cozonac
Next Dish: Rendang
Cozonac is a traditional Romanian and Bulgarian sweet leavened bread, often associated with major holidays such as Christmas and Easter. It is typically filled with a sweet walnut, poppy seed, or cocoa paste, and sometimes contains raisins or rum. The dough is usually enriched with eggs and butter, giving it a rich, tender texture. The bread is known for its distinctive swirl pattern, created by rolling the dough around the filling.
Recipe
Ingredients:
1 kg all-purpose flour
400 g sugar
300 ml warm milk
4 eggs
200 g butter
50 g fresh yeast
1 tsp salt
zest of 2 lemons
1 tsp vanilla extract
200 g raisins
200 g walnuts
50 ml rum
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1 egg for brushing
Instructions:
Dissolve the yeast and a teaspoon of sugar in a bit of the warm milk.
Sift the flour into a large bowl and make a well in the middle. Pour the yeast mixture into the well and mix it with a bit of the flour. Cover the bowl and let it rest for 15 minutes.
In a separate bowl, mix the rest of the warm milk with the sugar until it's dissolved. Add this to the flour and yeast mixture.
Add the eggs, one by one, mixing well after each. Add the melted butter, lemon zest, and vanilla extract. Mix everything together until you get a sticky dough.
Cover the bowl with a clean towel and let it rise in a warm place for about 2 hours, or until it doubles in size.
Divide the dough into four equal parts. Roll out each part into a rectangle.
Mix the walnuts, raisins, rum, and cocoa powder together. Spread this mixture over the dough rectangles, then roll them up tightly.
Place the rolls in greased loaf pans, cover them, and let them rise again for about 30 minutes.
Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F).
Brush the tops of the rolls with beaten egg and bake them for about 45 minutes, or until they're golden brown.
Let the Cozonac cool in the pans for a few minutes, then remove them and let them cool completely on a wire rack.