Povatica Bread

1 c Very warm water (105 F to

-115F) 2 pk Active dry yeast

1/2 c Granulated sugar

1/3 c Instant nonfat dry milk (in

-dry form) 1 t Salt

1/4 c Lightly salted butter or

-margarine, at room Temperature 3 1/2 c All-purpose flour (up to 4

-cups) WALNUT FILLING 2 tb Butter or margarine

1 c Firmly packed light brown

-sugar 4 c Walnut meats, ground (1

-pound) 2 lg Eggs

2 ts Ground cardamom seed or

-cinnamon 1 tb Vanilla extract

Combine the water,yeast, and sugar in a large bowl. Let stand for 2 minutes. Add the dry milk, salt, butter, and 2 cups of the flour. Mix until smooth and beat for 2 minutes. Let rise, uncovered for 30 to 45 minutes until bubbly. Stir in 1 cup of the remaining flour. Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface (using some of the remaining flour) and knead for 4 to 5 minutes, until smooth and elastic, adding only as much flour as necessary to prevent the dough from sticking. The dough should be soft. Place the dough in a buttered bowl, turning once to bring the buttered side up. Let rise in a warm place until double in volume, about 1 1/2 hours. Grease two 9 x 5 x 3-inch loaf pans.

Punch down the dough; turn out onto a lightly floured surface and cut in half. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Roll out 1 piece of the dough to a rectangle 11 x 16 inches, stretching the dough and letting it

stick to the surface as necessary. Spread half of the Walnut Filling evenly over the dough to within 1 inch of the edges. Roll up the dough like a jelly roll, starting from a narrow side. Turn the edges under slightly and place the roll, seam down, in a prepared pan. Repeat with the remaining half of the dough. Cover and let rise for 1 hour or up to 1 1/2 hours. The dough may not swell to double in volume. Place the pans on a shelf near the top of an unheated oven and turn on the oven to 325F. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until done. Place the pans on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes. Remove the loaves from the pans and let them cool completely. Makes two loaves. WALNUT FILLING: In a medium-sized saucepan, cook the butter and sugar over moderately-high heat. When the butter and sugar have melted and the mixture is bubbly, remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the ground walnuts, eggs, cardamom, and vanilla. Cool the filling before using. Makes about 3 cups of filling. [ The Redbook Breadbook ] Posted by Fred Peters.