Povitica - October 2011 Daring Bakers Challenge

I can't believe I am sitting here infront of the computer and writting the Daring Bakers Post on the day itself.

I was mumbling to hubby today morning , that I still have to write the post etc.... and he mumbled back now you know how things get pended to the last minute as I sometimes tell him why can't you do the things which you have to do earlier than hurrying up int he last minute.

I had so much days to write and keep this post.

As in the begning of the month when I saw what the DB challenge was I got so excited as I have never ever seen such a beautiful bread and I made it next day, can you believe that, normally I make my challenge much later.

I love and If i say loved I simply loved making this bread.

Though I have to admit I have never sweated so much while making a bread. As I was trying to make the dough as thin as possible.

I made the dough in our dinning table and you woudn't want to hear the noises i was making while rolling them, Hans even asked my what are you doing there as I was walking aorund tha table rolling the diugh.

And I coudn't wait to slice the bread and look how the shape was inside and as you can see they we so beautiful that when I skyped my sis, I showed it to her very proudly :-)
Ok now I did make a mistake I added less walnuts , I only found out when the bread was in the oven but still it was yumm and I added more cacao powder.

This  months Daring Bakers Challenge was hosted by Jenni of The Gingered Whisk and I am so happy that she did it as it was such a delight to do this challenge.

Preperation

To make Dough: 40 minutes

Rising: 1 hour and 30 minutes

Rolling and Assembly: 20 minutes per loaf, a generous total of 1 hour

Baking: 1 hour

Cooling: 30 minutes

To Make the Filling: 15 minutes, including the grinding of the nuts

Equipment required:

• A large work space, like a 4-person table or large kitchen island

• 4 large bowls to rise dough

• Plastic Wrap

• 4 Kitchen/Tea Towels

• 4 bread loaf pans (or as many as you own, and re-use them)

• Rolling Pin

• A Sheet or Cloth (the better the thread count and the softer they are, the less likely the dough will stick)

• Measuring Cups and Spoons

• Wooden Spoons

• Pastry Brush

• Medium Saucepan

• Candy Thermometer

• Small Bowl

• Small Saucepan

• Nut Grinder

• Rubber Spatula

• Pastry scrapper

Povitica (makes 4 loaves)

Ingredients

To activate the Yeast:

2 Teaspoons (10 ml/9 gm) Sugar

1 Teaspoon (5 ml/3 gm) All-Purpose (Plain) Flour

½ Cup (120ml) Warm Water

2 Tablespoons (30ml/14 gm/½ oz/2 sachets) Dry Yeast

Dough:

2 Cups (480ml) Whole Milk

¾ Cup (180 ml/170gm/6 oz) Sugar

3 Teaspoons (15 ml/18 gm/2/3 oz) Table Salt

4 Large Eggs

½ Cup (120ml/115 gm/one stick/4 oz) Unsalted Butter, melted

8 cups (1.92 l/1.12 kg/39½ oz/2½ lb) All-Purpose Flour, measure first then sift, divided

Walnut Filling:

7 Cups (1.68 l/1.12 kg/2.5 lbs) Ground English Walnuts

1 Cup (240ml) Whole Milk

1 Cup (240ml/225 gm/2 sticks/8 oz) Unsalted Butter

2 Whole Eggs, Beaten

1 Teaspoon (5ml) Pure Vanilla Extract

2 Cups (480ml/450 gm/16 oz) Sugar

1 Teaspoon (5 ml/4 gm) Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

1 Teaspoon (5 ml/3 gm) Cinnamon

Topping:

½ Cup (120 ml) Cold STRONG Coffee

2 Tablespoons (30 ml/28 gm/1 oz) Granulated Sugar

Melted Butter

Directions:

To Activate Yeast:

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.

2. Allow to stand for 5 minutes

To Make the Dough:

3. 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.

4. In a large bowl, mix the scalded milk, ¾ cup (180 gm/170 gm/6 oz) sugar, and the salt until combined.

5. Add the beaten eggs, yeast mixture, melted butter, and 2 cups (480 ml/280 gm/10 oz) of flour.

6. Blend thoroughly and slowly add remaining flour, mixing well until the dough starts to clean the bowl

7. Turn dough out onto floured surface and knead, gradually adding flour a little at a time, until smooth and does not stick. Note: I did not use all 8 cups of flour

8. Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces (they will each weight about 1.25 pounds/565 grams)

9. 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

10. In a large bowl mix together the ground walnuts, sugar, cinnamon and cocoa.

11. Heat the milk and butter to boiling.

12. Pour the liquid over the nut/sugar mixture.

13. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix thoroughly.

