Orange Pistachio Nut Roll

Name: Orange Pistachio Nut Roll
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 145 min
Ingredients: 1/3 cup of whole milk, warm (100-110 degrees); 1 tablespoon of active dry yeast; 1/4 cup of granulated sugar; 1/2 teaspoon of salt; 2 large eggs; 2/3 cup of sour cream; 12 tablespoons of butter, softened; 4-4 1/2 cups of bread flour; 1/2 cup of granulated sugar; 1/2 cup of brown sugar; 6 tablespoons of butter; 1 egg yolk (reserve the egg white for later); 1 tablespoon of fresh orange juice; 2 tablespoons of fresh orange zest; 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract; 1/2 teaspoon of citrus extract; 3 cups of pistachios, very finely chopped; 1 cup of confectioners sugar, sifted; 1 tablespoon of fresh orange juice; pistachios, crushed

March 26, 2024

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I have been in love with potica as far back as I can remember. As a child, I remember being so excited to slice into one of those golden brown loaves to reveal the beautiful sweet and nutty swirl inside.

A traditional European nut roll is typically filled with crushed pecans or walnuts in a sweet and sticky sauce and although it does feel borderline sacrilegious to change such perfection, I have been wanting to explore different filling options.

With springtime officially kicked off, I wanted to create a light and cheerful variation of this nut roll and I believe that I have struck gold with this orange and pistachio filling. Pistachios and oranges are such a classic combination and the salty, sweet and citrusy flavors in this buttery and perfectly chewy nut roll are going to give the original a run for it money.

Let’s get started…

The first step is to make the dough. These loaves don’t take quite as long to make as you may think and if your home is warm (or your oven has a “proof” setting), they only require about 90 minutes total to proof, which means you can start them in the afternoon and have them ready by the evening.

Begin by whisking a tablespoon of active dry yeast and a teaspoon of granulated sugar into 1/3 cup of warmed whole milk. Set it aside for a few minutes to let it bloom. If you are new to working with yeast, yeast has to be woken up before you use it. Yeast loves a nice warm temperature and a little snack (but, who doesn’t?) and in just a few minutes, it will get all foamy and frothy telling you that it has “bloomed” and is ready to go to work.

While the yeast is waking up, combine 1/4 cup of granulated sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 2 large eggs, 2/3 cup of sour cream and 12 tablespoons of softened butter in a large bowl and whisk until creamy.

Add about 2 cups of bread flour and the bloomed yeast mixture into the bowl and mixture until everything is completely combined.

Continue adding more bread flour a little bit at a time until a soft, sticky dough forms.

This is what the dough should look like at this stage. We want these loaves to stay light, so we will be adding only the flour that is necessary to bring everything together. This is best done as you knead, so you can feel the dough with your hands to tell whether it still feels like it needs more flour or if it is starting to feel stiff or dry.

Transfer the dough onto a floured surface, such as your counter top or a smooth cutting board. Dip your hands in some of the excess flour and begin kneading the dough. If your dough is super sticky, you may need to add a little more flour to your surface to prevent a lot of sticking. Tacky dough is fine, but dough that is sticking to everything needs a little dusting of flour.

The total amount of flour that you will need depends on several different aspects. Anything from the size of your eggs to the weathers temperature and humidity can effect how much flour you will need to add to dough. Today I needed just under 4 cups of bread flour, but I have needed almost 4 1/2 cups, so don’t stress if you have flour left over and as long as your dough still feels soft and tender, don’t worry if you needed all of it.

Knead the dough until it is smooth, soft and just a little bit sticky and then transfer it into a large greased bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it rest in a warm place until it has doubled in volume. In a nice warm place, this should take about an hour, but if your home is chilly, it may take a little longer.

My oven has a “proof” setting, which maintains a temperature of about 85 degrees and this is like a doughs ideal situation. If your oven does not have this setting, you can set the bowl on a table in direct sunlight or even toss a bath towel in the dryer and wrap the bowl in it to help keep things cozy.

