Cozonac cu Nuca (Romanian Walnut Roll)

Cozonac cu nuca is a traditional Romanian sweet bread filled with lots of walnuts. This delight is usually a Christmas tradition but can be enjoyed all year round. 

I don’t bake Romanian sweets very often, but I wanted a familiar taste the other day, and cozonac cu nuca is precisely that. 

I remember my grandma used to do lots of them, and the smell in our house of freshly baked goods was absolutely mouthwatering. She used to do them with walnuts and poppyseeds. My absolute favorite was the one with poppyseeds, but since here I can’t find them, as they are not allowed, I used walnuts.

Honestly, it was the first time I tried to bake it at home, and I’m happy with the result. Of course, I couldn’t wait, and I needed to cut it hot straight from the oven. Absolutely mouthwatering. Not only does it looks gorgeous, but it tastes fantastic. It is not really sweet at all, but nutty. It is light and fluffy and goes great as a snack or with my morning cup of coffee. 

Cozonac cu nuca is one of the most loved and appreciated Romanian sweets. 

The recipe is simple, but there are some basic rules for the success of this walnut roll. All ingredients should be at room temperature, eggs should be fresh (preferably country eggs), milk and butter should be high in fat, and flour and yeast should be of good quality and kept in ideal conditions. The filling should be neither heavy nor wet, as the roll will not rise properly.

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Now let’s see the ingredients that we need for this Cozonac cu nuca (Romanian Walnut Roll) Recipe (2 big cozonaci):

• 1 kg flour
• 200 g sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 7 g dry yeast
• 6 egg yolks
• 500 ml milk, warm
• 150 g butter, melted
• a splash of vanilla extract or rum

For the walnut filling:

• 300 g walnut kernels
• 100 g sugar
• 2 tbsp cocoa powder
• 150 ml milk, hot

For brushing on top:

• 1 egg yolk
• 2 tbsp milk
• 4 tbsp syrup (sugar + water)

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How To Make Cozonac cu nuca (Romanian Walnut Roll) Recipe Step by Step:

In a bowl, sift the flour together with yeast and salt. Add lightly beaten egg yolks and warm milk, in which you have previously dissolved the sugar. Start to knead by gradually adding the melted butter. Knead until you get a dough that no longer sticks to your hands.

Place the dough in a bowl greased with oil.

Cover with a kitchen towel and leave it to rise until it doubles in volume, about 2 hours.

In the meantime, prepare the filling. Add the walnuts to a food processor and pulse a few times until the nuts are finely ground, then place them in a bowl. Add sugar and cocoa powder. Pour the hot milk little by little. It may take more or less.

Mix well until you get a creamy filling that can be spread.

Divide the dough into four. Roll each dough into a rectangle on a lightly oiled surface, spread the walnut cream on each rectangle, and then roll each rectangle into a roll.

Weave the rolls two by two and put them in the slightly greased loaf pans. Cover with a kitchen towel and leave them to rise for about an hour. Mix the egg yolk with milk and brush the top of the loaves.

Bake the cozonaci in the hot oven at 180ºC for about 45 minutes. When you take them out of the oven, brush them with sugar and water syrup.

Let it cool (if you can), then slice and enjoy.

Nutritional Information:

Happy Baking!

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