 1/2 hour.
• Spread out an old clean tablecloth on the table and sprinkle lightly with flour. Place the dough balls one a t a time on the cloth and roll out to a rectangle as thin as possible, lifting and turning it to prevent it from sticking.
• Gently stretch the rectangle, working from the centre to the outside, and using the backs on the hands until it is very thin. Trim the thick edges. Leave to dry and rest for 10-15 minutes. Repeat with the remaining three dough balls.
• Have the fill prepared beforehand. For the fill - If you want to make it as the original and I suggest you do because it does make a difference - skrlupec (baked cream) and fresh cheese (ricotta) is made as following: Take 5 liter fresh milk (NOT reduced fat!) refrigerated for at least 12 hours in a pot. Slowly warm it up on a stove to a temperature just under boiling and keep it there for a while until a thick layer of cream with a skin forms on the top. Heat the oven to 200°C and put the milk off the stove to cool down a little. When the oven is at 200°C put the milk pot into the oven for 10-15 minutes so the cream that formed on the milk gets a thin unevenly brownish crust. Then collect the baked cream from the milk with a spatula or a big spoon and put it in a bowl--this is "skrlupec" or baked fresh cream. For fresh cheese (ricotta) put the remaining milk back on the stove and warm it to a simmer slowly. Put a teaspoon (or tablespoon if using less acid vinegar) of apple cider vinegar and salt into the milk and turn off the stove. Milk starts turning into cheese. Leave it to cool down to room temperature (round 1 and 1/2h or more) so you can collect the fresh cheese (ricotta) from the cheese water with a clean cloth. Press the cheese in the cloth to drain it and make it firmer. The cheese has to be white, not green or grey.
• Alternatively if you don't want to bother with the extra work or don't have time you can use a ricotta from the store (500 g package) to which you add a mixture of 0.2 l sour cream, 0.1 l milk and 200 grams butter.
• Mix 2 eggs with the cheese/baked cream mixture (or bought ricotta, sour cream, butter and milk mix) and 2 full teaspoons of salt or sugar into a thick mass.
• For special occasions you can add grape raisins into the fill of the sweet variety or pork cracklings to the salty variety.
• Spread the fill evenly on the 4 stretched dough rectangles.
• Roll the dough into rolls, close both ends by stuffing the outer ends into the roll - towards the center. Fit the four rolls into a baking pan. If the rolls are too big, fit two and two together.
• Brush it with beaten egg and bake at 200°C approximately 30 minutes.

AMAZING TRADITIONAL CROATIAN POVITICA

Steps:

• Combine filling ingredients in a heavy saucepan.
• Cook over low heat, stirring often, until the mixture for about 30 minutes or until the mixture is fairly thick (remember this will be the filling inside the bread and it shouldn't be runny) Let cool.
• In a large heated bowl, combine yeast, warm water.
• and 1/2 tsp.
• sugar.
• Stir until yeast is dissolved.
• Set in a warm place for about 5 minutes, until foamy.
• Combine 1/2 cup sugar, melted butter and salt.
• Add boiling water, stir and cool until lukewarm.
• Add this mixture to yeast.
• Stir in beaten eggs and add flour gradually.
• Turn out onto a floured board and knead about 5 minutes.
• Do not over flour this it should be softer than regular bread dough.
• Place in a greased bowl, cover and set in a warm place to rise until double in bulk.
• Put dough in center of a lightly floured work table and roll out as thin as possible with a rolling pin, maintaining a square or rectangle shape.
• The thinner you are able to roll the dough the better this will turn out.
• Spread the pulled dough evenly with the prepared.
• filling.
• Roll up the povitica as for a jelly roll.
• Cut roll in half and place each half into a greased bread pan two inches deep and form it into an"S" shape.
• Tuck in the ends and flatten it a little.
• Cover and let raise for 2-1/2 hours in a warm place.
• Bake in a preheated oven at 375° for 10 minutes, then reduce to 350° for 50 minutes until nicely browned.
• Cool in pan for 30 minutes then remove from pan.
• and finish cooling on wire rack.
• alternate fillings could be your favorite fruit cooked down with sugar into almost a jam, cream cheese mixed with egg and powdered sugar or even your favorite pumpkin pie filling.

GRANDMA'S POVITISA (PO-VUH-TEET-ZUH) POVITICA CROATIAN NUT BREAD

Steps:

• Combine warm water and yeast together in a large bowl. Let stand until yeast softens and begins to form a creamy foam, about 5 minutes.
• Stir 3/4 cup lukewarm milk, white sugar, shortening, 1 egg, and salt into yeast mixture. Mix flour into yeast mixture until a soft, easy to handle dough forms.
• Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and let stand for 10 minutes. Knead dough until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Form dough into a ball.
• Place dough in a large, lightly-oiled bowl and turn to coat. Cover bowl with a damp towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, or until a hole remains when your finger is pressed deeply into the dough, about 2 hours.
• Punch down dough and turn onto a lightly floured surface. Shape into ball and let dough rest for 15 minutes.
• Beat brown sugar, butter, and 1 egg together in a bowl until creamy. Add 1/4 cup milk, vanilla extract, and lemon extract; stir until smooth. Stir walnuts into the filling mixture until walnuts are completely incorporated.
• Roll dough on a large, floured cloth into a 20x30-inch rectangle. Spread walnut filling evenly over the top of the dough, spreading to the edges. Roll the rectangle up along the long edge like a jelly roll and pinch edges to seal. Coil the roll into a snail-shape.
• Grease a 9x13x2-inch baking sheet. Place shaped dough on the prepared sheet and let rise until an impression remains when the dough is gently pressed, about 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• Bake in the preheated oven until the top is golden brown, 40 to 45 minutes.