Povitica – Daring Bakers Challenge

To activate the Yeast:
1 Teaspoon (5 ml/4 ½ gm) Sugar
½ Teaspoon (2½ ml/1½ gm) All-Purpose (Plain) Flour
¼ Cup (60 ml) Warm Water
1 Tablespoon (15 ml/7 gm/¼ oz/1 sachet) Dry Yeast

Dough:
1 Cup (240 ml) Whole Milk
6 Tablespoons (90 ml/85 gm/3 oz) Sugar
1½ Teaspoons (7½ ml/9 gm/1/3 oz) Table Salt
2 Large Eggs
¼ Cup (60 ml/60 gm/½ stick/2 oz) Unsalted Butter, melted
4 cups (960 ml/560 gm/19¾ oz/1¼ lb) All-Purpose Flour, measure first then sift, divided
Egg white for washing the top of loaves

Half Batch Filling Ingredients (enough filling for the two loaves(
3½ Cups (840 ml/560 gm/1¼ lb/20 oz) Ground English Walnuts
½ Cup (120 ml) Whole Milk
½ Cup (120 ml/115 gm/1 stick/4 oz) Unsalted Butter
1 Whole Egg, Beaten
½ Teaspoon (2½ ml) Pure Vanilla Extract
1 Cup (240 ml/225 gm/8 oz) Sugar
½ Teaspoon (2½ ml/2 gm) Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
½ Teaspoon (2½ ml/1½ gm) Cinnamon

Directions:
To Activate Yeast:
Step 1: In a small bowl, stir 2 teaspoons sugar, 1 teaspoon flour, and the yeast into ½ cup warm water and cover with plastic wrap.
Step 2: Allow to stand for 5 minutes

To Make the Dough:
Step 1: In a medium saucepan, heat the milk up to just below boiling (about 180°F/82°C), stirring constantly so that a
film does not form on the top of the milk. You want it hot enough to scald you, but not boiling. Allow to cool
slightly, until it is about 110°F/43°C.
Step 2: In a large bowl, mix the scalded milk, ¾ cup (180 gm/170 gm/6 oz) sugar, and the salt until combined.
Step 3: Add the beaten eggs, yeast mixture, melted butter, and 2 cups (480 ml/280 gm/10 oz) of flour.
Step 4: Blend thoroughly and slowly add remaining flour, mixing well until the dough starts to clean the bowl.
Step 5: Turn dough out onto floured surface and knead, gradually adding flour a little at a time, until smooth and does not stick.
Step 6: Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces.
Step 7: Place dough in 4 lightly oiled bowls, cover loosely with a layer of plastic wrap and then a kitchen towel and let rise an hour and a half in a warm place, until doubled in size.

To Make the Filling:
Step 1: In a large bowl mix together the ground walnuts, sugar, cinnamon and cocoa.
Step 2: Heat the milk and butter to boiling.
Step 3: Pour the liquid over the nut/sugar mixture.
Step 4: Add the eggs and vanilla and mix thoroughly.
Step 5: Allow to stand at room temperature until ready to be spread on the dough.
Step 6: If the mixture thickens, add a small amount of warm milk.m

My Filling was different from the one above because half my family are not nut eaters.
Ingredients:
1 large Granny Smith or McIntosh apple
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup melted butter
1 tsp.cinnamon
2 T. milk
1 egg

Step 1: peel apple, core and slice apple thin, put all the ingredients into a food processor and pulse until it’s chopped small but not purred.

To Roll and Assemble the Dough:
Step 1: Spread a clean sheet or cloth over your entire table so that it is covered.
Step 2: Sprinkle with a couple of tablespoons to a handful of flour (use flour sparingly)
Step 3: Place the dough on the sheet and roll the dough out with a rolling-pin, starting in the middle and working your way out, until it measures roughly 10-12 inches (25½ cm by 30½ cm) in
diameter.
Step 4: Spoon 1 to 1.5 teaspoons ( 5 ml to 7 ½ ml/4 gm to 7 gm) of melted butter on top.
Step 5: Using the tops of your hands, stretch dough out from the center until the dough is thin and uniformly opaque. You can also use your rolling-pin, if you prefer. As you work, continually pick up the dough from the table, not only to help in stretching it out, but also to make sure that it isn’t sticking. When you think it the dough is thin enough, try to get it a little thinner. It should be so thin that you can see the color and perhaps the pattern of the sheet underneath.
Step 6: Spoon filling (see below for recipe) evenly over dough until covered. I also added a generous sprinkling of cinnamon and sugar on top of the filling before I rolled it up.
Step 7: Lift the edge of the cloth and gently roll the dough like a jelly roll.

Step 8: Once the dough is rolled up into a rope, gently lift it up and place it into a greased loaf pan in the shape of a “U”, with the ends meeting in the middle. You want to coil the dough around itself, as this will give the dough its characteristic look when sliced.
Step 9: Repeat with remaining three loaves, coiling each rope of dough in its own loaf pan. Note: I forgot to take pictures of the process of putting the dough into the pans so I borrowed Jenni’s photos because I feel they are helpful.

Step 10: Brush top of loaves with egg white.  Cover pans lightly will plastic wrap and allow to rest for approximately 15 minutes.
Step 11: Pre-heat oven to moderate 350°F. Remove plastic wrap from dough and place into the preheated oven and bake for approximately 15 minutes.
Step 12: Turn down the oven temperature to slow 300°F and bake for an additional 45 minutes, or until done. Remove bread from oven and brush with melted butter.
Step 13: Check the bread every 30 minutes to ensure that the bread is not getting too brown. You may cover the loaves with a sheet of aluminum foil if you need to. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack for 20-30 minutes. It’s recommended that the best way to cut Povitica loaves into slices is by turning the loaf upside down and slicing with a serrated.