14. Allow to stand at room temperature until ready to be spread on the dough.

15. If the mixture thickens, add a small amount of warm milk

To Roll and Assemble the Dough:

16. Spread a clean sheet or cloth over your entire table so that it is covered.

17. Sprinkle with a couple of tablespoons to a handful of flour (use flour sparingly)

18. 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

19. Spoon 1 to 1.5 teaspoons (5ml to 7 ½ ml/4 gm to 7 gm) of melted butter on top.

20. 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.

21. 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.

22. 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.

23. Spoon filling (see below for recipe) evenly over dough until covered

24. Lift the edge of the cloth and gently roll the dough like a jelly roll

25. 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

26. Repeat with remaining three loaves, coiling each rope of dough in its own loaf pan.

27. Brush the top of each loaf with a mixture of ½ cup (120 ml) of cold STRONG coffee and 2 tablespoons (30ml/28 gm/1 oz) of sugar. If you prefer, you can also use egg whites in place of this

28. Cover pans lightly will plastic wrap and allow to rest for approximately 15 minutes.

29. Preheat oven to moderate 350°F/180°C/gas mark 4.

30. Remove plastic wrap from dough and place into the preheated oven and bake for approximately 15 minutes.

31. Turn down the oven temperature to slow 300°F/150°C/gas mark 2 and bake for an additional 45 minutes, or until done.

32. Remove bread from oven and brush with melted butter.

33. Check the bread at 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.

34. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack for 20-30 minutes, still in the bread pan. Remember, the bread weighs about 2.5 and it needs to be able to hold its own weight, which is difficult when still warm and fresh out of the oven. Allowing it to cool in the pan helps the loaf to hold its shape.

35. It is recommended that the best way to cut Povitica loaves into slices is by turning the loaf upside down and slicing with a serrated knife

Dough is ready and kept for doubling up

                                                               Starting to rolling

                                                                   Roll and Roll

                                                            and Roll and roll  and stretch:-)

Roll and roll again and stretch and sweat :-)

                                                 Spreading the mix, i did with my hand

                                                                      Ready

                                                                Doubled up the size

Smaller batch measurements courtesy of Audax a chef who is in DB and he is the one who makes always first the challengs and help us through :-)

Half Batch Dough Ingredients (Makes two loaves each 1.25 lbs/565 grams)

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

Topping:

¼ Cup (60 ml) Cold STRONG Coffee

1 Tablespoon (15 ml/14 gm/½ oz) Granulated Sugar

Melted Butter

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

Quarter Batch Dough Ingredients (Makes one loaf 1.25 lbs/565 grams)

To activate the Yeast:

½ Teaspoon (2½ ml/2¼ gm) Sugar

¼ Teaspoon (1¼ ml/¾ gm) All-Purpose (Plain) Flour

2 Tablespoons (30 ml) Warm Water

1½ Teaspoons (7½ ml/3½ gm/0.125 oz/½ sachet) Dry Yeast

Dough:

½ Cup (120 ml) Whole Milk

3 Tablespoons (45 ml/43 gm/1½ oz) Sugar

¾ Teaspoon (3¾ ml/9 gm/0.17 oz) Table Salt

1 Large Egg

1 tablespoon (30 ml/30 gm/¼ stick/1 oz) Unsalted Butter, melted

2 cups (480 ml/280 gm/10 oz/0.62 lb) All-Purpose Flour, measure first then sift, divided

Topping:

2 Tablespoons (30 ml) Cold STRONG Coffee

1½ Teaspoons (7½ ml/7 gm/¼ oz) Granulated Sugar

Melted Butter

Quarter Batch Filling Ingredients (enough filling for one loaf)

1¾ Cups (420 ml/280 gm/10 oz) Ground English Walnuts

¼ Cup (60 ml) Whole Milk

¼ Cup (60 ml/58 gm/½ stick/2 oz) Unsalted Butter

1 Egg Yolk From A Large Egg, Beaten

¼ Teaspoon (1¼ ml) Pure Vanilla Extract

½ Cup (120 ml/115 gm/4 oz) Sugar

¼ Teaspoon (1¼ ml/1 gm) Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

¼ Teaspoon (1¼ ml/¾ gm) Cinnamon

Storage:

There are several options for storing (and eating) your four loaves of Povitica:

• The Povitica will keep fresh for 1 week at room temperature.

• The Povitica will keep fresh for 2 weeks if refrigerated.

• The Povitica can be frozen for up to three months when wrapped a layer of wax paper followed by a layer of aluminum foil. It is recommended to not freeze Povitica with cream cheese fillings as it doesn’t hold up to being thawed really well – it crumbles