While the dough is resting, we are going to make the filling.

In a small saucepan, combine 1/2 cup of granulated sugar, 1/2 cup of brown sugar, 6 tablespoons of butter and an egg yolk and place over medium heat. Simmer until the mixture is smooth and thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon and then transfer the saucepan off of the heat.

Stir in 3 cups of very finely chopped pistachios along with a tablespoon of fresh orange juice, 2 tablespoons of fresh orange zest, 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract and 1/2 teaspoon of citrus extract and set aside to cool.

Now that the filling is ready to go, pull your dough out once it has doubled in volume. This is exactly what we are looking for. All of that foamy yeast did a wonderful job of creating a big, billowy dough that is ready to be transformed into our nut rolls.

Transfer the dough onto a lightly floured surface and use a bench scraper or sharp knife to divide the dough. This recipe will make 2 large loaves or 4 smaller ones.

Set the other portion of dough off to the side and gently roll the dough out into a 14″x18″ rectangle (or a 8″x12″ rectangle if making 4 smaller loaves). Lightly dust your rolling pin with flour if anything is sticking and try to make the rectangle as evenly thin throughout, so it will bake evenly once rolled.

Divide the cooled filling evenly throughout the portions of dough and spread it out to within 1/2″ of one of the long sides. The filling should not be thickly covering the dough, as adding too much filling can cause the loaves to crack or split as they bake.

I like to very gently press the filling down into the soft dough just a bit to help it stay in place as I roll everything up.

Once your filling is all spread out, begin rolling up the long side in the same way that you would roll up cinnamon rolls. The roll should be firm, but not tight enough to pull tension on the dough. You just want to avoid any big gaps that could hold air inside the loaves.

Once your loaf is fully rolled up, pinch the seam closed all the way to the end and then tuck the ends under neatly.

Note: If you want to bake your nut roll into a wreath shape, then widen one end of the roll and push the other end into the widened end and pinch the seams to close forming the roll into a circle. Transfer the roll into a lightly greased 9 inch pie dish.

Transfer the loaves onto parchment lined baking sheet and cover them with a thin kitchen towel (or drape a sheet of non-stick plastic wrap over them). Let them rest in a warm place for 30 minutes and preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Once the loaves have puffed up a bit and your oven is preheated, whisk with your leftover egg white and a teaspoon of water in a small dish and brush the mixture over the loaves. This will help give them a beautiful, shiny and golden brown appearance.

Bake your nut rolls for about 35 minutes in a 350 degree oven. If you are making smaller loaves, they will be done around 28-30 minutes. The nut rolls are ready to come out when they are golden brown top and bottom and sound hollow when you tap on the underside of the loaf.

Let them cool on a cooling rack before slicing.

There is a little bit of controversy around whether traditional nut rolls should be left plain or drizzled with a simple glaze, but these orange pistachio nut rolls are not traditional, so I am drizzling a simple vanilla orange glaze over these nut rolls and sprinkling some crushed pistachios over the glaze. Beautiful and delicious…

Look at how light and buttery that pastry dough is. It is tender, but perfectly chewy and although the dough is wonderful, it is the filling that you are going to fall in love with…

The combination of the fresh orange juice, the zest, the brown sugar and the crushed pistachios… it all comes together to create a wonderfully sweet, salty and cheerful filling that you are going to love.

The original potica is typically baked up and given as gifts around the Christmas holiday season, but with Easter around the corner, I think this variation would be a fabulous gift for more holidays than just the chilly ones.

The more you make these nut rolls, the better you will get at your rolling technique. Just try to get the filling as evenly spread as possible, roll evenly, pinch the seams and you’ll know how good your rolling technique is as soon as you slice into the your nut rolls.

The good news is that even if you aren’t a professional nut roller (that can’t be what its called), the entire roll will be delicious.

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