An Eastern European Christmas and Easter tradition, this nut roll recipe can be made with ground walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts, raisins and even a poppy seed filling.
Risen with instant yeast and made exquisite by the addition of sour cream to the nut roll dough, this recipe is super easy and a holiday favorite.
Loaded with ground or roughly chopped walnuts, vanilla extract and a burst of freshness from orange zest, your house will be filled with a divine comforting smell that brings all the children to the kitchen.
Don’t be stingy with the nuts tough, go as nutty as you can, this the season after all, right ?! You can even mix up your favorite kind If you want. A recipe is nothing but a guide.
Feel free to whip up a little decadent icing to drizzle over the top, but a sprinkling of powdered sugar is all you really need here for a festive presentation! And maybe a glass of grass fed organic milk of course 😉
Nut Roll Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 c all purpose flour
- 1 stick butter organic
- 3/4 c milk warm
- 3/4 c sour cream organic
- 1 egg large
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 3 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 packet instant yeast
Nut Roll Filling
- 3.5 c nuts roughly chopped or ground
- zest from 1 orange
- 3/4 c brown sugar
- 3/4 c granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 tbsp butter
- 1 egg beaten
Egg Wash
- 1 tsp water
- 1 egg
Instructions
- To the bowl of your kitchen aid mixer add the flour, butter, milk, sour cream, 1 egg, sea salt, yeast and 3 tbsp sugar. Mix to combine well and knead a few minutes until a smooth dough forms. The dough shouldn’t stick to the bowl.
- Cover loosely with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm place for at least 1 hour.
- Meanwhile make the filling. Melt the butter in a large skillet and add sugars. Stir to combine well and remove from flame. Mix in the chopped nuts, vanilla extract, orange zest and allow to cool completely. Beat 1 egg and mix it with the cooled off nut roll filling. Set aside.
- After the dough has risen for 1 hour dump it on a lightly floured surface and cut it in 2 equal pieces.
- Sprinkle some flour on top of the dough and using a rolling pin roll the dough into a thin rectangle that you are comfortable rolling and working with.Spread half of the filling on top of the dough within 1/2 inch from the edges.
- Beat the egg with the water to make the egg wash and brush the edges of the dough. Gently start rolling the dough into a log starting with the long side. Pinch the ends and tuck underneath the roll.
- Layer a large baking sheet with parchment paper and lay the nut roll on top.
- Repeat the process with the remaining dough and filling and place the second roll on the baking sheet about 5 inches away from each other.
- Cover loosely with a tea towel and allow to rise for another 40 minutes.
- Meanwhile preheat tour oven to 350 “F
- Brush the logs with the egg wash and bake in the preheated oven for 34 to 45 minutes until golden brown on top.
- Transfer to a cooling rack and allow to cool off completely before slicing them. Garnish with powder sugar and serve.
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Perfect photos ! perfect idea ! Thank you and have a healthy and prosperous 2017.!
Thank you so much, same to you and yours!~ Florentina Xo’s
I want to make these, but I need to know how best to keep them until I make the gift platters I give away. I should be making them around the 1st of December, 2017. Thanks for your help. They look wonderful, and I have a huge bag of ground pecans just waiting for the perfect recipe. Thanks!
Hi Pam! You can store them for a couple of days on your kitchen counter in a container or loosely wrapped in parchment paper and then aluminum foil. You really don’t want the aluminum touching your food hence the parchment. Ultimately it all depends how long you are looking to store them for.
My mother was Austrian and I know this walnut bread well. She usually cooked it in a small tall bundt form so it looked fancy…especially with a dusting of powdered sugar. I have not made it in so long. I think it’s time to do it, as the pandemic eases up. It’s best the day it’s made. My mother also made it with a poppyseed filling. Delicious!